2 reviews
Long Live the King (2016)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Highly-entertaining documentary that takes a look at the mighty character King Kong and the various times that he has been on the screen. Joe Dante, Bob Burns, Greg Nicotero, Doug Jones, Felissa Rose and Emma Jacobs are just a few of the faces here who discuss how they discovered the ape and what impact that had on their lives.
At just 66-minutes there's certainly not a lot of detail to this documentary but at the same time if you're a fan of the character and the various films then there's no question that you're going to love this. The majority of the running time is devoted to the original film and we hear stories from the people on how they discovered the movie. The majority of them saw it on television and they talk about how it was binge watched and especially around Thanksgiving. From here we get into SON OF KONG, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, KING KONG VS GODZILLA, KING KONG ESCAPE, the 1976 version, KING KONG LIVES and finally the Peter Jackson film.
If you grew up watching KING KONG as a child I think you're really going to love the early stories because everyone interviewed are obviously very happy and often times excited and emotional as they talk about gathering around their television as children to watch the monster double-features. There are some wonderful stories told about having to catch movies when there wasn't a VCR to record them. If you missed them you missed it for who knows how long.
There's a lot of really good stuff here but I must say that I found the over-whelming love of the Jackson film to be somewhat questionable. It seems a lot of people have turned sour on the film yet there's not really anything negative said here about it but I can assure you both KING KONG ESCAPES and KING KONG LIVES take a beating.
If you're a fan of the character then this here is certainly a fun time.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Highly-entertaining documentary that takes a look at the mighty character King Kong and the various times that he has been on the screen. Joe Dante, Bob Burns, Greg Nicotero, Doug Jones, Felissa Rose and Emma Jacobs are just a few of the faces here who discuss how they discovered the ape and what impact that had on their lives.
At just 66-minutes there's certainly not a lot of detail to this documentary but at the same time if you're a fan of the character and the various films then there's no question that you're going to love this. The majority of the running time is devoted to the original film and we hear stories from the people on how they discovered the movie. The majority of them saw it on television and they talk about how it was binge watched and especially around Thanksgiving. From here we get into SON OF KONG, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, KING KONG VS GODZILLA, KING KONG ESCAPE, the 1976 version, KING KONG LIVES and finally the Peter Jackson film.
If you grew up watching KING KONG as a child I think you're really going to love the early stories because everyone interviewed are obviously very happy and often times excited and emotional as they talk about gathering around their television as children to watch the monster double-features. There are some wonderful stories told about having to catch movies when there wasn't a VCR to record them. If you missed them you missed it for who knows how long.
There's a lot of really good stuff here but I must say that I found the over-whelming love of the Jackson film to be somewhat questionable. It seems a lot of people have turned sour on the film yet there's not really anything negative said here about it but I can assure you both KING KONG ESCAPES and KING KONG LIVES take a beating.
If you're a fan of the character then this here is certainly a fun time.
- Michael_Elliott
- Jun 20, 2017
- Permalink
The impact of the original King Kong struck a chord in Hollywood's archival history which has never ceased to vibrate and impact the industry in an almost daily manner. Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger have compiled an astonishing collection of historical facts and interviews which clearly reinforce the celluloid legacy from 1933. If you're a movie fan or working within the entertainment industry, I cannot recommend strongly enough the importance of Dietz's compilation and all that it brings to every generation hence, from opening night to every day we wake and set about our daily tasks. Take an hour out of your busy schedule and enjoy this documentary. You'll walk away with an entirely new and energized appreciation of the production, the characters and those who created this immortal and defining film, the laurels of which have never crowned another.
- wookieecantina
- Jun 23, 2017
- Permalink