King Kong — the fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla — has appeared in various forms of media since the early 20th century. From video games to comics and movies, Kong can be found everywhere you care to look.
There have also been a few crossovers with the Godzilla franchise, with the two monsters either collaborating or fighting each other. Besides that, Kong has interacted with characters like Doc Savage, Tarzan, and the Justice League, while also showing up in a Planet of the Apes book. No matter who the creature appears alongside, one thing is always clear: Kong is stronger than anyone else and will always be the King of the Beasts.
Kong first appeared in the novelization of the 1933 film King Kong from RKO Pictures. The book hit the shelves two months before the film’s premiere, so literature fans got to know everything first. Since then, exactly 10 movies have been released, with 2027’s upcoming Godzilla x Kong: Supernova set to become the 11th.
Here is every King Kong movie so far, in the order of their release.
‘King Kong’
7 April 1933
Director Merian C. Cooper had always wanted to make a movie about a giant gorilla since the 1920s, and with RKO Pictures desperately needing a blockbuster to stay afloat, the studio decided to gamble with the idea. In King Kong, filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) leads a team to the mysterious Skull Island to shoot his next picture. There, they meet a tribe that worships a giant ape named Kong. Chaos follows when the crew captures the monster and takes him to New York City.
Kong Begins!
One of the most engrossing pre-Code adventure movies ever made, this sharp, stylized gem gets top-flight treatment from Cooper and co-director Ernest B. Schoedsack, who definitely knows this territory, having had earlier experience filming monkeys while directing Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness. Fueled by a powerhouse band of Golden Age actors — Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot — this fun look at monster mayhem is catnip for any cinephile.
‘Son of Kong’
22 December 1933
Following the success of King Kong, the sequel, Son of Kong, was quickly shot. Here, filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) is in trouble, following the mess Kong made in New York City. Lawsuits have nearly left him bankrupt, so he returns to Skull Island to explore it further. There, he discovers and bonds with an albino gorilla, less than half the height of Kong, but double the size of a normal person. Will Carl rise above his misfortunes?
Time for the Little One To Shine
Son of Kong is hilarious. Watch out for the scene where Little Kong tries to impress Denham by fighting a cave bear. The comedy stems from scriptwriter Ruth Rose’s choice not to make a serious film, figuring the first could never be matched. She was right. The sequel wasn’t as well-received as the original film, but it still entertains. The cinematography is incredible, and the character development is a little stronger. Denham’s quest for redemption also feels very relatable.
‘King Kong vs. Godzilla’
11 August 1962
After almost three decades of no Kong activity in Hollywood, Japan’s famous Toho Studios made something for the fans. In King Kong vs. Godzilla, a Japanese pharmaceutical company captures King Kong from Faro Island and tries to profit from the monster. But before the objectives can be achieved, Godzilla gets reawakened from an iceberg by an American submarine. Eventually, the two creatures clash.
Clash of the Titans
The version of Godzilla in King Kong vs. Godzilla is one of the eeriest evil monsters you’ll see, and Kong also proves capable. Despite a somewhat dull, tacked-on ending dictated by the morality frameworks of the day, the movie remains a highly distinctive, action-packed thriller about two monsters battling for supremacy. This was also the first time that each of the two characters had appeared on the big screen in color and widescreen. Besides that, the initial plan was to make a movie where Kong battles a giant version of Frankenstein’s monster. Thankfully, a better idea was born.
‘King Kong Escapes’
22 July 1967
The next movie, King Kong Escapes, was a collaboration between Toho and American production house Rankin/Bass. The film opens with the mad scientist, Dr. Who (Eisei Amamoto), constructing a robotic duplicate of King Kong, called Mechani-Kong, to mine a radioactive element. When the robot malfunctions, Dr. Who kidnaps the real King Kong from Mondo Island to finish the job? But Commander Carl Nelson (Rhodes Reason) won’t let that happen.
Creature Exploitation
This divinely wild classic about a psychopathic scientist with a suspiciously saccharine veneer was adapted from the anime series The King Kong Show, but director Ishirō Honda does plenty to make it unique. The plot keeps taking chilling twists, and the action sequences are intriguing enough to pull even the most inattentive fans. James Bond elements are also rather glaring in the movie. Dr. Who behaves very similarly to the Bond villains, Dr. Julius No and Ernst Stavro Blofeld, while the scientist’s partner, Madame Piranha, is an Asian secret agent played by Mie Hama, who had the same type of role in the Bond film You Only Live Twice.
‘King Kong’
17 December 1976
Next is a King Kong remake, an idea conceived when veteran Dino De Laurentiis saw a Kong poster in his daughter’s bedroom. On this occasion, it’s not a film director, but an oil executive, Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin), who leads an expedition to a mysterious island in search of petroleum. There, he and his team discover a gigantic ape and, upon bringing him to New York as a publicity spectacle, he escapes and destroys the city.
A Fresh Start
While succeeding more as a corporate greed tale than unfiltered monster mayhem, King Kong hooks you regardless. It’s not as strong as the original film, but there’s very little chance it will put anyone to sleep! The screenwriter, Lorenzo Semple Jr. (better known for Batman and Three Days at the Condor), knew just the right story boxes to tick while cinematographer Richard H. Kline worked like he was auditioning for something bigger. The film won a Special Achievement Oscar for Best Visual Effects, and it was also nominated for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.
‘King Kong Lives’
19 December 1986
The wonderful performance of King Kong led to the production of the sequel, King Kong Lives. 10 years after his epic fall from the World Trade Center, King Kong is now in a coma, kept alive by a team of scientists. The discovery of the female giant ape, Lady Kong, brings hope, as her blood may be able to save King Kong. After a successful medical procedure, both apes flee, causing a wild chase led by Colonel Nevitt (John Ashton).
Watchable, But Forgettable
This attempt at a modern-day variation is both a wild action adventure film and a tense, complex romance drama with an ending that will bring everyone to tears. Regrettably, it doesn’t look as good as the previous installments. It even received a Razzie for Worst Visual Effects. Thankfully, things changed. This was the final Kong movie in which the giant ape was portrayed using suits and practical effects. Future films would go on to utilize CGI.
‘King Kong’
5 December 2005
Since King Kong Lives was a disaster, making another remake was the only logical choice. King Kong was thus born, featuring a similar plot to the original. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, the story is about a Hollywood crew that travels to the mysterious Skull Island to shoot a movie. There, they encounter numerous prehistoric creatures and the legendary giant ape, Kong, whom they capture and take to New York City.
A New Dawn
Director Peter Jackson’s retelling of the famous monster tale spares nothing in the way of unforeseen circumstances and brutal realities, or the forbidding environment in which the film crew members scrape for survival. There are also several lurid twists, such as when two of the filmmakers fall in love. Fans of the original will also love the ending, where the iconic quote is repeated: “It wasn’t the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.” At the time of its release, King Kong was the most expensive film ever produced, with a record-breaking $207 million.
‘Kong: Skull Island’
10 March 2017
Shared universes became a trend in the 2010s, and so the Monsterverse was created, starting with Godzilla in 2014 and followed by Kong: Skull Island. Here, a secret government organization, Monarch, sends an expedition to a mysterious Pacific island shortly after the Vietnam War. Led by ex-British Special Air Service, James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), war photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), and Sky Devils helicopter squadron leader Lt. Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), the team encounters the island’s gigantic guardian, King Kong, who helps them battle deadly underground creatures called Skullcrawlers.
Enter the Stars
Nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Oscars, Skull Island brought a fresh, modern spin on age-old lore. With geopolitical meddling as the movie’s major theme, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts juxtaposes the brilliance of human endurance with the raw, primal instincts of the world of beasts, depicting a crew determined to return home in one piece. The scriptwriter Max Borenstein cited Apocalypse Now as an inspiration, and Vogt-Roberts seems to have been inspired by the war movie too, judging from the crisp cinematography. The main cast of Hiddleston, Larson, and Jackson also deserves much praise.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’
31 March 2021
Godzilla is a menace as always in Godzilla vs. Kong, so the secret organization known as Monarch transports Kong to the Hollow Earth (home of monsters known as “Titans”) to get a power source capable of stopping Godzilla. But even though Kong and Zilla don’t hit it off right away, they will eventually dance together and thaw some relations, especially after Apex Cybernetics builds Mechagodzilla to replace the kaiju as humanity’s protector, only for the robotic creature to go rogue.
Time for a Tag Team
Godzilla vs. Kong has everything you would expect from a big-budget Monsterverse production — a great story, a first-rate score, splashes of color, inventive action sequences, and overall lots of energy. The film broke many pandemic box office records and was also a streaming hit, becoming the most successful launch title in HBO Max’s history. Kudos to the production team for offering something unique and refreshing rather than going for the more tempting option to remake King Kong vs. Godzilla.
‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’
25 March 2024
Godzilla vs. Kong’s success necessitated the production of another movie featuring the two monsters rather than a return to solo movies. Fans were thus treated to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, in which Kong encounters more dangerous creatures in the Hollow Earth and is forced to unite again with Godzilla to stop the tyrannical Skar King and the merciless, frost-breathing Shimo from venturing onto the Earth’s surface and destroying humanity.
Could Have Been Better
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire might have the artsy landscapes and marvelous fight sequences full of groans, but its story isn’t fascinating. Director Adam Wingard may have such a positive view of Godzilla and Kong that he is unable to exploit the two monsters for conflict. What was needed was a situation where the two characters fail to agree on a strategy and go at each other, destroying the world. Because of its tame approach, this particular movie was overshadowed by the Oscar-nominated Godzilla: Minus One, which had premiered four months earlier.
- Release Date
-
March 26, 2027
- Director
-
Grant Sputore
- Writers
-
Dave Callaham, Michael Lloyd Green
- Producers
-
Mary Parent