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King Kong Lives

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1986 American monster film directed by John Guillermin
King Kong Lives
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Guillermin
Screenplay by
Based onCharacters
by
Produced byMartha Schumacher
Starring
CinematographyAlec Mills
Edited byMalcolm Cooke
Music byJohn Scott
Production
company		De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Distributed byDe Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Release date
  • December 19, 1986 (1986-12-19)
Running time105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million
Box office$48.9 million (est.)

King Kong Lives (released as King Kong 2 in some countries) is a 1986 American monster adventure film directed by John Guillermin. Produced by the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and featuring special effects by Carlo Rambaldi, the film stars Linda Hamilton and Brian Kerwin.

The film is a sequel to King Kong (1976) set ten years later. This was the final Kong film in which the title character was portrayed using suits and practical effects; further films would utilize computer animation. It is the sixth entry in the King Kong franchise.

Plot

After being shot down from the World Trade Center at the end of the previous movie, Kong is revealed to have been revived from his death and has been kept in a coma for the next ten years at the Atlantic Institute, under the care of surgeon Dr. Amy Franklin. A heart transplant is required to save Kong's life, giving Kong a computer-monitored artificial heart. However, he has lost so much blood in his coma that he needs a blood transfusion to keep him alive. However, Dr. Franklin believes that no species of ape or another animal whose blood type matches Kong's.

Meanwhile, adventurer Hank "Mitch" Mitchell, travels to Borneo, theorizing that Kong's home island was once part of the same land mass. While exploring the jungle, Mitch soon encounters a giant female ape of Kong's species, who is quickly subdued and captured. Mitch offers to send the ape — who he dubs "Lady Kong" — to the institute so that her blood can be used for Kong's operation. Dr. Franklin is apprehensive about the risks, the institute accepts the offer despite her objections.

Through a risky procedure, Kong’s blood transfusion and the heart transplant are a narrow success. While the institute celebrates, Kong soon revives and senses the presence of Lady Kong. Realizing her presence is rousing Kong, the institute attempts to remove Lady Kong, causing her to panic. Kong breaks free from his containment, and rescues Lady Kong from hers. The two apes escape the institute together and into the wilderness. To hunt down the apes, a military force is called in, led by the overzealous Lieutenant Colonel Archie Nevitt. To help protect Kong, Dr. Franklin and Mitchell team up to pursue the two apes, while dodging Nevitt's forces.

During their time in the wilderness, Kong and Lady Kong bond and become mates. While following the apes, Mitchell and Dr. Franklin similarly bond, and the two hook up. Nevitt's forces soon find the apes and launch an attack. Despite Kong's attempts to fight them off, Lady Kong is subdued and captured; Kong himself fall into a ravine and river and is presumed dead when his heart monitor loses its signal.

Months later, Lady Kong is kept in captivity by Nevitt, while Mitchell attempts to buy out land in Borneo for a reserve. When Dr. Franklin is allowed to check in on her, she notices Lady Kong's behavior; she suspects that Kong could still be alive and that Lady Kong may sense him. Dr. Franklin is dismissed by her peers, believing that the environment isn't suitable for Kong to survive for long.

However, it turns out Kong has survived in hiding out in the wilderness, and can similarly sense Lady Kong in her captivity. As Kong seeks out his mate, his survival is exposed when he wanders through a neighborhood. With this, both Nevitt's forces and local hunters set out to hunt Kong down, with Nevitt disregarding orders to capture Kong alive.

Dr. Franklin and Mitchell set out to find Kong, and happen upon him as he's trapped and tormented by a group of hunters. When Dr. Franklin realizes that Kong's artificial heart is failing, Kong quickly breaks loose; inadvertently destroying Dr. Franklin's computer used to control his heart, leaving him with little time to live. Following Kong's advance, Dr. Franklin and Mitchell break into Nevitt's compound to help free Lady Kong from captivity. It is then discovered Lady Kong is pregnant with Kong's offspring.

Kong and Lady Kong soon reach a farmhouse where Lady Kong goes into labor. They are followed by Dr. Franklin and Mitchell, as well as Nevitt's forces. Nevitt begins an assault on Kong, who despite being grievously wounded, manages to drive off the military and kill Nevitt himself. As Dr. Franklin and Mitchell watch on, Lady Kong successfully gives birth to an infant ape. Mortally wounded, Kong manages to see and touch his son just before he bleeds out. Rescued, Lady Kong and her infant are brought back to the reserve in Borneo, to live out their days in peace.

Cast

  • Brian Kerwin as Hank Mitchell
  • Linda Hamilton as Dr. Amy Franklin
  • Peter Elliott as King Kong
  • John Ashton as Lt. Col. Archie Nevitt
  • George Yiasoumi as Lady Kong
  • Benjamin Kechley as Baby Kong
  • Frank Maraden as Dr Benson Hughes
  • Peter Michael Goetz as Dr. Andrew Ingersoll
  • Jimmie Ray Weeks as Major Peete
  • Jimmy Wiggins as Boyfriend
  • Mary Swafford as Girlfriend
  • Michael Forest as Vance
  • Leon Rippy as Will
  • Herschel Sparber as Jay
  • Wallace Merck as Chigger
  • Dean Whitworth as Scruffy
  • Jonathan Canfield as Jump Ranger #1
  • Jack Wheeler (twin) as Officer #1
  • Joe Wheeler (twin) as Officer #2
  • David Hartzell as Sergeant #1
  • Patrick Webb as Infantryman
  • Greg Hendrixson as Jump Ranger #2
  • Jim Grimshaw as Sergeant
  • Robin Cahall as Mazlansky
  • Matt Totty as Sgt. Tucker
  • Rod Davis as TV Reporter, Lake City (Rocky Top, Tennessee) scenes

Production

De Laurentiis had been interested in making a sequel to King Kong since he made the remake. In 1977, he said there would "definitely" be a sequel. "Steve McQueen made a picture in which he died at the end, but they made another picture with Steve McQueen. Many stars die at the end of a picture and then go on to the next picture. Kong is a star. We are going to have a new story, a new Kong."

The progress of a sequel was complicated by the fact the 1976 film was considered a financial disappointment and there were ongoing legal uncertainties over who owned the rights to King Kong. A number of scripts had been written. "They had King Kong in Russia and King Kong in outer space", said writer Steve Pressfield. "Really, this is not an exaggeration. They even had one with little kids leading him around, saying things like 'Careful, Kong, don't step on that car.' It really was an embarrassment."

Pressfield and Ron Schusett pitched the idea that Kong has been on a giant respirator for years, and he was brought back to life with an artificial heart. According to Pressfield, "Dino loved the whole idea of the artificial heart and said, 'That's brilliant. I've been wondering for five years how to bring him back to life in a way that people would accept.' Sure, it's campy, but It's outrageous enough that it really works." John Guillermin had been hoping to direct a version of Tai Pan with Sean Connery but when that project was unable to be financed, he moved on to King Kong Lives! The writers met with Guillermin and together devised the story about Kong getting an infusion from a female ape. "When we came up with the idea, Dino was very skeptical and didn't want to do it", said Pressfield. "It's hard enough to accept that there's a King Kong but since he has been around for 50 years he has become a pop cult hero. No one is going to believe a female ape.' I said, 'Dino, he had to have a mother,' And he said, 'By God, you're right, I never thought of that. There can be a female,' and we went with it."

The film was announced in October 1985. It was part of a slate of films from De Laurentiis in association with Embassy that also included Blue Velvet. Pressfield said "The whole thing is a love story with the two apes, but there's also a lot of action and an uplifting ending, although there are some elements of tragedy, as there were in the original. We even give a nod to women's lib with Lady Kong falling for the male scientist. Of course, this is before she meets the King." Guillermin said later that making a sequel to King Kong was a bad idea. "Dino was striking out on all sorts of things at the time. It's really too bad . He was involved with some interesting projects."

Brian Kerwin said, "I knew that my name would be up there as the lead, but there was never any question that the star of the movie was the ape. Also, the 1976 movie had such low prestige and Jessica Lange was ridiculed, but then so was Christopher Reeve for Superman, and look at the subsequent success of those two. So, I don't worry about it. We tried to have fun when we were making the movie, without poking fun at it. It's an adult fairy tale and it has humor. If people think it's a silly piece of fluff and we're all jerks, then that's the way it goes. I hope it doesn't happen." The film's leading star Linda Hamilton said, "I'm happy that I don't have to get picked up by the monkey and become the object of his desire. I save Kong. And it's nice to play someone who is not hysterical and dramatic and intense all the time."

Filming started in April 1986 in Tennessee. "The movie is about Kong, about special effects, about jeeps being blown up," says John Ashton.

Release

Home media

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King Kong Lives was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1987 by Lorimar Home Video, on DVD in 2004 by 20th Century Fox, and on Blu-ray in 2023 by Umbrella Entertainment.

Reception

Box office

Despite its marketing campaign, King Kong Lives was a box office flop in the United States and Canada, grossing $4,711,220 during its theatrical run.

According to one account, "Besides the fact that audiences have noses for a stinker, King Kong Lives lacked an effective advertising campaign that sold its premise (Kong finds a mate), and the movie was sold as if it was just another B-movie retread. Which it was, but on an A budget."

Overseas, the film was a success in the Soviet Union, where it sold 53.6 million tickets in 1988, becoming the top-grossing foreign film of the year and one of the top 15 highest-grossing foreign films of all time. At an average 1980s Soviet ticket price of 50 kopecks, the film's ticket sales are equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately 26.8 million Rbls ($44.2 million).

The film sold a total of 54,831,200 tickets worldwide, including 1,231,200 tickets in North America. The film grossed an estimated total revenue of approximately $48,911,220 worldwide.

The financial failure of the movie (while it earned 3.7x its budget, it ultimately lost money due to its marketing costs) - along with movies such as Tai-Pan - led to the bankruptcy of De Laurentiis' company.

Critical response

King Kong Lives was panned by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 8% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 2.6/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 32 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert gave the film only one out of four stars and stated, "The problem with everyone in King Kong Lives is that they're in a boring movie, and they know they're in a boring movie, and they just can't stir themselves to make an effort." DEG sent a notice to Ebert and Gene Siskel notifying the two critics that they were allowed to show snippets of the film on TV in their native Chicago, but were forbidden to show the same snippets on the national scale unless they promised to give positive reviews, which the pair refused to agree to. Siskel remarked, "Obviously, they were scared If you don't believe me or Roger, believe the film company, that, think about it, couldn't find a single scene that it wanted you to see." In fact, Ebert playfully noted that the children in the audience were so bored with the film, they found playing with one of the auditorium's doors a more diverting activity.

Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times opined that "this sequel, directed by John Guillermin (who was also at the helm of the 1976 version) is in good hands as long as Kong is on screen. (Designer Carlo Rambaldi has done a masterful job of sculpting his mighty ape’s features, giving him heft, surprising agility and, perhaps to age him a bit, a receding hairline.) But the film makers haven’t been able to improve on the original story. It’s still Kong vs. Civilization, with a lot of high-firepower action and wackily implausible plot twists thrown in to keep the Big Guy busy." Rambaldi's work was also lauded by Janet Maslin of The New York Times, but she nonetheless remarked that "King Kong Lives, which was directed by John Guillerman, has a dull cast and a plot that's even duller." Staff members of Variety remarked that "in portraying an Indiana Jones-type figure, Kerwin strains for plausibility and film swiftly begins to lose some early credibility."

The film was nominated for one Razzie Award, Worst Visual Effects. Actor Peter Goetz received a residual check of three cents from the film and decided to frame it as a tribute, never cashing it.

The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.

Filmink called the movie "awful. There’s no sense of adventure or danger: the bulk of the film takes place in the USA, and the rampage of Kong is played for laughs (being whacked on the head by a golf ball, etc). The leads, Linda Hamilton and Brian Kerwin, could have been cut out of the film entirely. Who wants to see a King Kong movie where the apes are in love with each other and not a human?"

Other media

Video games

Two official video games based on the film were developed and released only in Japan by Konami. They were titled King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch for the Famicom, and King Kong 2: Yomigaeru Densetsu for the MSX. The Famicom game totally discarded the human aspect of the story and players played as King Kong who has to travel around the globe fighting giant robots and certain military forces in order to save the female Kong. The game was designed as an action-adventure game with some science fiction concepts. The MSX version, on the other hand, plays from the perspective of Mitchell. This version is a role-playing game.

Notes

References

  1. Friendly, David T. "De Laurentiis rejoins the ranks" Los Angeles Times (November 16, 1985)
  2. De Laurentiis PRODUCER'S PICTURE DARKENS: KNOEDELSEDER, WILLIAM K, Jr. Los Angeles Times 30 Aug 1987: 1.
  3. Beale, Lewis (1986-06-01). "The Kong Isn't Dead; Long Live The King". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  4. Oates, Marylouise (1986-06-15). "Finally, A Steady Job For King Kong". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  5. "King Kong Lives (1986)". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
  6. THE PRODUCER TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW "KING KONG" Anonymous. American Cinematographer; Hollywood Vol. 58, Iss. 1, (Jan 1977): 40-42.
  7. 'Kong' Battle Advances By ALJEAN HARMETZ. New York Times 27 Jan 1978: C20.
  8. ^ Gross, Edward (October 1986). "King Kong Lives". Fangoria. No. 58. p. 10.
  9. ^ Goldman, Lowell (November 1990). "Lord of Disaster". Starlog. p. 70.
  10. A DYLAN THOMAS SCRIPT, BUT, ALAS, LITTLE ELSE Ryan, Desmond. Philadelphia Inquirer 27 Oct 1985: I.2.
  11. That's too big a woman for me,' actor says of female version Monkeying around with the Kong tale Yakir, Dan. The Globe and Mail 5 Dec 1986: D.3.
  12. Murray p 55
  13. GIANT ROLE Orlando Sentinel 29 Mar 1986: A2.
  14. THE BRAIN BEHIND KING KONG IS TURNING THE BIG APE INTO AN EXPRESSIVE ACTOR Beale, Lewis. Chicago Tribune 1 June 1986: 2.
  15. Mathews, Jack (1986-12-24). "'Kong Lives' Dies At Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  16. "King Kong Lives (1986)". Box Office Mojo. 1988-07-05. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  17. The 12th Annual Grosses Gloss Thompson, Anne. Film Comment; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 2, (Mar 1987): 62-64,66-69.
  18. Kudryavtsev, Sergey (4 July 2006). "Зарубежные фильмы в советском кинопрокате". LiveJournal (in Russian).
  19. ^ "King Kong Lives, 1986 - Dates". KinoPoisk (in Russian). Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  20. Soviet Military Review. Krasnaya Zveda Publishing House. 1982. p. 7. A cinema ticket costs 50 copecks in Moscow and 3.5 dollars in New York.
  21. "Archive". Central Bank of Russia (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  22. De Laurentiis Group Files Chapter 11;Box Office Bombs Sink Movie Company: Garties, George. The Washington Post 17 Aug 1988: f01.
  23. "King Kong Lives". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  24. "King Kong Lives Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  25. Matthews, Jack (December 24, 1986). "'KONG LIVES' DIES AT BOX OFFICE". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  26. "King Kong Lives :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. 1986-12-22. Archived from the original on 2013-03-10. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  27. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-01-27. Retrieved 2017-03-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. Goldstein, Patrick (1986-12-22). "Movie Review : King Kong Goes Ape One More Time". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  29. Maslin, Janet (1986-12-20). "Screen: the Return of King Kong". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  30. "King Kong Lives". Variety. 1985-12-31. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  31. "King Kong Lives: Revisiting the terrible Kong flop you never saw". 9 March 2017.
  32. Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.
  33. Vagg, Stephen (17 November 2020). "John Guillermin: Action Man". Filmink.

External links


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