History Film / KingKong

Creator/PeterJackson's take on ''King Kong'' returns to the story as propounded in 1933: Depression-era filmmaker Carl Denham (JackBlack), dodging debt collectors, hires an out-of-work Ann Darrow (NaomiWatts) and quickly leaves on an expedition to find a certain uncharted island...

The original 1933 film has had two official remakes, along with numerous spin-offs, sequels, crossovers, and spoofs. Retellings in other media range from a DirectToVideo animated feature in TheNineties to an Australian stage musical in 2013 (a Broadway production of this version has been announced for late 2014). The plots of the three major film versions are as follows:

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* EpicMovie: Especially the PeterJackson version.

The original 1933 film has had two official remakes, along with numerous spin-offs, sequels, crossovers, and spoofs. Retellings in other media range from a DirectToVideo animated feature in TheNineties to an Australian stage musical in 2013. The plots of the three major film versions are as follows:

There have been three major film adaptations of the original story (along with numerous spin-offs, sequels and cross-overs):

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Bringing Kong back to America instead of a movie, Denham puts the amazing creature on display in Manhattan. However, misinterpreting the intentions of newsmen trying to photograph Ann, Kong breaks loose from his bonds and begins a rampage through the city seeking the "woman of gold". Finally retrieving her from a hotel, Kong proceeds to [[ClimbingClimax climb to the highest point in Manhattan]]--the Empire State Building. There he attempts to fight off a squadron of biplanes, and Ann makes her escape. While he knocks down several that circle too close, the modern war machines finally get the better of the monster, and he plummets to his death.

* FirstInstallmentWins: While there have been many sequels and remakes, the original 1933 film is the version most often spoken of by fans.

* ValuesDissonance: Modern audiences might the crew's eagerness to shoot the stegosaurus somewhat jarring; also, Kong's [[TheNativesAreRestless Ugga Bugga worshipers]] are a bit insensitive by modern standards.

* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: If you think about it, Kong is ''not'' the real monster here. Kidnapped, dragged away from home, put on display and gawked at... He's more a victim that Fay Wray was.

* TechnologyMarchesOn - the biplanes are replaced by specialized attack helicopters with [[MoreDakka gatling guns]].

** Possibly {{justified|Trope}}. Given the sheer amount of competition for food as a result of the...bizarre ecosystem discussed above, it's [[WildMassGuessing possible]] the eat-everything-in-sight instinct is high on the list of priorities.
*** The tie-in book suggests that the reptilian Komodo-dragon thing was actually a scavenging creature that only the most desperate of predators would feed on, because it tastes ''extremely'' foul and has a gut full of toxic bacteria.
** And the raptors in the apatosaur stampede scene keep trying to get a bit of human instead of, you know, ''getting away from the stampede''.
** Well, the raptors are shown to be pretty agile, the only one that got killed (at least on-screen) was due to a human knocking it down. Also what is easier to kill, a 100-ton super-size dinosaur that can kill you with its foot, or an easy human?
*** In the natural history book of Skull Island it explains that the raptors actually specialize in hunting the enormous ''Brontosaurus''. Really.
*** Apparently running them off cliffs in a panic is a normal hunting tactic for them.
** Many apatosaurs died in the stampede, and yet the raptors were chasing the humans rather than trying to feed on the carcass.
** Possibly the carnosaurs are operating on a basic "always chase what's fleeing" reflexive response, like a cat chasing a laser-pointer light.

* NeverTrustATrailer: In the trailer, Denham is heard saying, "Scream, Ann! Scream for your life!" as one homage to the 1933 original. That part never made it into the final cut.

* HollywoodEvolution: Evolutionary biology and ecosystems don't work that way. Creatures trapped on an island tend to select for smaller size, not larger[[hottip:*: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_gigantism island gigantism is a thing that only happens on larger islands, not tiny ones like Skull Island]] – and yet if you read the natural history of Skull Island or watch the relevant documentary on the DVD, that's exactly the opposite of how the film makers designed the animals. Also, with that many apex predators in such a tiny area (the vastatosaurs, the raptors, plus the various giant arthropods), the island would've been devoid of life in no time as the ecosystem fell apart. It is implied in the film (and explicitly said in the "Natural History" tie-in book) that the island used to be much larger and was sinking into the sea/breaking apart. Still, for animals that large, the break-up would have to have been of a very large land mass and would have had to only been happening for a very short period of time, geologically speaking, which makes it something of a VoodooShark.

* EldritchLocation: Skull Island could very easily be one of these. It's full of creatures that are larger than should exist in nature, they're all aggressive and dangerous, the natives are so feral they can barely be considered human, and even the geography is frightening.