Line #16 Headscratchers/KingKong


1	[[index]]
2	* ''Headscratchers/KingKong1933''
3	* ''Headscratchers/KingKong1976''
4	* ''Headscratchers/KingKong2005''
5	* ''Headscratchers/KongSkullIsland''
6	* ''Headscratchers/GodzillaVsKong''
7	* ''Headscratchers/SkullIsland2023''
8	[[/index]]
9
10	----
11	* What exactly is Kong? Is there a whole race of these things or is he a one off genetic mutant?
12	** We see some other giant ape skeletons in Jackson's version, so he's probably the LastOfHisKind.
13	*** According to ''A Natural History Of Skull Island'', Kong is the last of a species of ape called ''Megaprimatus kong''.
14	*** More specifically, it's implied that ''Megaprimatus'' is a type of gigantopithecine, and probably a historically recent arrival on Skull Island.
15	*** According to publicity materials from 1933, Kong is "a gigantic prehistoric ape"... but NOT a gorilla.
16
17	* What does Kong do with the sacrifices offered to him? Does he eat them? In the 2005 movie he's shown eating plants like a real gorilla. Of course, he can still complete his diet with the occasional meat of small vertebrates (humans are tiny compared to him after all) - while gorillas don't do that, other apes like chimpanzees and bonobos do.
18	** My guess is that he tosses them about like ragdolls and tosses them out when he loses interest.
19	*** So that means the previous sacrifices may have survived and returned to the village of natives? Of course, he would probably hug them and squeeze them [[AndCallHimGeorge and call them George]], but there's still a chance.
20	*** In the 2005 version, when passing Kong's abode, the chef says 'they've been torn limb from limb' about the skeletons. This probably indicates that Kong plays rough with his 'toys' and eventually ends up breaking them, almost literally. It's possible this would've happened to Anne if she hadn't scolded him and told Kong to stop pushing her around.
21	*** Kong's abode is on the top of the mountain, he only comes down to the jungle to feed. Perhaps the previous sacrifices were killed and eaten by the island predators.
22	*** Even a woman who snuck away from Kong's den wouldn't have much chance to make it back to the village alive, assuming they'd actually let her return. Some of the bodies "torn limb from limb" may have tried to climb down the cliffside, slipped, and died; others might have even committed suicide, if they knew they could never go home and would only die a painful death from Kong's clumsy manhandling and/or predators sneaking into the cave. When Kong found their lifeless bodies, he poked and tugged at them the same way he did, the dead ''V. rex'', only human corpses aren't as sturdy as dead carnosaurs.
23	* What does Kong eat?
24	** Lots of trees, probably. [[ShownTheirWork The animators gave him a herbivore's large belly]], so it's likely he's still vegetarian like real gorillas.
25	** The 2005 version explicitly shows Kong nibbling on a bamboo. However, in the 1933 and 1976 versions, his belly is not as large, so in those versions he might be an omnivore like a chimpanzee (which would make the human sacrifices to him much more justified).
26	*** Keep in mind that our knowledge of gorilla physiology and behavior has grown significantly since 1933. When the original movie was made, people thought gorillas were vicious killers who ate meat and raped women, so Kong was more of a villain; in the 2005 version, he is more objectively an antivillain or antihero, is herbivorous, and is more directly protective of Ann.
27	* Why is it that the explorers of Skull Island always risk life and limb to bring Kong himself back, but never stop to pick up any ''other'' unique specimens that'd be even '''more''' of a breakthrough, like dinosaur heads or dead BigCreepyCrawlies? Sure, Kong's size is awe-inspiring, but the discovery of an unknown ape species isn't anywhere ''near'' as scientifically revolutionary as still-extant non-avian dinosaurs, winged rodents, or bugs vastly larger than any known arthropod.
28	** The Omni Viewer discusses and provides a very compelling answer to this question on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY7qIUb9s0I What Makes Kong So Special?]]
29	** They had bait for Kong.
30	** Perhaps it's because they consisted of sailors and filmmakers and thus were ignorant of how scientifically incredible the other animals are. I imagine if they had an actual biologist with them, they'd say "Screw the big monkey, there's dinosaurs and giant bugs running around!"
31	** Keep in mind, they can come back, better prepared and get specimens of the other unique wildlife. They had bait for Kong - and, well, a primate larger than any known, living or extinct, is zoologically remarkable. They're also more focused on surviving the dangerous wildlife than trying to get samples of it.

Context Headscratchers / KingKong