History Fridge / KingKong2005

!!FridgeLogic
* Why does Kong look scared and confused before leaving Ann on the cliff? The script and some supplementary material give heartbreaking insight into the expression on Kong's face after the boulder falls on his back after his temper tantrum. They explain that Kong now realizes something about him has changed. He feels something he hasn't felt often in his lonely life—an emotional connection with another creature. Kong nearly crushes Ann for refusing to perform for him anymore but can't bring himself to do it. The uneasy look on Kong's face is him realizing that [[BreakTheHaughty a dangerous power shift has occurred]]; he feels humiliated knowing Ann has disarmed him and reduced his power, threatening his alpha-male status. Kong reclaims his power and restores his alpha status by defeating the V-rexes.
* Why does the juvenile V-rex chase after Ann when it already has bigger prey in its mouth?
** That particular lizard-creature was a ''Foetoedon'', a ''really'' repulsive crocodilian scavenger and giant-bug eater. It's possible that although its tail was a good morsel for the V-rex, eating its head and gullet with whatever noxious mess of rotten meat, toxic insects, and bone-digesting superacids they contained would be too gross even for a neotyranosaur.
** The companion book states that Skull Island is "survival of the fittest" taken to its most extreme. The competition for food is so high that if you see something you can eat, you eat it—the book even cites that there are whole clades of smaller animals on the island living off all the carrion around because of this. The Vastatosaurus rex saw another animal in its immediate vicinity and acted. Ann could've been its last meal for all it knew—in fact, that ''Foetoedon'' in its mouth really ''was'' its final meal.
* Why do the V-rexes persistently target Ann when Kong provides more meat, and Ann would barely be a meal for them anyway? The ''World of Kong'' tie-in book explains they have been archrivals with Kong's species for as long as anyone can remember. The two species fought each other frequently for dominance of the island; their offspring often became collateral damage in the battles, with the V-rexes often targeting the young Kongs for food. Both species even killed the others' juveniles to eliminate future threats whenever they got the chance; it's also possible they went after the young merely to spite the other. The V-rex family probably saw Ann as a young of Kong's species, and noticing how protective Kong is of Ann gave the V-rexes more incentive to go after her. If that's the case, Ann was too tempting a target that the V-rexes ignored the chances Kong gave them to walk away, even when the odds were against them.
** Ann might also not be the first human female that the ''V. rex''es have caught Kong with, come to think of it. Kong's clumsy manhandling may not be the ''only'' reason none of the native maidens offered up to him have survived.

* In the tie-in book ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'', it's strongly implied that pterosaurs used to live on the island, but all except the flightless Scissor-Head went extinct. Why would this be? Because the other aerial niches on the island got claimed by the birds, "Vultursaurs," and giant flying rodents. By taking up wading and swimming after giving up flying, the Scissor-Head avoided competition with the rodents and birds, allowing it to survive.
** It also helps explain why naturalists never had a clue that Skull Island was out there and so biologically unique until the ''Venture'' expedition. Had '''flying''' pterosaurs still been present on the island, they could've indeed flown to other habitable lands and been documented by science long ago. But Skull Island's endemic flying rodents can't possibly travel that far across the open ocean, mammals being far more dependent upon fresh water to drink than birds or reptiles. The seabirds on Skull Island aren't noticeably different from those found on other regional islands. The vultursaurs ''could'' have made it to some other landmass, but they're specialized jungle insectivores and would've had to compete with dozens of fish-eating birds if they tried to evolve to prey on marine life.
* In contrast to the 1933 film, Kong fights ''three'' Vastatosaurus rexes instead of one Tyrannosaurus rex. Though it may look like a contrived coincidence to make the fight look even more remarkable, there is some brilliance to this. ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'' says that Skull Island has been sinking into the sea for the past thousand years. As the V-rex's natural habitats continued to dwindle, they got forced to share their hunting grounds with other V-rexes and predators. From these standards, it wouldn't have been realistic for Kong to fight one V-rex and not expect at least another to stumble across them.
* Why does Kong climb the Empire State Building? His lair on Skull Island is the island's highest point; Kong could see the entire island from there, and most of the island predators couldn't reach there. The place signifies sanctuary for Kong, so he likely got the same feeling upon seeing the Empire State Building—the city's tallest building. Kong believes he is taking Ann somewhere safe.

* Why are the ''Vastatosaurs'' so fixated on killing Ann when they have better options for food? As ''V. rex'' is a tyrannosaurid, it likely has a strong sense of smell, and Kong's scent is all over Ann. As this is the first time a human has survived Kong, they likely thought that Anne was an infant of Kong's species. As Kong is their biggest threat, they were desperate to kill her to stop her from becoming a later rival.

* Why is Kong initially violent to Ann, why does he handle her roughly after taking her, and what explains Kong killing his past sacrifices? Since becoming the LastOfHisKind, Kong had to live a harsh and lonely existence with countless [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou hostile creatures fighting him for dominance]]. With no more family, Kong also had no means for meaningful interaction with other animals on his mental level. He also had to endure the routine of the natives offering him a sacrifice, of which Kong would quickly become bored, making him work himself up into a rage to kill them. This may have [[GoMadFromTheIsolation made Kong somewhat feral]]. There is truth in RealLife about Kong becoming aggressive due to lacking other sentient beings with which to socialize. Like humans, gorillas are naturally social animals, so one regressing to their innermost primal instincts and showing behavior atypical of their species from intense isolation isn't unusual.
** Kong would've killed Ann like the others, but she changes his routine by fighting back, running from him, and having people come after her. Ann later entertains him with her vaudeville skills, piquing Kong's curiosity and allowing him to form an emotional bond with another being, which saves Ann's life and may explain why Kong grows so attached to her.

* One for the video game. An unlockable secret ending has Kong survive the events of the film and return to Skull Island. All fine and good, then you remember that according to tie-in materials, Skull Island is slowly sinking into the ocean, and everything on it is doomed anyway. Poor Kong just can't win.

* Why do the V-rexes target Ann persistently when Kong provides more meat, and Ann would barely be a meal for any of them anyway? The ''World of Kong'' tie-in book explains they have been archrivals with Kong's species for as long as anyone can remember. The two species fought each other frequently for dominance of the island; their offspring often became collateral damage in the battles, with the V-rexes often targeting the young Kongs for food. Both species even killed the others' juveniles to eliminate future threats whenever they got the chance; it's also possible they went after the young merely to spite the other. The V-rex family probably saw Ann as a young of Kong's species, and noticing how protective Kong is of Ann gave the V-rexes more incentive to go after her. If that's the case, Ann was too tempting a target that the V-rexes ignored the chances Kong gave them to walk away, even when the odds were against them.
** Anne might also not be the first human female that the ''V. rex''es have caught Kong with, come to think of it. Kong's own clumsy manhandling may not be the ''only'' reason why none of the native maidens offered up to him have survived.

* In the tie-in book ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'', it's strongly implied that [[PteroSoarer pterosaurs]] used to live on the island, but all except the flightless Scissor-Head went extinct. Why would this be? Because the other aerial niches on the island got claimed by the birds, "Vultursaurs," and giant flying rodents. By taking up wading and swimming after giving up flying, the Scissor-Head avoided competition with the rodents and birds, allowing it to survive.

* Why does Kong climb the Empire State Building? His lair on Skull Island is the island's highest point; Kong could see the entire island from there, and most of the island predators couldn't reach there. The place signifies sanctuary for Kong, so he likely got the same feeling upon seeing the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the city. Kong believes he is taking Ann somewhere safe.

* Why is Kong initially violent to Ann, why does he handle her roughly after taking her, and what explains Kong killing his past sacrifices? Since becoming the LastOfHisKind, Kong had to live a harsh and lonely existence with countless [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou hostile creatures fighting him for dominance]]. With no more family, Kong also had no means for meaningful interaction with other animals on his mental level. He also had to endure the routine of the natives offering him a sacrifice, of which Kong would quickly become bored, making him work himself up into a rage to kill them. All of this may have [[GoMadFromTheIsolation made Kong somewhat feral]]. There is truth in RealLife about Kong becoming aggressive due to lacking other sentient beings with which to socialize. Like humans, gorillas are naturally social animals, so one regressing to their innermost primal instincts and showing behavior atypical of their species from intense isolation isn't unusual.

* Why do the V-rexes target Ann persistently when Kong provides more meat, and Ann would barely be a meal for any of them anyway? The ''World of Kong'' tie-in book explains they have been archrivals with Kong's species for as long as anyone can remember. The two species fought each other frequently for dominance of the island; their offspring often became collateral damage in the battles, with the V-rexes often targeting the young Kongs for food. Both species even killed the others' juveniles to eliminate future threats whenever they got the chance; it's also possible they went after the young merely to spite the other. The V-rex family probably saw Ann as a young of Kong's species, and noticing how Kong is protective of Ann gave the V-rexes more incentive to go after her. If that's the case, Ann was too tempting a target that the V-rexes ignored the chances Kong gave them to walk away, even when the odds were against them.

* Why is Kong initially violent to Ann, why does he handle her roughly after taking her, and what explains his killing his past sacrifices? Since becoming the LastOfHisKind, Kong had to live a harsh and lonely existence with countless [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou hostile creatures fighting him for dominance]]. With no more family, Kong also had no means for meaningful interaction with other animals on his mental level. He also had to endure the routine of the natives offering him a sacrifice, of which Kong would quickly become bored, making him work himself up into a rage to kill them. All of this may have [[GoMadFromTheIsolation made Kong somewhat feral]]. There is truth in RealLife about Kong becoming aggressive due to lacking other sentient beings with which to socialize. Like humans, gorillas are naturally social animals, so one regressing to their innermost primal instincts and showing behavior atypical of their species from intense isolation isn't unusual.

* In the tie-in book ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'', it's strongly implied that [[PteroSoarer pterosaurs]] used to live on the island, but all except the flightless Scissor-Head went extinct. Why would this be? Because the other aerial niches on the island got claimed by the birds, "Vultursaurs," and giant flying rodents. By taking up wading and swimming after giving up flight, the Scissor-Head avoided competition with the rodents and birds, allowing it to survive.

* Besides grieving Kong's death, what else is going through Ann's head after he falls from the Empire State Building? According to the film's audio commentary and novelization, Ann considers suicide; Ann is so close to giving up after watching Kong die that she almost wants to join him, but Jack's arrival pulls Ann back from the edge.

* Why does Kong look scared and confused before leaving Ann on the cliff? The script and some supplementary material give heartbreaking insight into the expression on Kong's face after the boulder falls on his back after his temper tantrum. They explain that Kong now realizes something about him has changed. He feels something he hasn't felt often in his lonely life: an emotional connection to another creature. Kong nearly crushes Ann for refusing to perform for him anymore but can't bring himself to do it. [[BreakTheHaughty A dangerous power shift has occurred, and Kong feels humiliated]]; he knows Ann has disarmed him and reduced his power, threatening his alpha-male status; the uneasy look on Kong's face is him processing the realization. Kong reclaims his power and restores his alpha status by defeating the V.rexes.
* Why does the juvenile V.rex chase after Ann when it already caught bigger prey in its mouth?
** That particular lizard-creature was a ''Foetoedon'', a ''really'' repulsive crocodilian scavenger and giant-bug eater. It's possible that although its tail was a good morsel for the ''V.rex'', eating its head and gullet - together with whatever noxious mess of rotten meat, toxic insects, and bone-digesting superacids they contained - would be too gross even for a neotyranosaur.

* Why do the V.rexes target Ann persistently when Kong provides more meat, and Ann would barely be a meal for any of them anyway? The ''World of Kong'' tie-in book explains they have been archrivals with Kong's species for as long as anyone can remember. The two species fought each other frequently for dominance of the island; their offspring often became collateral damage in the battles, with the V.rexes often targeting the young Kongs for food. Both species even killed the others' juveniles to eliminate future threats whenever they got the chance; it's also possible they went after the young merely to spite the other. The V.rex family probably saw Ann as a young of Kong's species, and noticing how Kong is protective of Ann gave the V.rexes more incentive to go after her. If that's the case, Ann was too tempting a target that the V.rexes ignored the chances Kong gave them to walk away, even when the odds were against them.

* Why does Kong climb the Empire State Building? His lair on Skull Island is the island's highest point; Kong could see the entire island from there, and most of the island predators couldn't reach there. Jackson and Boyen said the place signifies sanctuary for Kong; Kong likely got the same feeling upon seeing the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the city.

* Why is Kong initially violent to Ann, why does he handle her roughly after taking her, and what explains his killing his past sacrifices? Since becoming the LastOfHisKind, Kong had to live a harsh and lonely existence with countless [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou hostile creatures fighting him for dominance]]. With no more family, Kong also had no means for meaningful interaction with other animals on his mental level. He also had to endure the routine of the natives offering him a sacrifice, with which Kong would quickly become bored, making him work himself up into a rage to kill them. All of this may have [[GoMadFromTheIsolation made Kong somewhat feral]]. There is truth in RealLife about Kong becoming aggressive due to lacking other sentient beings with which to socialize. Like humans, gorillas are naturally social animals, so one regressing to their innermost primal instincts and becoming violent from intense isolation isn't unusual.
** Kong would've killed Ann like the others, but she changes his routine by fighting back and people coming after her. Ann later entertains Kong with her vaudeville skills, providing an opening for Kong to form an emotional connection with another being, which saves Ann's life and may explain why Kong grows so attached to her.
* Besides grieving Kong's death, what else is going through Ann's head after he falls from the Empire State Building? According to Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyen, Ann might be considering suicide; Ann is so close to giving up after watching Kong die that she almost wants to join him, but Jack's arrival pulls Ann back from the edge.

* Why does Kong look scared and confused before leaving Ann on the cliff? The script and Creator/PeterJackson and Philippa Boyen's audio commentary give some heartbreaking insight into the expression on Kong's face after the boulder falls on his back after his temper tantrum. They explain that Kong now realizes something about him has changed. He feels something he hasn't felt often in his lonely life: an emotional connection to another creature. Kong nearly crushes Ann for refusing to perform for him anymore but can't bring himself to do it. [[BreakTheHaughty A dangerous power shift has occurred, and Kong feels humiliated]]; he knows Ann has disarmed him. She now has all the power, thus threatening his alpha-male status. The uneasy look on Kong's face is him processing the realization. Kong reclaims his power and restores his alpha status by defeating the V.rexes.
* Why does the first V.rex chase after Ann when it already caught bigger prey in its mouth?

** The companion book states that Skull Island is survival of the fittest taken to its most extreme. There are such high levels of competition for food that if you see something you can eat, you eat it--the book even has it that there are whole clades of smaller animals on the island living off all the carrion around because of this. The Vastatosaur saw another animal in its immediate vicinity and acted. Ann could have been its last meal for all it knew—in fact, that ''Foetoedon'' in its mouth really ''was'' its final meal.
* Why do the V.rexes persistently target Ann when Kong provides more meat, and Ann would barely be a meal for any of them anyway? The ''World of Kong'' tie-in book explains they have been archrivals with Kong's species for as long as anyone can remember. The two species fought each other frequently for dominance of the island, and their offspring often became collateral damage in the battles. Both species even targeted and killed the others' juveniles to eliminate future threats whenever they got the chance; it's also possible they went after the young merely to spite the other. The V.rex family probably saw Ann as a young of Kong's species; noticing that Ann means something to Kong likely gave the V.rexes more incentive to go after her, even when the odds were against them.

* Why does Kong look scared and confused before leaving Ann on the cliff? The script and Creator/PeterJackson and Philippa Boyen's audio commentary give some heartbreaking insight into the expression on Kong's face after the boulder falls on his back after his temper tantrum. They explain that Kong now realizes something about him has changed. He feels something he hasn't felt often in his lonely life: an emotional connection to another creature. Kong nearly crushes Ann for refusing to perform for him anymore but can't bring himself to do it. [[BreakTheHaughty A dangerous power shift has occurred, and Kong feels humiliated]]; he knows Ann has disarmed him and reduced his power, threatening his alpha-male status. The uneasy look on Kong's face is him processing the realization.
* Why does Kong climb the Empire State Building? His lair on Skull Island is supposedly the island's highest point; Kong could see most or all of the island from there, and most of the island predators could reach there. Peter Jackson said the place signifies sanctuary for Kong. Kong likely got the same feeling upon seeing the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the city.

* Why is Kong initially violent to Ann, why does he handle her roughly after taking her, and what explains his killing his past sacrifices? Since becoming the LastOfHisKind, Kong had to live a harsh and lonely existence with countless [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou hostile creatures fighting him for dominance]]. With no more family, Kong also had no means for meaningful interaction with other animals on his mental level. He also had to endure the routine of the natives offering him a sacrifice, with which Kong would quickly become bored, making him kill them all and dump their bodies at his killing ground. All of this may have [[GoMadFromTheIsolation made Kong somewhat feral]], but it all changes when Ann comes along; she changes his routine by fighting back and entertaining Kong with her vaudeville skills, which may explain why he grows so attached to her.
** Kong becoming aggressive due to lacking other sentient beings to socialize with has truth in RealLife. Like humans, gorillas are naturally social animals, so one regressing to their innermost primal instincts and becoming violent from intense isolation isn't unusual.

** That particular lizard-creature was a ''Foetoedon'', a ''really'' repulsive crocodilian scavenger and giant-bug eater. It's possible that although its tail was a good morsel for the ''V.rex'', eating its head and gullet - together with whatever noxious mess of rotten meat, toxic insects, and bone-digesting superacids they contained - would be too gross even for a neotyranosaur.
* Why do the V.rexes persistently target Ann when Kong provides more meat, and Ann would barely be a meal for any of them anyway? The ''World of Kong'' tie-in book explains they have been archrivals with Kong's species for as long as anyone can remember. The two species fought each other frequently for dominance of the island, and their offspring often became collateral damage in the battles. Both species even targeted and killed the others' juveniles to eliminate future threats whenever they got the chance, but it's also possible they went after the young merely out of spite. The V.rex family probably saw Ann as a young of Kong's species; seeing how protective Kong is of Ann likely gave the V.rexes more incentive to go after her, even when the odds were against them.

!!FridgeBrilliance:
* In the tie-in book ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'', it's strongly implied that [[PteroSoarer pterosaurs]] used to live on the island, but all except the flightless Scissor-Head went extinct. Why would this be? Because the other aerial niches on the island were claimed by the birds, "Vultursaurs" and giant flying rodents. By giving up flight and taking up wading and swimming, the Scissor-Head avoided competition with the aforementioned rodents and birds, allowing it to survive.
** It also helps explain why naturalists never had a clue that Skull Island was out there, and so biologically unique, until the ''Venture'' expedition. Had '''flying''' pterosaurs still been present on the island, they could've surely flown to other habitable lands and been documented by science long ago. But Skull Island's endemic flying rodents can't possibly travel that far across the open ocean, mammals being far more dependent upon fresh water to drink than birds or reptiles. The seabirds on Skull Island aren't noticeably different from those found on other islands in the region. The vultursaurs ''could'' possibly have made it to some other landmass, but they're specialized jungle insectivores and would've had to compete with dozens of kinds of fish-eating bird if they tried to evolve to prey on marine life.
* In contrast to the 1933 film, Kong fights ''three'' Vastatosaurus rexes instead of one Tyrannosaurus rex. Though it may look like a contrived coincidence to make the fight look even more awesome, there is actually some brilliance to this. ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'' says that Skull Island has been sinking into the sea for the past thousand years. As the V-rex's natural habitats continue to dwindle, they are forced to share their hunting grounds with other V-rexes and other predators as well. From these standards, it would not have been realistic for Kong to fight one V-rex and not expect at least one other to stumble across them.

* In contrast to the 1933 film, Kong fights ''three'' T-rex instead one. Though it may look like a contrived coincidence to make the fight look even more awesome, there is actually some brilliance to this. ''The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island'' says that Skull Island has been sinking into the sea for the past thousand years. As the T-rex's natural habitats continue to dwindle, they are forced to share their hunting grounds with other T-rex and other predators as well. From these standards, it would not have been realistic for Kong to fight one T-rex and not expect at least one other to stumble across them.

* In the tie-in book ''Natural History of Skull Island'', it's strongly implied that [[PteroSoarer pterosaurs]] used to live on the island, but all except the flightless Scissor-Head went extinct. Why would this be? Because the other aerial niches on the island were claimed by the birds, "Vultursaurs" and giant flying rodents. By giving up flight and taking up wading and swimming, the Scissor-Head avoided competition with the aforementioned rodents and birds, allowing it to survive.
** It also helps explain why naturalists never had a clue that Skull Island was out there, and so biologically unique, until the ''Venture'' expedition. Had '''flying''' pterosaurs still been present on the island, they could've surely flown to other habitable lands and been documented by science long ago. But Skull Island's endemic flying rodents can't possibly travel that far across the open ocean, mammals being far more dependent upon fresh water to drink than birds or reptiles. The seabirds on Skull Island aren't noticeably different from those found on other islands in the region. The vultursaurs ''could'' possibly have made it to some other land mass, but they're specialized jungle insectivores and would've had to compete with dozens of kinds of fish-eating bird if they tried to evolve to prey on marine life.

** It also helps explain why naturalists never had a clue that Skull Island was out there, and so biologically unique, until the ''Venture'' expedition. Had '''flying''' pterosaurs still been present on the island, they could've surely flown to other habitable lands and been documented by science long ago. But Skull Island's endemic flying rodents can't possibly travel that far across the open ocean, still being dependent upon fresh water to drink, and its seabirds aren't noticeably different from those found on other islands in the region.

* FridgeBrilliance: In the tie-in book ''Natural History of Skull Island'', it's strongly implied that [[PteroSoarer pterosaurs]] used to live on the island, but all except the flightless Scissor-Head went extinct. Why would this be? Because the other aerial niches on the island were claimed by the birds, "Vultursaurs" and giant flying rodents. By giving up flight and taking up wading and swimming, the Scissor-Head avoided competition with the aforementioned rodents and birds, allowing it to survive.