History YMMV / KingKong

* EthnicScrappy: (1933) Charlie the cook, whose actor was credtied as "Victor Wong" and ''may'' have actually been Chinese-American, but whose portrayal is still considered offensive. Still doesn't prevent him from being competent ([[HyperCompetentSidekick noticing Ann's missing first and immediately raising the alarm]]) or brave ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome challenging a dinosaur with nothing but a meat cleaver and coming out on top]]).

* MagnificentBastard: Dino De Laurentis is a meta example. During the film's production he knew damn well that no one would believe in a giant 40 foot gorilla and would constantly look for mistakes to make the illusion even more fake. So what does he do? Well he instead built a giant 40 foot robot Kong and exclaimed that the robot was going to be the monkey, not revealing that the robot was only going to be in the movie for a couple of seconds. And when critics saw the movie, they tried to show a distinction between the robot and the giant ape suit. The kicker? They ''got the comparisons wrong.'' So De Laurentis fooled people into believing an illusion with another illusion.

* NoProblemWithLicensedGames: ''Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie'', generally thought to be one of the better licensed games out there.

** Kong's [[TheNativesAreRestless Ugga Bugga worshipers]] in all films are insensitive by modern standards, which was made worse in the 2005 version where they are completely dehumanized and feral savages.

** On the subject of Kong '76, there was the very ''literal'' failure though the highly publicized full-scale mechanical Kong armature, designed by [[Film/{{Alien}} Carlo Rambaldi]] and said to have cost nearly $1.4 million to build. Leading to makeup legend RickBaker designing and donning the ape suit used for 95% of the movie. The mechanical Kong was only in one scene -his New York unveiling- and boy, can you tell.

* UncannyValley: Kong's eyes in the 1976 version are disturbingly human-like, owing to it being RickBaker in an ape suit.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: As a few film scholars have pointed out, beauty did ''not'' kill the beast. Colonialism did. Removing Kong from his natural habitat robbed him of the survival instincts necessary in keeping him alive. As such, the story can be seen as a strong allegory to white settlers ruining native lands by robbing its inhabitants of the very skills which kept them alive as long as they did.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: As a few film scholars have pointed out, beauty did ''not'' kill the beast. Colonialism did. Removing Kong from his natural habitat robbed him of the survival instincts necessary in keeping him alive. As such, the story can be seen as a strong allegory to white settlers ruining native lands by robbing it's inhabitants of the very skills which kept them alive as long as they did.

** The remake's reveal of the Skull Island's name is ridiculusly over the top.

* AlternativeAesopInterpretation: As a few film scholars have pointed out, beauty did ''not'' kill the beast. Colonialism did. Removing Kong from his natural habitat robbed him of the survival instincts necessary in keeping him alive. As such, the story can be seen as a strong allegory to white settlers ruining native lands by robbing it's inhabitants of the very skills which kept them alive as long as they did.

** On the subject of Kong '76, there the the very ''literal'' failure though the highly publicized full-scale mechanical Kong armature, designed by [[Film/{{Alien}} Carlo Rambaldi]]. Leading to makeup legend RickBaker designing and donning the ape suit used for 95% of the movie. The mechanical Kong was only in one scene -his New York unveiling- and boy, can you tell.

** ''[[http://jabootu.net/?p=546 King Kong Lives]]'' has not been viewed kindly. And for good reason.

** The 1976 version gets this, owing to Ann getting undressed in a more explicit manner and Kong's rather bloody death scene.

* The King Kong Suit and half-second of stop motion in ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' are universally seen as poor. Doesn't stop people [[RuleOfCool from enjoying]] [[RuleOfFunny it, though.]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The "Jungle Dance" music from the original. Also used as the background music to the "Eighth Wonder of the World" show in the 2005 remake.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The ice skating scene in New York.
** Somehow doubles as SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}.

* DesignatedHero: Jack in the 2005 version. Most of the crew's deaths can be traced back to his obsession with saving Ann, and all the while, he constantly gets upstaged by both the titular ape and [[spoiler:the snooty actor he didn't like.]]
** His decision to draw Kong away from Times Square probably causes more death and destruction than if he'd just let him be.

* HarsherInHindsight: The entire battle at the World Trade Center in the 1976 film is much creepier in the aftermath of September 11th.

* {{Narm}}: Parts of the original as well, including the most blasé declaration of love ever.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: (1933) See the entry for Special Effect Failure.

** The StopMotion used for Kong and the dinosaurs in the original version to [[FanDumb modern viewers who do not begin to comprehend]] [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the effort or complexity of what was done]] focusing on ther layman assesment of "It looks like clay". For the time, they were the best special effects around, some shots still astound modern special effects artists with their seemlessness and complexity. But it's doubly impressive considering that the alternative would have been '''[[{{Slurpasaur}} lizards in makeup]]'''. The King Kong Suit and half-second of stop motion in ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' however, are universally seen as poor. Doesn't stop people [[RuleOfCool from enjoying]] [[RuleOfFunny it, though.]]
** The snake from the 1976 version could also qualify, looking very stiff, robotic, and lifeless compared to the fairly realistic animatronic face and hands built into the Kong suit.

** While the 2005 version has some spectacular work done on Kong himself. Most of the scenes on Skull Island look rather hokey and rushed. The Brontosaurus chase in particular, due to how obviously green-screened the actors in those shots are. Some of the New York scenes also look like they came from a video game.

** Kong himself also qualifies.
* UncannyValley: Kong's eyes in the 1976 version are disturbingly human-like.

* ValuesDissonance: Modern audiences might find the crew's eagerness to shoot the stegosaurus somewhat jarring; also, Kong's [[TheNativesAreRestless Ugga Bugga worshipers]] are a bit insensitive by modern standards.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: While the 2005 version is probably a bigger target, even the original 1933 version is subject to this. Not only are there a lot of death scenes, they're surprisingly brutal! The stereotypical natives and the scene where Kong undresses Ann do not help.

* SignatureScene: Kong, woman in hand, on the roof of the tallest building in New York City and punching planes out of the air. Before he... [[ItWasHisSled you know.]]

** Don Simpson's 1993 comic, adapted from the Delos W. Lovelace novelization, originally had a scene it where Kong destroys the {{Hindenburg}}. It got cut after Simpson decided it was in poor taste and too bizarre.

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

** Denham in the original. The trip is his idea, as is the choice to bring the ape back to New York, where it promptly wreaks havoc and causes more deaths but he is never called out for his actions.

** While the 2005 version has son spectacular work done on Kong and New York. Most of the scenes on Skull Island look rather hokey and rushed. The Brontosaurus chase in particular, due to how obviously green-screened the actors in those shots are.

** They did build a to-scale animatronic of Kong's head and shoulders for the 1933 film. It has several quick appearances, the most notable being Kong's unveiling in new York and during his rampage in the native village (the close-ups where a villager is in his mouth). Though it was pretty motionless (only the eyes and mouth could move, and limited at that), it still worked fairly well.

* RunningTheAsylum: The 2005 version. The original 1933 Kong is Peter Jackson's favorite film, having been an influence on him ever since he was a boy, and remaking it was a life goal of his, even before he tackled ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. Some point to this as why the remake, while not a ''bad'' movie, felt rather overlong and self-indulgent; he was too close to the original film to give it the same level of quality as the LOTR series.

** Remember Lumpy the cook and the little kleptomaniac kid from the 2005 remake? [[Film/TinTin This wouldn't be the last time the two of them were together on a boat...]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Remember Lumpy the cook and the little kleptomaniac kid from the 2005 remake? [[Film/TinTin This wouldn't be the last time the two of them were together on a boat...]]

* {{Narm}}: Parts of the remakes.
** Kind of the point though: consider the NarmCharm...
** Parts of the original as well, including the most blasé declaration of love ever.

* {{Sequelitis}}: ''[[http://jabootu.net/?p=546 King Kong Lives]]'' has not been viewed kindly. And for good reason.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The StopMotion used for Kong and the dinosaurs in the original version to [[FanDumb modern viewers who do not begin to comprehend]] [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the effort or complexity of what was done]] focusing on ther layman assesment of "It looks like clay". For the time, they were the best special effects around, some shots still astound modern special effects artists with their seemlessness and complexity. But it's doubly impressive considering that the alternative would have been '''[[{{Slurpasaur}} lizards in makeup]]'''. The King Kong Suit and half-second of stop motion in ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' however, are universally seen as poor. Doesn't stop people [[RuleOfCool from enjoying]] [[RuleOfFunny it, though.]]

*** On the subject of Kong '76, there the the very ''literal'' failure though the highly publicized full-scale mechanical Kong armature, designed by [[Film/{{Alien}} Carlo Rambaldi]]. Leading to makeup legend RickBaker designing and donning the ape suit used for 95% of the movie. The mechanical Kong was only in one scene -his New York unveiling- and boy, can you tell.

* TooCoolToLive: The Cook played by Creator/AndySerkis in 2005 version. What's worse is the method he dies. He gets attacked by large worms that eat him limb by limb digesting him in a slow and painful manner.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: For 1933, anyway. The stop-motion effects were so impressive they got a kid named Creator/RayHarryhausen interested in making that a career. There are still cinemaphiles and effects experts impressed with how Willis O'Brien made his effects.

* UnfortunateImplications: The primitive natives. And the relationship between Kong and his girl--especially with regard to her somewhat forceful adoption by him--has been compared to a relationship between a [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt black man and a Nordic woman]]. And it's not a favorable comparison. The connection is purely apocryphal, as it was believed at the time that [[http://www.wfu.edu/~woodaljn/ant260/gorilla.jpg gorillas would actually rape women]], so it's probably not meant as a metaphor.
** Merian Cooper, the director, strenuously argued against a sexual interpretation of Kong's fascination with Ann Darrow; he saw it as Kong simply playing with a toy.
** The 2005 version goes for less of a sexual relationship and more of a Koko and kittens one.
** The infamous "Beauty killed the Beast" line at the end of both films. Apparently only a white, Western woman is beautiful enough to have an effect on Kong even though he spent his life surrounded by dark-skinned people native to his island and, if anything, should have adopted ''their'' standards of beauty.
*** This actually can be considered FridgeBrilliance: if Kong views the people sacrificed to him as pets or toys, he may become obsessed with the unique-looking, unusually bright-coloured one.
*** The 2005 version also tries to remedy this by having Ann survive by using her circus act, intriguing Kong because no one's tried to appease him before.
*** [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Duh, she was blonde(yellow hair). Kong is a monkey. He thought she was a bannana!]]

*** [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Duh, she was blonde(yellow hair). Kong is monkey. Phelps thought she was a bannana!]]