King Kong Escapes [Blu-ray]

King Kong Escapes was not, as you might expect, based on the original King Kong (1933) or the popular King Kong vs. Godzilla, which I think still ranks, adjusted for inflation, as the most profitable Godzilla movie in the franchise. No, this movie was based on the cartoon series The King Kong Show, which hit American small screens between 1966-1969. It, like the movie, was produced by Rankin/Bass, which is perhaps better remembered for the many stop-motion animated holiday TV specials they produced, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and the movie Mad Monster Party. This was a co-production between the company and Toho Studios, much like The Green Slime and The Last Dinosaur. Most people look at King Kong Escapes as probably the worst Kong movie every made. And mainly they’re looking at that atrocious gorilla suit. Much like the aforementioned KK vs. G, there wasn’t a lot of money spent on the primate star of the movie. Even Bob Burns’ legendary and somewhat ratty suit would’ve looked better on screen then the plasticine-faced monstrosity we were shown. You can see seams a-plenty, flaccid lower arm extensions that often make it look like Kong has two elbow joints, and a flap on the back of the head that has a tendency to flutter when the hero gets tossed around too much. But if you discount that suit, this is actually not a bad movie. The special effects are really top notch for a G-rated movie, the sort directed at kids – it’s head-over-heels better then most of Daiei’s Gamera output of the same era. The miniatures, for the most part, are as good in any of the good Godzilla movies, and even the green screen work is exemplary. This film was the first appearance of the monster that would later become known as Gorosaurus. He’s pretty much just a dinosaur, though with a kangaroo-like predilection for jumping and kicking opponents. The suit is one of the best dinosaur presentations of the pre-CGI era, and looks really good. The acting is hammy and on a kids’ level. Dr. Who, played by Eisei Anamoto, is dubbed by the inimitable Paul Frees, star of many dubbed kaiju flicks over the century. Rhodes Reason stars as UN Commander Carl Nelson, and does a good job as the square-chinned male lead. He appeared in an episode of Star Trek and in a barn full of action oaters. He was the younger, nearly identical brother of Rex Reason, perhaps best remembered for This Island Earth. Linda Miller was a model who worked in Japan, and this was one of only two movies she appeared in (the other was The Green Slime). She’s pretty, but really dull as a performer. Akira Takarada portrays the other male lead, who appeared in loads of kaiju flicks for Toho. The sultry Madame X was Mie Hama, who appeared in numerous Japanese films and hit international shores in the James Bond vehicle You Only Live Twice and the dubbed Woody Allen film What’s Up, Tiger Lily? I know the film kept me rapt when I saw it on the CBS Late Night Movie back in the seventies. It’s just a fun little monster flick. The highlight of the movie was the Robot Kong that Who created from Nelson’s plans. When I first saw the movie, I was amazed at how cool the robot looked, and the opening sequence where Robot Kong attempts to uncover the Element X deposit was spellbinding on a 9-inch black-and-white set. Yeah, I was easy to please back then. Oh, and while every source seems to note this, the robot was never called MechaniKong, no matter how cool that name might sound. The Blu ray DVD of King Kong Escapes was put out by Universal Studios in 2014. The print they use of the film is pretty good – at least I didn’t notice a lot of film scratches, and I didn’t see any pixelation or any problems with the playback. The disc is barebones, having only a commercial for Ultraviolet (which, naturally, doesn’t cover THIS movie), and nothing else. No trailers, no behind-the-scenes…not even a menu. But with Amazon Prime, it only case me $8.99, so it wasn’t a big loss or expenditure either way. I love monster movies, and this one is no exception. Many people will grind it down for the Kong outfit, but any viewing that chooses to go beyond that will see a fun, kinda goofy movie, with some otherwise pretty good production values. Definitely something every kaiju fan should see.

There are movies in one's lifetime that just grab the viewer and become experiences that you cherish forever. So is 'KING KONG ESCAPES' for me. Okay, this isn't the greatest movie ever made. There are probably not lots of people who would put this film in their personal top ten or top 100 or even top 1000, but for me this film is just one heck of a good time. The evil doctor was awesome. The hero was obviously in it for the pay check and the heroine was there for...well, I'm not sure, but she was there. She was the nurse on an atomic submarine crewed by all men. Yeah, right. Anyway, one of the things I found so great about this movie was the way our nurse, Susan, played by Linda Miller, delivered lines so horribly that I could not believe she was really a professional actress. Then I found out that her voice has been dubbed for this version of the film. I apologize to her for my bad thoughts about her acting. The bottom line here is that KING KONG ESCAPES is not a threat to win any awards. It's lame, cheesy and the script is ridiculous. That's why I gave it 5 stars. This is definately a film that you should see at least once in your lifetime for you will remember it. Love it or hate it, you will remember it.

Fun movie. A great sort of sequel to King Kong verse Godzilla. Good effects and interesting story. Plenty of monsters in it as well.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're a fan of King Kong, dinosaurs or old school sci-fi and adventure, then this flick is an easy recommendation. Forget what you know of Kong from the '33 & '76 films and just go with the flow. This is grand silly fun in the classic Japanese giant monster tradition! An entertaining 5 STAR film, (but I subtracted 1 STAR due to this Blu-ray having no extras). >Boo!< THE STORY: A team of U.N. scientists head to remote Mondo Island via submarine to investigate the rumors of the colossal ape monster known as King Kong. They encounter Kong and witness his might as he battles the beastly dino-terror: Gorosaurus! (Watch out for that devastating kangaroo kick, Kong!) Shortly after the U.N sub departs, Kong is ape-napped by nefarious international criminal, Dr. Who, (No! not THAT Doctor Who, silly!!). Seems that Who constructed a full-size robotic replica of Kong in order to unearth an ultra-rare radioactive isotope known as Element X. When Element X unexpectedly shorts out Mechani-Kong's controls, the evil Who is forced to steal the real Kong from Mondo Island to finish the job. Our U.N. heroes race to stop Dr. Who and rescue Kong. Can King Kong survive exposure to deadly Element X? How will our heroes save him? When Kong is pitted against his mighty mechanical twin who will emerge victorious? And what can stop Who? I don't know. (Third base!) Don't think about all this too much folks, just pick up a copy of this colorful adventure and find out for yourself! THOUGHTS: One of Toho's more fun and interesting films. It certainly adds plenty of new wrinkles to the lore & legacy of King Kong. Although many don't know it, the plot of this film is based around the animated 1966 Kong TV show (available on DVD). There are some typically groovy Toho monsters (Gorosaurus and Mechani-Kong rule!), for our hairy hero to duke it out with, and a double dose of American star power, in the form of stiff leading man Rhodes Reason & go-go girl gorgeous Linda Miller. (Yes, Kong still has a weakness for blondes.) Sturdy supporting roles from several Toho regulars, with a special call out to Eisei Amamoto (in a wild zebra-striped wig & requisite black cape), as the villainous, skeleton-thin Dr. Who, (with a bizarre bass voice-over from legendary Paul Frees that, despite the visual/audio juxtaposition, somehow just works). KING KONG ESCAPES is a breezy 96 minute adventure that's suitable viewing for the entire family. THE BLU-RAY: When I saw that KKE was being remastered for Blu-ray and knew I had to upgrade. And it's worth it! The transfer is beautiful. Picture is rich, with vibrant colors & sharp focus. (Not as sharp as new movies, but pretty spiffy looking for a Japanese giant monster film that's 45+ years old.) Minimal artifacting, pixelation & crush, thankfully. Film's soundmix is equally clear & strong. (I usually have my TV volume set about halfway, but had to dial it down to 1/3 here to keep from being deafened! LOL.) Please note, this release only includes the American version of the film. Sadly, the original Japanese version w/English subtitles is NOT included. English dubtitles for the deaf or hearing impaired are included, and it also has subtitles in French. KING KONG ESCAPES comes highly recommended!

The Movie--This film, a co-release from Toho (Godzilla) and Rankin-Bass (Rudolph) is loosely (laughably) based on a King Kong cartoon from the 60's, featuring a mustache-twirling, scene-chewing villain named Dr Hu (no relation), a beautiful helpless, useless blonde. (!!! How does such an idiot get to be part of a SCIENCE team???) and two brawny heroes, one Caucasian, one Asian, so no one is left out. The plot is goofy and has more holes than a used Kleenex, but it's goofy fun. Kong is suitably destructive and adorable, falling for the unattainable girl as he does. Dr Hu is cacklingly entertaining, with his giant robot monkey out to (say it with me) RUUUUUUUUULE THE WORLD! It's Kong and the Good Guys to the rescue of poor planet Earth from the clutches of a madman., with good old kaiju-style wrasslin involved. As a note for Toho fans, it marks the first appearance of Gorosaurus, who fights Kong early in the film. This is only notable, because, while the film does not seem to fit in Toho's psychotic continuity, Gorosaurus appears in Destroy All Monsters, this time fighting alongside Godzilla. Go figure. As for the DVD, the widescreen captures the full experience, and is a good quality release that I recommend for kaiju fans.

In my humble opinion, this is the second best kaiju monster movie (I would have to put King Kong vs Godzilla at #1... only because I feel the FX and Kong costume are just a tad better). Look, I am not going to write a detailed review for King Kong Escapes. If you are looking at this page, you know what to expect with this movie. For me, this is a feel good movie. It brings me back to the bygone days of my childhood in Neptune NJ (at the Jersey Shore). We lived in the New York television market BC (before cable)... WOR TV channel 9 and WPIX TV channel 11 would show weekend monster movies. I spent many Saturday afternoons watching King Kong, Godzilla and Gamera... in between reading comic books, climbing trees and going to the beach. This movie takes me back to a fun place... and hopefully, it will do the same for you.

I was born in 1967 so this was a regular flick my friends and I watched on TV with GLEE when we were kids in the 70s. A gem just for the great feelings it brings back IN AN INSTANT… whether it be the whole movie or just the soundtrack in the background. Love this movie!

total cheese film..the acting was great..the costumes where so bad they were good..well worth the small price for the blu ray.

This took a very long time to deliver, however, in light of COVID-19, It’s to be expected. The order arrived damaged and wasn’t packaged very well. I contacted the seller who was very helpful which is why I rated four stars. The movie brings back a lot of memories and I still have fun watching it. Of course it’s extremely cheesy, but that’s just part of the nostalgia. Blu-ray quality is very clear in some scenes, while in others you can still see scratches from the original film. Still very watchable. Sound quality is pretty good as well (DTS 2.0) There are no special features on this disc. Very good buy for collectors and good customer support.

説明の通りです。日本語音声なし。日本語字幕なし。英語吹き替えアメリカ公開版です。画質はとても良い、鮮明です。綺麗な画質を楽しむには良い買い物だと思います。

I'm a huge fan of Godzilla and big monster movies, always have been since a child. I have this on DVD as it was featured in a 2 disc set some years back with King Kong vs Godzilla. Having upgraded that film recently to blu ray, I thought I'd do the same with this, after all £5 is such a bargain. Believe me, if you like this sort of thing, you will love this. Ok, the translated dubbing often sounds a little dubious but the lip sync is done very well. As for the film, it looks glorious. Monster Mayhem and Madness at its most fun.

estoi satifecho por el producto en viado

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