King Kong Lives (1986)

User Rating:

3.2/10   

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Merian C. Cooper (character)
Steven Pressfield (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Legendary Kong is Back!

Plot:

Kong falls from the twin towers and he appears to be alive!

Plot Keywords:

Ape | King Kong | Artificial Heart | Blood Transfusion | Giant Ape

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Peter Elliott	...	King Kong (as Peter Elliot)
George Yiasoumi	...	Lady Kong (as George Yiasomi)
Brian Kerwin	...	Hank Mitchell
Linda Hamilton	...	Amy Franklin
John Ashton	...	Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Dr. Andrew Ingersoll
Frank Maraden	...	Dr. Benson Hughes
Alan Sader	...	Faculty Doctor #1
Lou Criscuolo	...	Faculty Doctor #2
Marc Clement	...	Crew Chief
Richard Rhodes	...	Reporter
Larry Souder	...	Reporter
Ted Prichard	...	Reporter
Jayne Gray	...	Reporter (as Jayne Linday-Gray)
Debbie McLeod	...	Reporter

Also Known As:

King Kong 2 (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Fall Creek Falls State Park - 2009 Village Camp Road, Pikeville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Trivia:

This film is listed among the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John WIlson's book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning, we hear Kong's heart beating. We don't hear his heart beating at any other point in the movie, even during the quiet scenes.

Quotes:

Major Peete: [at the hunters loading up] What the hell is this? Deliverance?
Captain #1: You there! Are those weapons loaded?
Vance: You bet, General! And so are we!
Major Peete: You'll be shooting each other, you damn fool! You wanna get killed?
Vance: I want that ape's head on the hood of my pickup!

Movie Connections:

References Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Great? Of course not - but great fun!

One of those sequels no-one seems to know about, King Kong Lives originally sounded like a joke when Dino De Laurentiis used to pitch it in interviews - King Kong has been in a coma for ten years and desperately needs a giant artificial heart transplant but they can't find enough giant ape plasma for him to survive the operation. Luckily Brian Hamilton stumbles across Lady Kong (a redhead with comedy boobs) in Borneo, so it's chainsaws away as Linda Hamilton and a crew of what look like construction workers put what looks like a minisub in there and in next to no time Kong's up and about and as horny as Hell. Kong's just gotta have it and breaks loose, sweeps Lady Kong off her paws (he carries her off in his arms) and the lovebirds find themselves pursued by the army and rednecks alike ("I want that ape's head on the hood of my pickup!") while Linda and Brian Kerwin try to save them while realising that "We're primates too." As insane as it sounds. Did I mention Baby Kong? Kong picking a redneck's cap out of his teeth after they ill-advisedly "have their fun with him" (yes, that's really the phrase that's used!)? The fact that at one time Joel Grey was lined up to play Kong ? It's a film so wonderfully inane and misconceived that it's hard not to love if you can enter into the spirit of it, and it does boast a genuinely terrific score by John Scott.