Movie Review: King Kong Escapes (1967)
Synopsis: The evil scientist Dr. Who has discovered a large deposit of Element X at the North Pole and his excavation is being financed by a rogue nation that is looking to use the element as part of its plan for world domination. When his robot replica of King Kong fails to function correctly because of the element's radiation, he instead captures the real King Kong and enslaves him.
Who's in it? The movie stars Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, Linda Miller, Hideyo Amamoto and Akira Takarada.
Review: I've been a classic Japanese monster movie fan since I was a kid and do occasionally find time to re-watch some of my favorites. This included this morning, when I came across King Kong Escapes. It had been a while since I last saw the film and didn't remember a whole lot about it, but it ended up being a good choice. And that isn't just because of the main villain's name (which sounds like the title character from Doctor Who).
One thing I liked about this movie was it had a faster pace than some of the others I've watched. Most of the classic films seem to take forever before the monster is introduced and something happens. That wasn't the case this time around and we got to see King Kong or his robotic doppelganger right away.
Granted, some of the monster fights were more comical than exciting (I'm not a dinosaur expert, but I'm pretty sure a T-Rex couldn't jump in the air and do a karate kick). However, that's something that adds to the overall fun. I mean, these aren't meant to be scary movies, just entertaining.
The final battle between King Kong and the robotic King Kong also proved to be somewhat exciting, especially since Kong's love interest (I guess that's the best way to describe it), Susan Watson (Miller) was in danger for a good portion of it. Plus, as is often the case in movies like this, Tokyo was in danger of being destroyed as a result of that battle.
I think my biggest complaint about this movie were the obnoxious noises. The robot Kong had a constant beeping noise that grew irritating after a very short while, as did Susan's calling out to Kong in that shrill voice (it felt as though she was nagging the giant ape). As a result of that, you may want to consider watching the final battle with the sound turned down or off.
Final Opinion: It's not as good as some other films from this genre but is a solid and entertaining movie overall. It's worth taking the time to watch at least once as a result of this.
My Grade: B+
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1967:
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