You’re going to run into a lot of people in this world who will tell you that “King Kong Escapes” is not a good movie. Those people are not your friends and should be immediately cast into the Phantom Zone. The argument that “King Kong Escapes” is anything less than a masterpiece of art only holds water if you are a vehement enemy of fun. Is the original 1933 “King Kong” an unequivocal classic in the same class as “Jaws” or “Star Wars?” Of course. Is “King Kong Escapes” just as good? Even I wouldn’t go that far, but it is a different kind of “good.” Original “Kong” is the kind of good that gets discussed in film school; “King Kong Escapes” is the kind of good that lovers of late-night horror host shows appreciate. This is a parade of monster suits, rubber robots, and hand-crafted sets. It’s everything that makes life worth living.
In 1966, Rankin-Bass (the guys who did all those groovy holiday specials) purchased the rights to King Kong from RKO to produce a TV series and a film. Out of this, we got “The King Kong Show” and “King Kong Escapes.” The former was a joint venture with legendary Japanese studio Toei Animation (that’s an article for another day), and the latter was a collaboration with Toho. Yes, the very same Toho that gave Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and basically every other giant monster. The studio also worked with the great ape in “King Kong vs. Godzilla,” so they were the obvious choice. Toho initially presented Rankin-Bass with a script entitled “Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah” that involved spies, castaways on an island, and a giant lobster. However, Rankin-Bass rejected the script, so Toho replaced Kong with Godzilla, thus giving us “Ebirah, Horror from the Deep.”
“King Kong Escapes” was Toho’s second stab at Kong for Rankin-Bass, which was fortunately accepted. It incorporated elements from the “Ebirah” script, including espionage and Bond-esque villains. The evil Dr. Who (also spelled as “Hu” but “Who” is infinitely funnier) builds a giant robot version of Kong named Mechani-Kong to dig for the highly radioactive Element X, found only at the North Pole. Alas, Mechani-Kong’s brain circuits are destroyed by the radiation, so Dr. Who seeks out the real Kong. Meanwhile, a submarine full of obligatory humans arrives at the home of Kong, the infamous Sku– um, Mondo Island! There, Kong performs all the hits: he fights off a serpent, battles the dinosaur Gorosaurus, and falls in love with a beautiful human lady named Susan Watson. But oh no! Dr. Who shows up at the island and kidnaps the King!
Evilly, Dr. Who hypnotizes Kong and controls the mighty monster with an earpiece. Kong is then forced to collect Element X. Unfortunately for Dr. Who, the earpiece doesn’t work, so he does what any sensible supervillain would do: he kidnaps Susan Watson because Kong will only listen to her. As foretold in the prophecy that is the title, King Kong Escapes! He swims all the way to Japan, where he must fight Mechani-Kong atop Tokyo Tower. Who emerges triumphant in this colossal tussle?! I dare not spoil the fact that King Kong wins.
“King Kong Escapes” is pulpy perfection. Anything one reviewer may describe as a flaw will be another’s reason to praise the picture. As cheeky as I was in my description, I truly and sincerely love this movie. To me, there’s nothing more beautiful than a rubber suit monster, and this film has several of ’em! What’s even better is that they were constructed by Eiji Tsuburaya and his team, possibly the best to ever make creature costumes. I especially love Mechani-Kong, who looks like a cross between Gigantor and a Disney ape but done entirely in live-action. Some call these types of suit monsters silly; I call them stylish. Even if the effects team had the budget of a modern Marvel movie (which they did not), I wouldn’t want the creatures to look any other way.
“King Kong Escapes” is not “so bad, it’s good”; it’s good in the way it needs to be. 1933’s “King Kong” is a deceptively simple story that works on many levels, but “King Kong Escapes” works on one crucial level: a really amusing Saturday morning cartoon. Sure, it’s cheesy and more than a little ridiculous, but I am genuinely entertained every single time I watch it. And you don’t want to know how many times I have watched it!
There is a new, big-budget King Kong vs. Godzilla movie about to be released. I’m sure it’ll be perfectly fine, and it’ll satisfy many filmgoers. But for me personally, nothing beats a good old-fashioned B-movie monster mash like “King Kong Escapes.” The ridiculous plot and the hand-made special effects are exactly what I want from a creature feature. “King Kong Escapes” is not a big-budget blockbuster; it’s far better than that. The original 1933 Kong may be King, but this Kong is at least a worthy prince.
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