King Kong Escapes
King Kong Escapes

King Kong Escapes

1967Movie104 minJapanese

An adaptation of the Rankin/Bass cartoon, "The King Kong Show". King Kong is brought in by the evil Dr. Who to dig for Element X in a mine when the robot Mechani-Kong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a tremendous battle atop Tokyo Tower.

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Insights

IMDb6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes67%
Google Users70%
Director: Ishirō HondaGenres: Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi

Plot Summary

Dr. Hu, a nefarious scientist, creates a robotic duplicate of King Kong, known as Mechani-Kong, to mine for a valuable radioactive element. When Mechani-Kong fails to extract the element, Dr. Hu kidnaps the real King Kong from Mondo Island and forces him to mine the element in Japan. Along the way, Kong falls for a beautiful woman named Susan Watson and battles his mechanical counterpart in a climactic showdown.

Critical Reception

King Kong Escapes received mixed to positive reviews, often praised for its imaginative premise and entertaining giant monster battles, typical of Toho's kaiju films. While not as critically acclaimed as some of its predecessors, it is considered a fun and colorful entry in the genre, appealing to fans of monster movies and Japanese cinema.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its creative take on the King Kong mythos with the introduction of Mechani-Kong.
  • Appreciated for its vibrant colors and energetic action sequences, characteristic of kaiju films.
  • Some critics noted the plot's silliness but enjoyed the spectacle and monster fights.

Google audience: Google users generally enjoyed the film, highlighting its fun monster action and the unique concept of a robot Kong. While acknowledging its campy elements, many found it an entertaining watch for its genre appeal and classic monster movie thrills.

Fun Fact

The design of Mechani-Kong was heavily influenced by the then-popular Hanna-Barbera character Magilla Gorilla, which was a deliberate choice by the filmmakers to add a touch of modern animation flair to the kaiju genre.

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TMDB Reviews

1 reviews
John Chard

John Chard

It's very easy for us to understand. You see, as ridiculous as it may sound, Kong is a male and, uh, Miss Watson is... Well, see for yourselves, gentlemen. King Kong Escapes is directed by Ishirô Honda and written by Takeshi Kimura. It s...