King Kong

Directed by John Guillermin

1976 • PG • English • 134 min.

Is this epic King Kong remake as iconic and groundbreaking as the 1933 original? Of course not — few movies are. Is this epic King Kong remake entertaining? Heck yeah it is. There’s a terrific cast (led by a young Jeff Bridges, the reliably brilliant Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange in one of her first roles), ape effects by Rick Baker and Rob Bottin (they went with a man-in-suit Kong instead of a stop-motion one like the original), and music by the legendary John Barry (who scored several James Bond movies and a bunch of other stuff). Spoiler: the ending is just as heartbreaking as the original’s. This flick is one of our very favorites.

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange