In May, Scream Factory released a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the 1976 King Kong film. Reviewing this release was actually my first time watching this version, though I’m familiar with the original 1933 film, Peter Jackson’s 2005 spectacle, and Kong’s recent forays into the “Monsterverse.”

I don’t think I could separate my reviewing the film from reviewing this release as the two felt intertwined for me as my only experience – so here we go!

The 1976 contribution to the Kong family follows similar story beats as the original. A group of capitalists decide to make way for an uncharted island (the original had a film crew, and this version modernized that to representatives of an oil company, headed by the late, great Charles Grodin chewing up the scenery). They arrive and find that the racist-caricature of natives want to sacrifice the capitalists’ blonde compatriot (Jessica Lange in her feature film debut) to their god.

Kong arrives, takes the gal, shows her the sights of the island, and somehow gets captured as the capitalists pivot from whatever they were previously doing to exploiting the giant ape. Kong demonstrates the folly of man by escaping in New York, climbing the largest building he can find, and… well, I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending for all those still waiting to watch this rendition.

The human cast was a blast (from left to right): Rene Auberjonois (whom I know as Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space 9) as a mostly drunk scientist; Jessica Lange in her debut as Dwan; a really young but still super hairy Jeff Bridges as Jack Prescott; the wonderful Charles Grodin as the cartoonish capitalist, Fred Wilson; and character actor Ed Lauter as Carnahan, this movie’s equivalent of a Star Trek red shirt.

Jeff Bridges plays Jack Prescott, a primatologist who stows away on the theory that Skull Island is home to giant apes, and is also the main protagonist. Acting with the wisdom of today’s audience, he pleads with Grodin’s character to listen to reason and leave well enough alone. However, Grodin can’t hear him over all the cash register noises cartoonishly playing over and over in his head.

As this was my first viewing, it was interesting to notice certain story elements that originated from this film that made it into 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, primarily the “seismic explosives” mentioned here also popped up in 2017. Skull Island being revealed by a stray satellite photo was also an interesting similarity I couldn’t help but feel was meant to be a tip of the hat to the 1976 film.

The restoration of the film is absolutely phenomenal. It’s hard to believe that a 45-year-old film could be cleaned up so well. The arrival to the island, in particular, was breathtaking. Conversely, once we meet Kong, the 70s special effects don’t hold up as well under an HD microscope. To be honest, this movie was hard to take seriously once the big guy showed up. Cuts between footage of the actors and the ape suit really don’t hold up well.

Easy there, cowboy.

This new release comes with both the television and theatrical cuts, as well as a group of interviews from the crew. Like many similar recent releases, these interviews will be looked back on as relics of the COVID era. While some interviews were in person and have decent production, most are done over video chat and are at the mercy of the users’ internet bandwidth, sometimes making it less than pleasant to watch.

Overall, if you’re already a fan of the 1976 King Kong, this is an absolute requirement for your collection. The film has never looked this clear (for better or worse), and it’s something to admire, even if the interviews feel hit or miss. However, if you’re looking for an entry point for checking out this version of Kong, I might recommend an earlier medium, like VHS (or laaaaserdisc?) where the lower resolution might work in the film’s favor.