Best Films About King Kong. In this series of Kaiju-themed articles, we’ll be reviewing the best kaiju films starring everything from King Kong and Godzilla to lesser-known Kaiju films such as Attack on Titan (2015). Kaiju, or strange beast, is a Japanese term used for films involving giant monsters that attack cities, battle the military and so on. Though Kaiju films typically feature Japanese monsters like Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and Gamera, the subgenre has grown to include other giant monsters such as King Kong and films such as Pacific Rim (2013).
In this article, we’re going to cover the best films about King Kong. Though King Kong arrived on the scene in early cinematic history in 1933’s King Kong, like Godzilla, he’s one of the most well-known and revered monsters of the Kaiju film subgenre. Most films featuring King Kong follow his origin story on Skull Island and subsequent transfer to New York City. However, a few films also feature the battle of the Kaiju titans with Kong taking on Godzilla.
Unlike Godzilla, however, there aren’t as many films about the giant ape and our list below will rank all the King Kong films currently available for viewing.
Also outlined below is a list of our planned articles and if there’s a Kaiju subgenre theme you think we should also include, let us know in the comments!
- Best Films About King Kong
- Best Films About Godzilla
- Best Kaiju Films
- Top Kaiju Films You Haven’t Seen
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must feature King Kong. Though there are a few King Kong-adjacent or inspired films like Mighty Joe Young (1949) and Rampage (2018), we won’t include them in our ranking but will include a separate list of films to check out below.
Second, there are only 10 films about King Kong and some of these typically wouldn’t make our lists as they aren’t very good. But they’ll be included below (with some commentary) so a full list of films is available for completists of the subgenre.
Third, we’re only including films that are available for viewing. A film such as The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (1938) is a lost film and won’t be listed here.
Fourth, we’re only going to list the live-action King Kong films here so we won’t be including any animated King Kong films like The Mighty Kong (1998) or series such as Kong: The Animated Series.
And fifth, we’ll have to suspend our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 and were released after 1970 so we can include the earlier King Kong films to fill out our Top 10.
Our complete list of Kaiju films features over 145+ films from 1933 – 2025. If you don’t see a favorite film on our list, you can likely find it in our other collections including Alien Invasion Films, Sci-Fi Military Films and Films About Monsters. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future sci-fi themed film articles and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
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The Best Films About King Kong
King Kong-Adjacent Films: Mighty Joe Young (1949), Mighty Joe Young (1998) and Rampage (2018).
#10
King Kong Lives
Plot: After his apparent death, Kong is saved by modern medicine and impregnates mankind’s newest discovery, a female Kong.
KBZ’s Take: Arguably the worst King Kong film on our list, King Kong Lives was a failure both critically and commercially. The film is barely watchable and is only worth seeing for an early screen appearance by Linda Hamilton. We would only advise watching the film if you are a completist of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Dr. Who decides to capture the real King Kong when it becomes clear that his mechanical copy is not capable of digging for the precious mineral he needs, but the giant Gorilla escapes and heads to Tokyo.
KBZ’s Take: Though the film lacks much of a plot, it’s one of the few Japanese depictions of King Kong that is worth seeking out by completists of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: King Kong and Godzilla go head-to-head in an epic battle of the beast when the giant gorilla escapes from captivity in Japan and squares up to the recently thawed lizard.
KBZ’s Take: The first filmed version of the two greatest titans in the Kaiju film subgenre going head-to-head, King Kong vs. Godzilla features some impressive special effects of its time even if the rubber suits (and King Kong depiction) look ridiculous 60+ years later.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: After his disastrous venture with the giant ape King Kong, promoter Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) flees New York to avoid indictment from a grand jury. He sails off with friend Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher) and soon gets involved with singer Helene Peterson (Helen Mack). When a crooked sea captain kills Helene’s father, she stows away on-board Denham’s boat, which heads to Kong’s home on Skull Island. There, the group befriends Kong’s son – who defends them against the resident dinosaurs.
KBZ’s Take: As a follow-up to the iconic King Kong (1933), the film boasts some of the impressive stop motion effects found in the original film. However, with slow pacing and a muddled plot, the film is only worth a watch by completists of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
King Kong
Plot: In this remake of the 1933 classic, an oil company expedition disturbs the peace of a giant ape and brings him back to New York to exploit him.
KBZ’s Take: The 1976 version of King Kong is the first remake to explore and expand upon the relationship between Kong and his damsel in distress – in this case Dwan (Jessica Lange). Though the film veers into romantic fantasy territory, it still retains much of the origin story of the original and has developed a better reputation over time.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Godzilla and the almighty Kong face a colossal threat hidden deep within the planet, challenging their very existence and the survival of the human race.
KBZ’s Take: As the fifth entry in the Monsterverse universe, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a special effects extravaganza that features the titular fight between the Kaiju titans while also introducing a new titan, Mothra, into the ongoing saga. Though the film doesn’t compare well to some of the previous Monsterverse films, it’s still an enjoyable watch for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Explore the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island.
KBZ’s Take: Though the film uses the infamous Skull Island as its backdrop in the reboot, the film deviates quite a bit from King Kong’s origin story. However, as a reboot within the Monsterverse universe, the film does setup the fictional Monarch organization and subsequent television series.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages.
KBZ’s Take: While King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963) was restricted by technological restraints of the time, the 2021 film featuring the much anticipated battle of the Kaiju titans has no such restraints and is the battle most fans of the subgenre have been waiting for. Though the plot of the film ties into the overall Monsterverse setup, this a film mainly worth seeing for the Kong vs. Godzilla battle fans have been dreaming of.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
King Kong
Plot: Actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) travel to the Indian Ocean to do location shoots for Denham’s new jungle picture. Along the way, the actress meets and falls for rugged First Mate John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). Upon arriving at a mysterious island, Ann is taken hostage by natives who prepare her as a sacrifice to the enormous ape Kong who rules over their jungle. But when Ann is rescued and Kong is captured, the real trouble begins.
KBZ’s Take: We’re aware some cinephiles and subgenre fans will argue that the 1933 version of King Kong is the best and we’ll explain why it’s only #2 on our list in the next entry.
With that said, King Kong is a technological marvel at the dawn of cinema with impressive stop motion effects and a story that still resonates (both visually and emotionally) almost 92 years later. This is a must-see film of the Kaiju film subgenre if only to see how it inspired countless films that followed.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#1
King Kong
Plot: In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.
KBZ’s Take: Even though Peter Jackson’s King Kong version is a hefty 187 minutes long, it’s still the best film version of King Kong and one that expands on all the important themes of Kong’s story.
First, the film does a better job than any other adaptation of exploring the horrors of Skull Island and what Kong is constantly up against. The horror themes in the film track more closely to the 1933 version and, in most instances, surpass them.
Second, the film better explores the relationship between Kong and Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) which, in turn, makes Kong a more sympathetic creature throughout the film.
Though we would always advise fans of the subgenre watch the 1933 original film, if there’s only one filmed version of King Kong you have time to watch, this is it.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
