The Son of Kong (1933)

the audience applauded

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

When it's all said and done the sequel was at best, fair. Ex-Giant Ape Promoter Carl Denham (Robert Armstong) is being bombarded with law suits and bills from the City that never sleeps, New York. The destruction and carnage done by our previous over sized simian friend King Kong made Carl a very popular fellow with collection agencies and lawyers looking for payment. What to do ? Board another ship with Ship's Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher) and head for Skull Island and search for treasure to repay those enormous debts. First stop the dutch port of Dakang as the two sailors take a break to watch a Monkey Show followed by a female soloist Hilda Peterson (Helen Mack).Later that night, Hilda's old Man who runs the show goes on a drinking bender with our antagonist, Skipper Nils Helstrom (John Marston)who lost his vessel under cloudy circumstances. The two drunks end up fighting and Hilda's Father is killed. Their tent becomes a blaze. Hilda releases the Monkeys. Denham and Englehorn run into Helstrom who sold them the treasure map of skull Island as Hilda salvages her act gathering up her pets. Hilda realizes there is no future for her there so she wants to join them on the ship Venture on route to Skull Island and treasure hunting. Hilda is refused by Denham but she sneaks on board anyway.With her knowledge of her Father's Death and the ruthless Helstrom aboard a mutiny breaks out and Denham, Englehorn, Hilda and Charlie the cook are put in a skiff. For comic relief the evil Helstrom is thrown off the ship as the remaining hostile crew claims, "We don't need any more captains aboard." The five souls sail on to Skull Island and are greeted by the Hostile Natives who also have their version of legal action against the marked Denham with spears. They sail off to the other end of the Island and our story begins. It takes about 45 minutes for the Camera to show our star for the first time . Baby Kong in all his albino skinned glory. Cute and adorable Baby Kong befriends our quests by defending them with giant Lizard. Special effects take over from here. You can only wonder how our story continues but your never frightened of the creature throughout this film. I found myself a little misty at films end. An average sequel as sequels go. Bring on Mighty Joe Young for an encore.

The Son of Kong (1933) *** (out of 4) Fun sequel to KING KONG finds Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) broke and being sued by just about everyone so he heads off and plans to make a living on the shipping market. Before long he finds himself back on Skull Island when he learns that there might be a treasure there but first he finds a baby gorilla.KING KONG was released on April 7, 1933 and became an instant smash. You can pretty much tell that this sequel was rushed into production by the simple fact that it was released on December 22 of the same year. Yes, that's right, a movie had its script written, filmed, put together and was on the screen in less than eight months. It should go without saying that THE SON OF KONG doesn't reach the levels of the original but at the same time it's rather amazing that it turned out as good as it did since the budget was cut in half and the filmmakers were under the gun to get it in theaters by Christmas.I think the film offers quite a bit of fun moments. I do wonder if the sympathy shown towards Kong in the original film is why the filmmakers decided to make his son a good guy. In fact, most of the memorable stuff in the original is missing here including the various pre-code moments. The sexuality and violence is pretty much gone here and in its place are scenes of comedy and cute bits. When we first see Kong Jr., he's stuck in some quicksand and from here on out we see him fight a few prehistoric beasts and pretty much be a puppy dog as he follows Denham and Hilda (Helen Mack) around.These scenes are actually pretty good simply because of the charming personality they manage to give the little creature.The special effects this time out aren't nearly as impressive and you can tell that many of the creatures were rushed. Their quality level isn't nearly as great as the original film but none of them are poorly done. The baby Kong design is actually good and the facial expressions are quite flawless. Another major plus is that we get a continuation of the original film since Armstrong is back. He's certainly very good in the role as is Mack in her supporting bit and Frank Relcher is also good in the role of the captain.THE SON OF KONG is obviously rather cheap but fans of the original should still have a good time with it.

PLOT - Several months after he disastrously brought Kong to Manhattan, former adventure filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) hides out from his debtors in a boarding house. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against him, and he learns that he has been indicted by a grand jury for the destruction caused by Kong. When Capt. Englehorn (Frank Reicher) suggests that they immediately set sail for the South Pacific to become merchants, Denham jumps at the opportunity. Along the way, they meet with Helstrom (John Marston) the skipper who gave Denham the map to the island and Helene (Helen Mack) who will be Denham's love interest. They return to Skull Island, were Denham and Helene find "Little Kong," a 12- foot-tall white gorilla who Denham assumes is Kong's son. Feeling sorry for the events that happened to the predecessor, Denham takes Little under his wing, while still being wary of the creature. They encounter several creatures until the finale where they must survive the fate of the island.REVIEW - This is a good movie, using the same talented crafts from the original. The only thing different about it is that it's to me the fastest production I've ever seen, being released the exact same year as the original, that is unbelievable for a sequel. Though it is entertaining and interesting, it could have been better. It feels very rushed and I wish they could have taken their time on it. It's shorter than the first movie, and at times drags.CHARACTERS - The Characters are once again fantastic and we see more development in them, especially Denham and the pity he feels of what happened to Kong. Helstrom is a great, but cowardly villain. The scene in the bar with him Denham and Englehorn is very well acted and written. VFX - The animation and effects are once again fantastic, seeing creatures like the Styracosaurs which was cut from the first film. Although some creatures though cool looking, don't really make much sense, like the Cave Bear and Dragons. Really? You couldn't have picked more dinosaurs from the fossil record? Kiko (Little Kong) is more cute and funny than he is terrifying like his predecessor. His character is I hate to say like a mute Jar Jar Binks, clumsy and silly. The sound is great once again, and the music is okay, there is allot of recycled music from the first.OVERALL - It's a good movie and a good sequel, but just not on par or as memorable as the first. So let's give it the benefit of the doubt.

SON OF KONG isn't a particularly bad film by any means, but it's fair to say that it pales in comparison to its monstrously good predecessor and thus is destined to remain forever in KING KONG's shadow. It's weaker than the first film in every respect, and yet despite the flaws I found it to be quite a watchable movie.The good news about SON OF KONG is that it's short and to the point, with little chance for the viewer to get bored by the on-screen proceedings. The plot is serviceable, utilising simple devices to get some recurring characters from the first movie back on Skull Island, where they inevitably encounter a young, cuter giant ape.Willis O'Brien's wondrous stop motion effects are once again in evidence here, although they're used quite sparingly and the actual scenes of monster mayhem are sparse, although the ending doesn't disappoint. The characters are one-dimensional and the script is straightforward, but there's the requisite amount of adventure and atmosphere for fans of this enjoyably dated genre to enjoy.