Product Details

• Actors: Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller
• Format: Anamorphic, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000E1BXFG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,588 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

KING KONG ESCAPE - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rankin & Bass Do King Kong, October 17, 2006

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King Kong Escapes (DVD)

Just as Rankin & Bass had tackled Tolkien before Jackson did, they also did a King Kong movie. Once again we have a remote island where Kong lives. He also meets a blonde beauty and falls in love. But this version has more. We have an evil villain who has constructed a giant robot Kong to aid him in his schemes. But the villain, Dr. Hu, discovers that the real Kong would work even better.

Now add some gorilla mind control, suitmation, miniature sets, and titanic battles between giants and you get an unforgettable epic (even if you want to forget it). The result is a film that fits somewhere between the original and a Godzilla film. Visually speaking the film is pure Godzilla-style and a credit to the Kaiju films of its day. While not as polished as some modern Kaiju films no Kaiju library should be without one. The dubbed dialogue actually adds to some of the fun as the villain gloats and compares the two Kongs. Check it out.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Kong Ever?, December 12, 2006

By 

Nick Tropiano (Havertown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King Kong Escapes (DVD)

This was a staple of Saturday afternoon monster flicks that aired in the pre-cable days of UHF TV. Haven't seen it in decades - and true to 60's Toho form, it's just as colorful, fun, entertaining, and silly as I remember. As a Toho/Rankin-Bass co-production, released through Universal, it has probably the highest production values of any film in the heyday of Japanese sci-fi/fantasy, the 1960's. The dollars went into impressive arctic sets and assorted miniatures, which are larger and more realistic than usual. Especially impressive is the submarine miniature, the tower where the climatic battle takes place, and the aircraft carrier that Kong smashes at the end of the film. The glowing frozen tunnel where Kong and his robot counterpart mine "Element X" is also visually evocative and memorable. This film also has a fair number of composite shots, some more successful than others. A great one is Kong snatching Linda Miller out of the water as she tries to swim to the sub.

Unlike some other US/Japanese co-productions, the American actors are part of the cast, rather than inserted, often clunkily, later - ala Raymond Burr in Godzilla. The scope of the sets and international cast gives the film a semi-epic feel. It should be noted that this was also scored by Akira Ifukube, who never fails to deliver a memorable theme. The distinctly morse-code Mechakong theme I remember vividly since seeing this film as a kid.

If you're familiar with this film, the knock on it is the Kong suit. Yes, it's weird, silly, not even remotely realistic... My take is that this film was intended as a live-action version of the animated Rankin-Bass Kong series, and this Kong was designed around the animated Kong from the cartoon. In fact, the Dr Who (no relation to the british sci-fi series) character in the movie - complete with cape, long gray villianous locks, is the cartoon's main villian. Perhaps the ties between this film and the animated series were intended to be closer than one realises 40 years after the film and animated series was aired. This would explain those absurd oversized cartoon eyes on the beast. He was designed around the animated character of the cartoon series, hence Kong looks more "cartoony" than real. Then again, it could be that the Toho monster suit makers just suck at making ape suits. Dinosaurs, dragons, giant robots? No problemo. Anthing but a giant ape. Perhaps this is why they decided to use Godzilla instead of Kong in Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster. It finally dawned on Toho that ape costumes weren't a forte, and they decided to stick to their core concentration.

So, why did I title my review, "The Best Kong, Ever?". While I'm sure nobody will agree...

1. King Kong (1933). Classic, yes. But long, talky, dated (sorry, it is), takes too long to get going, plus we all know the ending.
2. Son of Kong - forgetable follow-up to the original, despite great FX work.
3. Godzilla vs King Kong - Really a Godzilla movie with Kong as the kaiju dujior.
4. King Kong Escapes - Old but not dated. Still a fun, vivid, colorful and most of all entertaining Kong adventure from the heyday of Toho-style Kaiju Eiga with what might be the most novel and exciting monster battle Toho ever staged on the Tokyo tower.
4. King Kong (1976) As dated today as the 1933 original, and mostly an insincere excersize in blockbuster hype than a genuine movie
5. King Kong Lives - yeah, right...
6. Kong Kong (2005) - Overblown, overrated, over-long, overbudgeted, over-hyped, over-serious, dated upon release, excessive in every way but NOT fun in any way 2005-style CGI-fest ego trip from Peter Jackson.

Fourty years later, I can still get a kick our of King Kong Escapes. Not sure I can say that (and some I definately can't) about any of the other Kong flicks. Though not without faults, it's the best by default. It's just fun, and has a certain charm about it which is utterly absent in most of the others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A HILARIOUS MONSTER ROMP!, October 29, 2009

By 

! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b "DR SHOCK" (TRI STATE AREA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: King Kong Escapes (DVD)

I have always been a fan of the older Toho films and this Kong epic is one of the most action packed and fun entries from the studio. It's hokey to say the least, but it does have a lot of charm for those who grew up with these pictures. The story basically retells the original Kong story, but with silly sub plots including the villainous Doctor Who(Hu) creating a robot Kong(MechaKong)! The film is truly hilarious and the dubbing only adds to the fun.

This film was produced by non other than Rankin & Bass which gives it a strange fantasy quality that only they could bring. Doctor Who's voice over dub was done by one of Rankin and Bass's favorite heavies from their animated Christmas specials, I can not think of his name, but when you hear that voice you will immediately think of those classic holiday specials.

I give this film 5 stars for its fun factor and because it is full of hysterical action sequences. If you're a fan of Godzilla and these types of films this is a real treat! My review is for the older release that was available in a two pack with King Kong VS Godzilla. I don't know if the newer edition has added anything to warrant buying it as I can not find any info about it. This is usually not a good sign and I suspect it to be the same DVD with a new cover.

This older DVD has a very clean DVD transfer and it is in widescreen, but there are no extras at all, not even a trailer! Buy the two pack and enjoy these are both really funny films!