King Kong Lives (released as King Kong 2 in some countries) is a 1986 American monster adventure film directed by John Guillermin. Produced by the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and featuring special effects by Carlo Rambaldi, the film stars Linda Hamilton and Brian Kerwin.
The film is a sequel to King Kong (1976) set ten years later. This was the final Kong film in which the title character was portrayed using suits and practical effects; further films would utilize computer animation. It is the sixth installment in the King Kong franchise.
Plot Ten years after he was shot down from the WTC and his presumed death, Kong has been kept in a coma at the Atlantic Institute, under the care of surgeon Dr. Amy Franklin. A heart transplant is required to save Kong's life, giving Kong a computer-monitored artificial heart. However, he has lost so much blood in his coma that he needs a blood transfusion to keep him alive. However, Dr. Franklin believes that no species of ape or other animal has a blood type that matches Kong's.
Meanwhile, adventurer Hank "Mitch" Mitchell travels to Borneo, theorizing that Kong's home island was once part of the same land mass. While exploring the jungle, Mitch soon encounters a giant female ape of Kong's species, whom native hunters quickly subdue with sumpit darts. Mitch offers to send the ape, whom he dubs "Lady Kong", to the institute so that her blood can be used for Kong's operation. Franklin is apprehensive about the risks; the institute accepts the offer despite her objections.
Through a risky procedure, Kong's blood transfusion and the heart transplant are a narrow success. While the institute celebrates, Kong soon revives and senses Lady Kong's presence. Realizing her presence is rousing Kong, the institute attempts to remove Lady Kong, causing her to panic. Kong breaks free from his containment and rescues Lady Kong from hers. The two apes escape the institute together and into the wilderness. To hunt down the apes, a military force is called in, led by an insane Lieutenant Colonel Archie Nevitt. To help protect Kong, Franklin and Mitchell team up to pursue the two apes while dodging Nevitt's forces.
In the wilderness, Kong and Lady Kong bond and become mates. While following the apes, Mitchell and Dr. Franklin bond as well, and the two have sex. Nevitt's forces soon find the apes and launch an attack. Despite Kong's attempts to fight them off, Lady Kong is subdued and captured; Kong himself falls into a ravine and river and is presumed dead.
Months later, Nevitt keeps Lady Kong in captivity, while Mitchell attempts to buy out land in Borneo for a reserve. When Franklin is allowed to check in on her, she notices Lady Kong's behavior; she suspects that Kong could still be alive and that Lady Kong may sense him. Franklin's peers dismiss her, believing that the environment is not suitable for Kong to survive long.
However, Kong survives by hiding out in the wilderness and can similarly sense Lady Kong's captivity. As Kong seeks out his mate, his survival is exposed when he wanders through a neighborhood. With this, both Nevitt's forces and local hunters set out to hunt Kong down, with Nevitt disregarding orders to capture Kong alive.
Franklin and Mitchell set out to find Kong, only to find him trapped and tormented by a group of hunters. When Franklin realizes that Kong's artificial heart is failing, Kong quickly breaks loose, inadvertently destroying the computer that controls his heart and leaving him with little time to live. Following Kong's advance, Franklin and Mitchell break into Nevitt's compound to help free Lady Kong from captivity. It is then discovered that Lady Kong is pregnant with Kong's offspring.
Kong and Lady Kong soon reach a farmhouse where Lady Kong goes into labor. Dr. Franklin, Mitchell, and Nevitt's forces follow them. Nevitt begins an assault on Kong, who, despite being grievously wounded, manages to drive off the military and kill Nevitt himself. As Dr. Franklin and Mitchell watch, Lady Kong successfully gives birth to a male ape. Kong manages to see and touch his son just before he dies from his wounds. Rescued, Lady Kong and her son are brought back to the reserve in Borneo to live out their days in peace.
Cast
Production Dino De Laurentiis had been interested in making a sequel to King Kong since he made the remake. In 1977, he said there would "definitely" be a sequel. "Steve McQueen made a picture in which he died at the end, but they made another picture with Steve McQueen. Many stars die at the end of a picture and then go on to the next picture. Kong is a star. We are going to have a new story, a new Kong."THE PRODUCER TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW "KING KONG" Anonymous. American Cinematographer; Hollywood Vol. 58, Iss. 1, (Jan 1977): 40-42.
The progress of a sequel was complicated by the fact the 1976 film was considered a financial disappointment and there were ongoing legal uncertainties over who owned the rights to King Kong. A number of scripts had been written. "They had King Kong in Russia and King Kong in outer space", said writer Steve Pressfield. "Really, this is not an exaggeration. They even had one with little kids leading him around, saying things like 'Careful, Kong, don't step on that car.' It really was an embarrassment."
Pressfield and Ron Schusett pitched the idea that Kong has been on a giant respirator for years, and he was brought back to life with an artificial heart. According to Pressfield, "Dino loved the whole idea of the artificial heart and said, 'That's brilliant. I've been wondering for five years how to bring him back to life in a way that people would accept.' Sure, it's campy, but It's outrageous enough that it really works." John Guillermin had been hoping to direct a version of Tai-Pan with Sean Connery but when that project was unable to be financed, he moved on to King Kong Lives. The writers met with Guillermin and together devised the story about Kong getting an infusion from a female ape. "When we came up with the idea, Dino was very skeptical and didn't want to do it", said Pressfield. "It's hard enough to accept that there's a King Kong but since he has been around for 50 years he has become a pop cult hero. No one is going to believe a female ape.' I said, 'Dino, he had to have a mother,' And he said, 'By God, you're right, I never thought of that. There can be a female,' and we went with it."
The film was announced in October 1985. It was part of a slate of films from De Laurentiis in association with Embassy that also included Blue Velvet.A DYLAN THOMAS SCRIPT, BUT, ALAS, LITTLE ELSE Ryan, Desmond. Philadelphia Inquirer 27 Oct 1985: I.2. Pressfield said "The whole thing is a love story with the two apes, but there's also a lot of action and an uplifting ending, although there are some elements of tragedy, as there were in the original. We even give a nod to women's lib with Lady Kong falling for the male scientist. Of course, this is before she meets the King." Guillermin said later that making a sequel to King Kong was a bad idea. "Dino was striking out on all sorts of things at the time. It's really too bad [that he suffered a run of flops]. He was involved with some interesting projects."
Brian Kerwin said, "I knew that my name would be up there as the lead, but there was never any question that the star of the movie was the ape. Also, the 1976 movie had such low prestige and Jessica Lange was ridiculed, but then so was Christopher Reeve for Superman, and look at the subsequent success of those two. So, I don't worry about it. We tried to have fun when we were making the movie, without poking fun at it. It's an adult fairy tale and it has humor. If people think it's a silly piece of fluff and we're all jerks, then that's the way it goes. I hope it doesn't happen."That's too big a woman for me,' actor says of female version Monkeying around with the Kong tale Yakir, Dan. The Globe and Mail 5 Dec 1986: D.3. The film's leading star Linda Hamilton said, "I'm happy that I don't have to get picked up by the monkey and become the object of his desire. I save Kong. And it's nice to play someone who is not hysterical and dramatic and intense all the time."Murray p 55
Filming started in April 1986 in Tennessee.GIANT ROLE Orlando Sentinel 29 Mar 1986: A2. "The movie is about Kong, about special effects, about jeeps being blown up," says John Ashton. Charles McCracken is listed as a director in some circles, which suggests that he did uncredited work as director.
Release Home media
King Kong Lives was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1987 by Lorimar Home Video, on DVD in 2004 by 20th Century Fox, and on Blu-ray in 2023 by Umbrella Entertainment.
Reception Box office Despite its marketing campaign, King Kong Lives was a box office flop in the United States and Canada, grossing $4,711,220 during its theatrical run.
According to one account, "Besides the fact that audiences have noses for a stinker, King Kong Lives lacked an effective advertising campaign that sold its premise (Kong finds a mate), and the movie was sold as if it was just another B-movie retread. Which it was, but on an A budget."The 12th Annual Grosses Gloss Thompson, Anne. Film Comment; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 2, (Mar 1987): 62-64,66-69.
Overseas, the film was a success in the Soviet Union, where it sold tickets in 1988, becoming the top-grossing foreign film of the year and one of the top 15 highest-grossing foreign films of all time. At an average 1980s Soviet ticket price of , the film's ticket sales are equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately Rbls ().
The film sold a total of 54,831,200 tickets worldwide, including 1,231,200 tickets in North America. The film grossed an estimated total revenue of approximately worldwide.
The financial failure of the movie (while it earned 3.7x its budget, it ultimately lost money due to its marketing costs) - along with movies such as Tai-Pan - led to the bankruptcy of De Laurentiis' company.De Laurentiis Group Files Chapter 11;Box Office Bombs Sink Movie Company: [FINAL Edition] Garties, George. The Washington Post 17 Aug 1988: f01.
Critical response King Kong Lives was panned by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 8% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 2.6/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 32 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert gave the film only one out of four stars and stated, "The problem with everyone in King Kong Lives is that they're in a boring movie, and they know they're in a boring movie, and they just can't stir themselves to make an effort." DEG sent a notice to Ebert and Gene Siskel notifying the two critics that they were allowed to show snippets of the film on TV in their native Chicago, but were forbidden to show the same snippets on their nationally broadcast series At the Movies unless they promised to give positive reviews, which the pair refused to agree to. Siskel remarked, "Obviously, they were scared [...] If you don't believe me or Roger, believe the film company, that, think about it, couldn't find a single scene that it wanted you to see." In fact, Ebert playfully noted that the children in the audience were so bored with the film, they found playing with one of the auditorium's doors a more diverting activity.