Son of Kong

MOVIE #1,419 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 03.06.24 This is the rushed sequel released in the same year to capitalize on the massive success of the original Kong. It's over 40 minutes shorter and begins one month after the events of the first film, with Carl Denham holed up at a boarding house, feeling regretful of, you know, bringing back a giant beast that killed a ton of people and what not. He flees on a ship to escape lawsuits and an indictment over “the incident.” He goes to the fictional island of Dakang and watches some monkeys perform…

These little guys rule and this seems like a fun vacation, but I think Carl is getting off way too easy, if we're being honest.

The wayward captain of a different ship (who happens to be the same guy who gave Carl the location of King's Island) gets drunk and starts a fire and kills the father of a local singer girl, who's also the keeper of the monkeys. This was a good joke…


The murderous drunk captain, who's lost his own ship, wants to get away so he tells Carl that there's actually treasure on Kong’s island. So they leave. And the singer girl joins as a stowaway. The drunk leads a mutiny and they throw Carl, Captain Englehorn and Charlie from the first movie (the only other returnees), and the girl off the boat and leave them to fend for themselves on Skull Island. But the crew throws the drunk off the ship too.

We see the titular “Son” (the first stop-motion work) with 25 minutes left. He's stuck in quicksand and they help him out. This Kong is only 12-feet tall and albino for some reason. Oh, I know the reason: he's good and — therefore — white (i.e., more racism).

They get chased by a triceratops and then a giant bear. Baby Kong saves them from the latter. As usual, it looks great...


They give him a band-aid after the bear injures him and he shakes some coconuts off a tree before helping them get the hidden treasure. He breaks their shotgun and kills a dinosaur. There's a Loch Ness monster and also an earthquake. The whole damn island sinks into the sea. Son of Kong saves Carl's life before drowning. The movie ends with them being rescued in their lifeboat. It's the lesser film in just about every way but the good stuff, while slight by comparison, is still good. Plus, it's really short. I don't know…

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The Son of Kong (also known and publicized simply as Son of Kong) is a 1933 American Pre-Code adventure monster film produced by RKO Pictures. Directed by Ernest Schoedsack and featuring special effects by Willis O'Brien and Buzz Gibson, the film stars Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack and Frank Reicher. The film is the sequel to King Kong, being released just nine months after and is the second entry of the King Kong franchise. It was released on December 22, 1933.