King Kong - Softonic English

The Lord of the Rings was not Peter Jackson's only success: this mythical Hollywood star returned to stardom thanks to him

The remake of King Kong made by Peter Jackson in 2005 unleashed widespread enthusiasm, especially after his success with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The expectation of reviving a classic story with modern technology and careful cinematic execution captured the audience’s attention, who were eager to see the iconic narrative from a new perspective. A most charming monkey Although Jackson managed to respect the elements that made the original 1933 film beloved, his version also presents a contemporary approach that invites reflection. Unfortunately, the omission of discussions about racism […]

The remake of King Kong directed by Peter Jackson in 2005 sparked widespread enthusiasm, especially after his success with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The expectation of reviving a classic story with modern technology and careful cinematic execution captured the audience’s attention, who were eager to see the iconic narrative from a new perspective.

A most charming monkey

Although Jackson managed to respect the elements that made the original 1933 film beloved, his version also presents a contemporary approach that invites reflection. Unfortunately, the omission of discussions about the racism present in the original work is a notable aspect. While the 1933 version has been criticized for its disturbing racial representations, the remake reapproves the narrative with a script more focused on the development of human characters, offering more complete stories and narrative arcs.

In particular, the character of Ann Darrow, played by Naomi Watts, transforms from a simple damsel into an empowered figure who establishes a symbiotic relationship with Kong. This dynamic moves away from the representation of sexuality and violence of the original, creating an emotional bond between her and the gigantic ape. Additionally, the character of Carl Denham, in the 2005 version played by Jack Black, is portrayed as an unethical film director, which underscores a critique of the problematic practices of the film industry.

Since its premiere, King Kong has maintained its popularity and has significantly influenced cinema and pop culture, a testament to how monster stories can resonate across generations. As rumors of new adaptations and reinterpretations circulate, it is evident that the legacy of this iconic film remains alive.

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Godzilla has a banned Italian version that Toho doesn't want you to see and we're going to tell you why

Cinema between the 50s and 70s was a factory of dreams, but above all of blatant copies, nameless plagiarisms, and things that today would make us put our hands to our heads. The reason was the industrialization of countries other than the US, with its eternal and luminous Hollywood, but also the decline of the once omnipotent movie mecca: although it seems that Hollywood has never ceased to be relevant, in reality, since the 50s it is no longer what it was. And that is why the copy, more or less blatant, of what came from there or […]

The cinema between the 50s and the 70s was a factory of dreams, but above all, of blatant copies, nameless plagiarisms, and things that today would make us put our hands to our heads. The reason was the industrialization of countries other than the US, with its eternal and luminous Hollywood, but also the decline of the once omnipotent movie mecca: although it seems that Hollywood has never ceased to be relevant, in reality, since the 50s it is no longer what it was. And that is why the copy, more or less blatant, of what came from there or from anywhere else became the norm. Who was going to complain?

Even more so if the one you are copying is a Japanese studio. Or that’s what the Italian director Luigi Cozilli must have thought when he released his own version of Godzilla in 1977, known as Codzzilla. A modified and colored version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the American version of the original Godzilla from 1954. But many things went wrong, leading to the legend that this movie is today.

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A director like they don’t make anymore

Luigi Cozzi is an Italian director, screenwriter, and writer known for how his films become progressively stranger as the plot unfolds. Still active today, his first film was Il tunnel sotto il mondo, a low-budget gem adapting the novel of the same name by Frederik Pohl, released in 1969 when he was only 21 years old, with his latest film to date being the hallucinatory Little Wizards of Oz, a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz set in Rome released in 2018. His most well-known film is Hercules, a true delirium released by Cannon in 1983, where he would battle King Minos, who attempts to take over the world thanks to the most terrible power of all: science. A film that was a modest success, thanks to the lead role of bodybuilder-turned-actor Lou Ferrigno, who would have an even more insane sequel two years later.

Before the fantasy that was Hercules and its sequel, Le avventure dell’incredibile Ercole, Cozzi worked on some projects that caught the attention of the public or the products. Or that would end up drawing attention, years later, due to the interesting decisions that were made when approaching them. Because with the release of the 1976 remake of King Kong by John Guillermin, Cozzi had an idea: he could make a remake of a giant monster movie and take advantage of the success of King Kong. And he got to work.

His first idea was to resurrect Gorgo, the 1961 film by Eugène Lourié. The problem was that the rights to acquire the film were too high, something that made Cozzi lose interest in it. His second best option was a monster today, and probably then too, much more well-known: Godzilla. Negotiating with Toho, he could only acquire the black and white negatives of the American version from 1956, although he wanted the original Japanese version. The problem was that distributors did not want to show a black and white film. And that’s where the headaches began.

A Japanese Monster in Italy

Cozzi found that negotiating with the Japanese, and with Toho it is no exception, is never easy. To color the negatives, he had to negotiate new clauses, but he also had to get the final approval from the studio for the use of music and new stock footage. As movies at that time had to be at least 90 minutes long, he had to add new footage, and since shooting something new would cost him more money than he wanted to invest, he had a less than brilliant idea: to add images of real wars and massacres. A very common occurrence a few years earlier, especially in Mondo films by people like Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco Prosperi, but it was still in extremely poor taste and already very controversial for the time.

In this way, it reached the 90 minutes of footage, but in a more than questionable manner. Coloring it in its own way, adding images of dead civilians and soldiers that have nothing to do with the film in places that have little to do with it, and with a soundtrack by Vince Tempera that adds a peculiar synthesizer sound to the whole, the result was a 106-minute film made in less than three months, hastily put together, which resulted in a notable box office failure.

Certainly, they were other times

Despite the fact that Toho currently holds the rights to the colored version of Godzilla, they have never made any effort to recover or acknowledge it in any way. Whenever they hold any kind of retrospective on the character and his filmography, they conveniently ignore the Italian version from 1977, acting as if Cozzilla never existed. Whether it is due to its poor quality, because it does not add anything substantial compared to the two original films, or because of the questionable taste in using real images of extreme violence to create cinematic effects in the movie.

In any case, Cozilla exists and is not difficult to find for those who are curious to see it. It is a curiosity from another time, today impossible, or at least impossible legally: Toho would not willingly give up the footage of its films for something like this under any circumstances. And that makes Cozilla interesting. It teaches us what cinema was like in another era, when everything was still possible with effort and enough interest to make it happen. Something that also has its charm.

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Universal Pictures registers a patent for Donkey Kong, but Nintendo neither confirms nor denies anything about a movie

Nintendo and Universal Pictures have decided to join forces to bring Donkey Kong to the big screen, thus closing a cycle of tensions that began in 1982. In that year, Universal sued Nintendo, arguing that its famous monkey benefited from the popularity of King Kong. However, 43 years later, the relationship between both companies is now idyllic, and they have taken the first steps to produce a Donkey Kong movie that has not yet been officially announced. A relationship with a lot of tensions Recently, the U.S. Copyright Office has registered an agreement that indicates […]

Nintendo and Universal Pictures have decided to join forces to bring Donkey Kong to the big screen, thus closing a cycle of tensions that began in 1982. That year, Universal sued Nintendo, arguing that its famous monkey was benefiting from the popularity of King Kong. However, 43 years later, the relationship between both companies is now idyllic, and they have taken the first steps to produce a Donkey Kong movie that has not yet been officially announced.

A relationship with a lot of tensions

Recently, the U.S. Copyright Office has registered an agreement indicating concrete progress in the production process of this project. This strategic move took place between May and June of this year, coinciding with the imminent release of Donkey Kong Bananza and the upcoming sequel to Super Mario Bros: The Movie, suggesting careful calculation by both companies in their marketing.

Developing movies based on video games is a process that can be lengthy; the case of the Minecraft movie, for example, took ten years to materialize. Although the agreement has been recorded, this does not guarantee that the movie will be released in the near future, as film projects can take years to come to fruition.

Even so, Donkey Kong has become a priority for Nintendo, as evidenced by its recent moves. However, the movie of The Legend of Zelda is still considered more relevant in terms of future productions. With the success of the Super Mario Bros film saga at Universal Pictures, fans are eager for what may come from this new project. Rumors suggest it could be a spin-off, although no official information has been disclosed so far.

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Peter Jackson's King Kong had major changes due to the most unexpected person: Peter Jackson's son

Ubisoft Montpellier released in 2005 Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, a video game that, although it received mixed reviews at the time of its release, stood out for its ambition and innovative gameplay. Developed in less than two years, the creation of the game was designed to synchronize its release with the film by the renowned director, who played an active role in its development. A game that was a challenge for multiple reasons Peter Jackson, acclaimed for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was excited to collaborate with Ubisoft, especially because it was […]

Ubisoft Montpellier released in 2005 Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, a video game that, although it received mixed reviews at the time of its release, stood out for its ambition and innovative gameplay. Developed in less than two years, the creation of the game was designed to synchronize its release with the film by the well-known director, who played an active role in its development.

A game that was a challenge for multiple reasons

Peter Jackson, acclaimed for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, expressed excitement about collaborating with Ubisoft, especially because he was a fan of another title from the studio, Beyond Good & Evil. From the beginning of the project, Jackson contributed significantly, even requesting changes to the character design. A notable example was the reconfiguration of King Kong’s face, based on feedback from his son after trying a preliminary version of the game.

The Ubisoft Montpellier team faced a significant challenge due to the lack of access to complete data about the film’s production, which forced them to turn to the 1933 movie to define the artistic direction of the video game. As explained by the art director Florent Sacré, photographs were taken of the Cévennes region in France, which were used to create the textures and materials of the game’s natural environment.

Despite the criticism it received at launch, the game stood out for its survival and combat-focused experience, with a HUD-less presentation that clearly marked an attempt to innovate in film adaptations. Although “King Kong” is not considered a timeless classic, it is still remembered for its creativity and while its flaws can be attributed to its short development cycle, it left a mark on the movie-based game genre.

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Do you want to buy the crossover between King Kong and ‘Call of Duty’? Start taking out your wallet

Now you can buy, for more money than the game itself costs, a King Kong glove. So far, everything relatively okay.

At this point, we are used to video games constantly collaborating with various intellectual properties, from ‘Dune’ to the latest anime. We have taken for granted that ‘Fortnite’, ‘Fall guys’ and ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ will try to make money with different events, and it has even been accepted as another way to literally turn video games into a catch-all where everything fits.

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King of Duty

The latest collaboration of ‘Call of Duty’ (‘Modern Warfare 3’ and ‘Warzone 2.0’, specifically) has been with the movie Godzilla X Kong, and it has consisted of a good amount of weapons and skins that have been well received by fans. Well, except for one: now you can buy, for more money than the game itself, a King Kong glove. So far, everything relatively fine: fans expected that, given its abnormally high price, it would have incredible special features.

But no. The reward for buying Kong’s fist is, well, looking cool with Kong’s fist. It doesn’t have any special effects in the game, nor new animations, but it has a special sound when you use it. I guess it’s worth spending the 80 euros it costs. You wouldn’t want to play ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ without your absurd fist, right?

Oh, yes, and it’s called “BEAST glove”. What else do you want. Ironies aside, game fans are starting to fear that this will become a tradition: useless items at very high prices so that a few unsuspecting people fill Activision‘s coffers. I repeat: this costs 80 euros. You decide if your passion for the gigantic monkey is worth it.

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The King Kong game that everyone on the Internet is laughing at was made in a year by exploited workers

Skull Island: Rise of Kong has been declared the worst game of 2023, but the story behind its development is one of very serious labor exploitation

The internet causes us to depersonalize everything. Many times, we are not aware that behind the screen there are people, and that when we laugh at something, there is usually the work and effort of an individual. On some occasions, we should know how to moderate our opinions. At least, until we know the full circumstances. Something that has happened this week with the most ridiculed game on the internet since the infamous Gollum game: the new King Kong game.

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Under the name Skull Island: Rise of Kong, the game was quickly dubbed the worst game of 2023. With limited gameplay, questionable graphics, and animations from another era, the game did not seem like something made in 2023, or even a game that had been given a minimum amount of care or effort. But the reality behind it, as always in such circumstances, was no laughing matter.

To the surprise of very few, behind this disaster lies a story of exploitation and unethical practices, as reported by The Verge. The independent studio behind the game, IguanaBee, explained how the publisher who commissioned the game, Game Mill, gave them only one year to develop the game from scratch. Starting in June 2022, their deadline was June 2 of this year. With only 20 people able to work on this project, they couldn’t refuse because, being a small studio and Game Mill being one of their main clients, they needed the commission to keep going.

Furthermore, this wasn’t the only problem. Game Mill has a track record of publishing licensed games of terrible quality, using independent studios. Something that IguanaBee pointed out was that they didn’t even have all the information they needed to be able to complete the game. And, of course, they didn’t provide enough money to do it under the conditions it should have been done.

That doesn’t negate the fact that some developers at IguanaBee are proud of their game. And they should be. Managing to finish a game of this magnitude in a year, with so many obstacles in their way, is an achievement to be proud of.

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Do you think ‘Gollum’ is a horrible game? Now there is one that surpasses it

A few months ago we would have said that ‘Gollum’ was, on the street, the worst game of the year due to its crude mechanics and disastrous gameplay. But he’s been lucky. A new competitor has emerged… even more embarrassing.

In the same year that ‘Spider-man 2’ demonstrated that games based on franchises can deliver incredible experiences, two games have also been released that take us back to worse times, when movie-based video games were nothing short of a (well-deserved) joke. Just a few months ago, we would have said that Gollum was, hands down, the worst game of the year due to its crude mechanics and dreadful gameplay. But it got lucky. It has found itself a new competitor… even more embarrassing.

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The King of Boo

We had gone more than twenty years without a game featuring the giant ape, since Peter Jackson’s adaptation of King Kong, which was quite decent (unless you played it on Nintendo DS, where it was an unbearable mess). We were all convinced that with the arrival of the Monsterverse and the battle against Godzilla, we would get more games featuring the giant ape. But in the case of ‘Skull Island: Rise of Kong,’ we would have been better off without the hype.

It was a video on Twitter that drew attention to the game’s cinematics, which showed a statically rendered dinosaur attack they had somehow forgotten to animate: this isn’t going to be good. There’s just no way it could be… And the gameplay doesn’t help either, offering a third-person exploration game with ugly designs that turned into a bland experience with no incentives whatsoever.

Actual cutscene

DO NOT BUY THE NEW KING KONG GAME. IT IS A COMPLETE SCAM pic.twitter.com/6hiCWOSnNc
— Rick (@RickDaSquirrel) October 16, 2023

On a gigantic island filled with enemies to battle, Kong always encounters the same foes in the same places. It’s quite a coincidence. Moreover, sound, image, and graphics bugs are a daily occurrence, turning the return to Skull Island into an experience we wish we hadn’t lived through. The distributors are, as we might have imagined, Gamemill, experts in doing things cheaply, quickly… and poorly.

They are responsible for ‘Big Rigs,’ one of the games famous for having the most bugs in gaming history, but they have also handled generic Nickelodeon titles and versions of ‘Zombieland,’ ‘Cobra Kai,’ or ‘G.I. Joe.’ Oh, and a game featuring Olaf from Frozen for Nintendo 3DS that Disney pretended didn’t exist. Please, someone should treat the most famous gorilla in history with dignity.

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King Kong Returns: Exciting News for Fans Who Missed the Iconic Giant Gorilla

King Kong is back, not with a new movie, but with a new adventure-style video game that should arrive sometime this year.

King Kong is a beloved character with a rich history, having battled both Godzilla and other giant creatures, as well as the smaller beings known as “humans,” who are no less terrifying and exciting. That’s why when Amazon leaked and later confirmed the development of a game featuring our favorite ape, we couldn’t contain our excitement. After all, who doesn’t love a good giant simian from the 20th century?

Skull Island: Rise of Kong, the game is based on the film franchise by Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. With a trailer showcasing the game in action, it has been developed by GameMill Entertainment, known for titles like Avatar: The Last Airbender – Quest for Balance and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

What is the game about? It’s what we expect, but with an unexpected emotional twist. Players take control of Kong, engaging in epic battles with other giant monsters on Skull Island. However, there’s a compelling reason behind Kong’s fists: seeking vengeance for the death of his parents at the hands of a creature named Gaw. With various biomes to traverse in the quest to find our nemesis, players will explore jungles, swamps, and caves, encountering other wild beasts that require the giant ape’s famous fiction to be controlled in battle.

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Skull Island: Rise of Kong is set to be released in the fall of 2023, although a specific date has not been announced yet. The game will be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Steam. While we await its arrival, we can already enjoy its trailer, with its pulp tone and beat ’em up style, hinting at an adventurous game that, while it may not be the next GOTY, promises to be incredibly fun and enjoyable.

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Excited for King of the Monsters? Here’s a brief guide to Godzilla

With a new movie around the corner, we can help digest the 60+ years of Godzilla movies for you!

If you’ve been getting hyped up by the excellent “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” trailers, you’re not alone. The trailers have done a great job showing the film’s godlike cast of monsters as awe-inspiring forces of nature.

If you’ve been wanting to get your Godzilla fix before the new movie comes out, it can be intimidating to know where to start. There have been more than 30 Godzilla movies having been made since 1954. There are multiple timelines and continuities, so finding a starting point can be a headache. Fortunately, we are a bunch of Kaiju nerds, so we can help shepherd you through the wonderful and weird world of Godzilla.

A product of the Atomic Age

While the name “Godzilla” may conjure images of rubber suits and campy action, the original film was a somber, complex, and politically charged work of art.

The film came out in Japan in 1954. In 1956, the movie was edited and featured an American actor, Raymond Burr.

The film portrays Godzilla as a walking symbol of the horrors of the atom bomb. Remember, in 1954 the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were still fresh in the minds of the Japanese people.

In this film, Godzilla’s rampages are not portrayed as blockbuster fun, but as mass scale tragedy. Haunting imagery of crying children and flaming hospitals really drive the point home that Godzilla is a creation of man’s hubris, and nature will not allow humanity’s arrogance to continue.

The 1954 original is required viewing for anyone even remotely interested in Godzilla. While the film is in black and white and the special effects are crude by today’s standards, the film’s atmosphere and sense of biblical horror let it stand tall as a timeless classic.

The different eras

The 30+ films in the Godzilla franchise can be organized cleanly into three different eras, each named for the Japanese emperor at the time. The American films do not fall into these eras and are considered separate series/continuities.

The Showa era

The first era, the Showa era, was characterized by wacky, humorous, and cheesy monster antics that were aimed towards children.

Just watch this scene:

Godzilla is alternatively depicted as either a monstrous villain or a noble protector who defends humanity from other monsters. The cheesy action and over-the-top special effects were influential in Japanese entertainment for years to come. They helped shape the tokusatsu genre that birthed shows like “Kamen Rider” and “Super Sentai.”

The most notable movie of this style is “King Kong vs Godzilla.” It was the first color Godzilla movie, the first appearance of King Kong in a Godzilla movie, and an inspiration for the upcoming Legendary “Godzilla vs Kong” film.

However, not every Showa era film was cheesy brainless fun. Several films of this time were more serious in nature and served as introductions to several key figures in the Godzilla mythos. This includes Mothra, Ghidorah, and MechaGodzilla.

All the monsters of this era eventually collided in the battle royale style film “Destroy All Monsters,” which had Godzilla defending the Earth against all of his most fearsome enemies. If you don’t like the sillier Showa style, then these films will be more your speed.

The Heisei era

The second era of Godzilla films is known as Heisei. Ignoring the events of every Showa film minus the original, the Heisei era returns Godzilla to his roots. Once again, he is an unstoppable force of nature rather than an anthropomorphic superhero.

Subjects such as genetic tampering are represented by various monsters such as the plant-like Godzilla clone Biollante and the mutated space creature SpaceGodzilla. The films also play off of the general nuclear fears felt by those living in the shadow of the Cold War.

The first film of the era was “Return of Godzilla ” also known as “Godzilla 1985” in America. It was a fearsome return for the king of the monsters.

The film “Godzilla vs King Ghidorah” features a time-traveling adventure that retells Godzilla’s first meeting with his greatest enemy. The movie recreates Godzilla’s origins showing a more tragic background.

The era ended with “Godzilla vs Destoroyah.” It is a sad and poignant film that ties nicely with the 1954 original. In it, Godzilla dies from his own radiation. However, he goes out swinging in one of the best films in the whole franchise:

The Millennium era and the tragedy of Godzilla 1998

In 1998, Americans tried to make a Godzilla movie but failed miserably. The film was so bad that Japan went back to making Godzilla movies with 1999’s “Godzilla 2000.” They also renamed the American Godzilla “Zilla,” and killed it off in “Godzilla: Final Wars.”

This was the dawn of the Millennium era, which is mostly a series of unconnected anthology films. Basically, it’s a “greatest hits” series for Godzilla. The era reimagines classic Godzilla stories and monsters, culminating in the amazingly fan-service-filled “Godzilla: Final Wars.”

The series has a lot of great entries like “Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla” and “Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.”All in all, it was a fun era. We even got more great campy scenes like when Godzilla did a body slam on Megaguirus:

Since the Millennium era, we have gotten other Godzilla films. These include “Shin Godzilla,” the 2014 film from Legendary Pictures, and three films on Netflix.

Who would win? Netflix Godzilla vs. MonsterVerse Godzilla

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Long live the king

Whether you prefer the cheesy action of the Showa series, the darker political drama of the Heisei era, or the fan-servicey Millennium series, it’s a great time to be a Godzilla fan.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is gearing up to be a treat for longtime fans and new audiences alike. We can’t wait to see more atomic action in the future.