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[[File:275px-Img_kingkong1.jpg|frame|"The Eighth Wonder of the World!"]]
{{quote|''And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead.''|'''(Fictional) Arabian Proverb'''}}
With those words, RKO Pictures introduced one of the most well-known and enduring [[Kaiju|movie monsters]] of all time. "Kong" is a giant gorilla living on a [[Lost World|hidden island]] in the South Pacific. When a charter ship travels to this island, the oversized primate becomes enraptured by the crew's sole blonde woman, whom the island natives offer up to it in sacrifice. The crew rescue the girl and even manage to capture Kong, bringing the creature back to Manhattan for a spectacle. However, Kong escapes and causes mayhem in the streets of New York before being shot off the top of a skyscraper.
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There have been three major film adaptations of the original story (along with numerous spin-offs, sequels and cross-overs):
* [[King Kong (1933 film)|''King Kong'' (1933 film)]]: (See the recap [[King Kong (1933 film)/Recap|here]].)
** Followed later that year by ''Son of Kong''.
* [[King Kong (1976 film)|''King Kong'' (1976 film)]]
** [[Sequelitis|A sequel]], ''King Kong Lives'', followed... [[Sequel Gap|ten years later]].
* [[King Kong (2005 film)|''King Kong'' (2005 film)]]
{{tropelist|The various permutations of ''King Kong'' provide examples of the following tropes:}}
* [[Always Save the Girl]]
* [[Animals Lack Attributes]]: Kong has no nipples.
* [[Anti-Villain]]: Even though Kong is a destructive force and responsible for killing extras in every film, he doesn't really comprehend the damage he's causing: he just wants Ann/Dwan. As such, King remains sympathetic in all film versions, and in some interpretations is the ''hero'' compared to the more greedy humans (Denham, Wilson the oil exec).
* [[Attack of the 50
* [[Badass]]: Are you kidding?
* [[Beast and Beauty]]. Also counts as [[Arc Words]].
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* [[Cataclysm Climax]]: Notably, the destruction of Skull Island in both the 1933 and 2005 versions does not happen in the main films themselves (in 1933, it happened in the sequel; in 2005, it is described only on the [[Expanded Universe|website]] and the special features on the DVD.
** The demise of Skull Island is further discussed in ''[[All There in the Manual|A Natural History Of Skull Island]]''.
* [[Chained
* [[Clothing Damage]]: Sustained by Ann/Dwan, particularly in the '33 version when Kong tries to "peel" her like a banana.
** This is taken to insane extremes in the little-known Don Simpson "Monster Comics" adaptation. She's stripped completely down to her bra and panties. Likewise, Jack consistently loses bits and pieces of ''his'' clothing throughout his travails. By the time he and Ann get back to the wall, he's shirtless and his pants have been shredded to the point where it looks like he's wearing daisy dukes.
* [[Creator Cameo]]: In the original, the aircrew that downs Kong was played by the director and producer, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Shoedsack. In the 2005 remake, Jackson puts himself in the fatal plane in a deliberate [[Homage]]. Also with him in that plane is Rick Baker, who played Kong in the suit in the '76 version.
* [[Darker and Edgier]]: The original was pretty dark as it was, but the '76 version is a bit darker, with [[Bloodier and Gorier|much more blood and gore]] (unsurprising, considering the difference in decades and moviemaking standards). And the '05 version is the darkest yet, with its savage natives, tons of violence, and nightmarish creatures.
* [[
* [[Downer Ending]]: Both the '76 and '05 versions, as a result of making Kong even more sympathetic and having Ann/Dwan form a bond with him. The 2005 version in particular gets bleaker and bleaker the more you think about it: Kong's dead, and since he's the [[Last of His Kind]], his whole species is now extinct. Several civilians and many of the soldiers who tried to bring him down and protect the city were killed. Carl Denham's career is ruined for sure, and he'll never be able to donate the proceeds of his film to the families of the Venture's deceased crew members. And of the Venture's crew that survived, most of their friends (and in Jimmy's case, his father figure) are dead. One of the only really bright spots to come out of the whole deal is Ann and Jack's relationship, and even then there's a feeling that it won't last. Granted, a lot of the same points could also apply to the original, but the fact that the story of the '05 version is more "developed" just makes it even sadder.
* [[East Indies]]
* [[Epic Movie]]
* [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]]: ...particularly during the "shaken log" sequence, which both the 1933 and 1976 versions have. Subverted at first in the 2005 remake, where {{spoiler|Denham and most of his crew survive the fall, but then double-subverted when the insects attack and consume his entire crew}}.
* [[Everything's Better
** ''King Kong'' '33 features the famous fight between Kong and a T-Rex, as well as plenty of other dinosaurs.
** Godzilla in ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'', of course (he's kind of a dinosaur).
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** The V-Rexes and the stampeding Brontosaurs in ''King Kong'' '05.
*** Don't forget the '''RAPTORS!''' Oh, and the ceratopsian Ferrucutus in the extended version, as well as other dinosaurs.
* [[Everything's Better
* [[Everything Trying to Kill You]]: Skull Island. So much.
* [[Helicopter Flyswatter]]: Probably the [[Trope Maker]].
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* [[Human Sacrifice]]
* [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] with [[Godzilla]]: Kong fought the Monster King in 1962's ''King Kong vs. Godzilla''. See the Godzilla page for more of its history, to avoid a [[Flame War]].
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* [[The Remake]]: Most people agree the '76 film was a Remake Decay; the jury is still out on the '05 version.
* [[Screaming Woman]]
* [[Single
** Explained in the 2005 ''A Natural History of Skull Island''. Kong is the [[Last of His Kind]]. Further, in the 2005 film, we see the bones of others of his kind, further cementing the idea that he is all alone.
* [[Somewhere a Palaeontologist Is Crying]]: Flesh-Eating Apatosaur (aka brontosaur) in the original. Most likely due to [[Rule of Cool]].
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* [[Title Drop]]: For most of the movie everyone just calls the ape "Kong," and it's not until near the end that we see "KING Kong" written on a huge sign in New York. After that they ''still'' don't say the whole thing in dialogue.
* [[Why Isn't It Attacking?]]: He likes that little blonde girl.
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