Very long movie, but also a very good movie. A great remake of the origional 1933 film.
King Kong (2005)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Boisterous, spectacular remake of 1933 classic.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13–14
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of King Kong (2005) was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Parents need to know that the movie includes numerous violent scenes that may be frightening for younger viewers and some action pushing the PG-13 edge. Specifically, humans are attacked on the island by giant bugs, bats, and dinosaurs in sustained, pounding action scenes. Kong shifts from scary (chest-pounding and roaring) to sympathetic; he's attacked brutally by men in tanks and planes, shooting guns. Characters drink and smoke cigarettes; Ann wears a slip through most of her adventures on the island. Most troubling is the depiction of the black island natives, who appear as nightmarish, surreal images, chanting and shaking when they sacrifice Ann to Kong. The showbiz version of this scene (recreated in New York) uses blackface performers.
Families Can Talk About
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- Families can talk about the relationship between Ann and Kong. How does their mutual affection extend beyond person and pet, to something more complicated? How does Denham's exploitation of Kong parallel his exploitation of people? How do the military attacks make Kong increasingly sympathetic (even an underdog, out of place in the city), as he tries to protect Ann and then she tries to protect him? How do the blackface performers serve as commentary on mainstream fear of the "unknown"?
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More on King Kong (2005)
What’s the Story?
Barely surviving the Depression in NYC, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) loses her vaudeville job just when film producer Carl Denham (Jack Black) is seeking a leading lady for his new film project, to be shot on "unknown" Skull Island. Denham and crew set out on a ship; also onboard is earnest playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), who starts a romantic relationship with Ann. On Skull Island, they encounter violent natives and a land that time forgot filled with dinosaurs and other enormous beasts. The natives kidnap Ann and present her as sacrifice to the giant ape Kong, who falls for the diminutive beauty. Kong's weakness for Ann results in his being trapped by showman Darrow, who brings him to New York City to appear in a sideshow the likes of which have never been seen.
Is It Any Good?
In KING KONG, the relationship between Ann and the giant ape is everything. The men around her adore her and even indulge in heroics to save her, but none is so compelling a personality as the gigantic gorilla who comes to love her. Like the 1933 original film, Jackson's adaptation examines the excesses and vagaries of show business. What sets Jackson's movie apart from its predecessor is its characterization of Ann as courageous and her insight when she is grateful for Kong's protection. In this version, it's not "beauty that kills the beast," but greed, meanness, and fear that destroy his admirable "nature" and emblematic manhood.
While the movie demonizes the black natives who throw back their heads and chant during their ritual to sacrifice Ann to Kong, it also offers a complication in the ship's courageous, sensible, and black first mate, Hayes (Evan Parke). It's telling that Hayes does not see the reenactment of the tribal ritual as Denham's stage show, populated by performers in overtly offensive blackface. If this scene illustrates the movie's awareness of the problem (the crude translation of blackness by a white "producer"), it's not quite a resolution. Neither is the relationship between Ann and Kong, though she tries mightily to do right.
Movie Details
Studio: Universal Studios, Director: Peter Jackson
Run time: 187 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/14/2005, DVD release: 03/28/2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images.
Run time: 187 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/14/2005, DVD release: 03/28/2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images.
Our Members Say
See all 81 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
King Kong (2005)
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
good for all tweens, not kids.
I loved this movie. It was actiony. But there are some violent scenes when an islander chops off a guys head, but there was no blood. Actually there was not a lot of blood in this movie. There is some language but not mild. This is truly a good film.
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I rate this title off for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
No little kids, maybey 10+ but this movie is scary!!!!!!
Some smoking, one character is in revealing clothes, reffrences to female body parts (breasts), people are killed often with blood occasionaly shown, one man is accidently wipped with a rope and large amounts of blood is drawn and later displayed graphicly, natives in skimpy clothes are shown in a very scary matter, one native brutally kills a man with a large piece of wood, people are thrown, crushed, bitten, and even hit with a stick all of these deaths are shown with disturbing realism. This movie is defintley a great movie that I strongly recommend. Peter jackson always does great films and this is truly a great film!
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
Perfect For 9 And 10 Year Olds
Love It And My Kid Loved It
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
Amazing. You have to be old enough to take the length and have a long enough attention span to pay attention the whole time, though.
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I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it
13+ will like it (maybe)
I only saw the end but I didn't like it
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
Perfect for older kids, but not for tweens
I didn't want to watch it but I had to because the babysitter had it on TV. I didn't like this movie because it has a sad ending. It would be a good idea if kids under 13 don't see this because it could give them nightmares.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
This was a pretty good remake of the first king kong. Its doe by Peter Jackson so you got a good director doing this. If you want a good movie that kids might not be able to handle, then king kong is pretty good.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
we saw king kong as a family. It was a bit too much for me and my kiddos. We ended up fast forwarding thru a few spots such as when the giant worm things "eat" some characters. The violence was realistic but a bit intense. I would highly recommend this movie be screened for your child before they see it. All in all it was an ok movie. Great in some spots a bit over done in other spots. It could have been shortened without loosing any plot details. Great movie for 15 and over, iffy for 13 & 14. not for under 12 IMHO. :)
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
It is not pushing PG-13 limits how lame. It is fine kind of boring but Naomi Watts saved it.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
I was dazzled
Incredible remake is bloody and violent.
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I rate this title pause for age 13 and give it
Excellent, spectacular action movie: might scare younger children.
My two older kids say this movie, and they enjoyed it. They wouldn't even stand up to go to the bathroom until it was over, which was very strange. The movie is great, but it's 3 hours long. If you are into action and adventures, this movie is one worth sitting through, but younger kids might get scared. There is a scene with giant roaches that climb on peoples backs, and one of the main characters is surprised by a hidden tarantula. This movie either grosses you out, or gives you energy. I would rate this movie: PG-13.
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I rate this title pause for age 12 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
good
it was good but it was too long.so kids dont drink too much soad befor watching it.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Peter Jackson's Done it Again!
This movie is sad, but great. I actually cried at the end. Yeah. Beauty did kill the beast, after all.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
filebook
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Way too long
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
One of the Best Movies of the Year
This movie is made very closely to the 1933 version. It is very violent and scenes that were to violent for the 1933 ersion are put into this one (like to giant spider scene). This is very intense for kids under 13. Some 13 year-olds may even get a little scared. There are giant spiders and bugs, dinosaurs, and ugly creaturs. There is a reason it is rated PG-13.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Pretty Scary
Parents who take younger kids to this show will regret it. Although highly entertaining for an older crowd, and a spectacular eye-candy treat, it has some scenes of violence and scary images that would give some kids real nightmares. Be careful!
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I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
good, not for kids younger than 13
I saw this with my 6 year old daughter. I thought she could see her 1st PG-13 movie and thought King Kong would be best. I didn't know how scary it was ( at least to a 6 year old) She screamed and cried when those African- American people, native to Skull Island, attacked the people that were going to film a movie there. She screamed, " I want to leave, mommy! I want to go home!!!!!!!" and she was wailing. I had to pull her out of the theater and leave to go home. Parents, if you have a kid under 13, they should not see King Kong, it is very frightening to kids younger than that age ( well, you don't have rating systems for nothing, lol)
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Ratings at a Glance
| 75% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 50% | of parents say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking |
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