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King Kong (1933)
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Is it age appropriate?
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Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Violent but beloved old-school monster movie.
Themes in this movie include: materialism, revenge
updated 09.28.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 10 and Up
What to watch out for
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What Parents Need to Know
About King Kong (1933)
Parents need to know about abundant violence, not only monster-on-monster fights (inevitably ending in death for one of the combatants), and also that many innocent bystanders are brutally killed, both in the jungle and in New York City. The natives (who are black) are portrayed as face-painted, bone-wearing tribesmen.
Read our full review by Charles Cassady Jr.
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how later generations of admirers read a lot of messages into this movie about civilization vs. the primal jungle, about the poignancy of the tropical ape-giant brought captive to modern Manhattan.
- The old-fashioned point-of-view here doesn't seem to make any obvious objections to the brash white-hunter heroes and their not-very-scientific mission. You can ask kids if they think Kong is a sympathetic character who should have been left alone or a raging monster who had to be destroyed, and compare Kong to the genetically-engineered dinosaurs of the "Jurassic Park" series.
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
Lives in OhioI rate this title on for age 10 and give itMy concerns are:- Excessive violence
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
king kong review by critic07
A classic, really good. but boring for kids who like just action movies. It is one of my favorite movies now.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
A Great Old Movie!
King Kong is a true classic, and one of the best adventure movies ever made. I prefer the 2005 version because it's a lot more intense, but the original must have been completely amazing back in 1933. Even by today's standards it's fairly fun and exciting. And as far as content goes, this is a great family movie. There's some violence. Kong breaks a T-Rex's jaw and then smashes in its skull (just like in the 2005 version), Kong snacks on people like popcorn and smashes them into the ground, and Kong destroys things and eats people in New York. This all would be very disturbing if Kong and the dinosaurs looked real, but it's not, you can tell they're puppets easily. Good for kids 7+
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
should have cut a half hour
This went on about a half hour longer than it needed to (and at 3+ hours that is a meaningful amount of time). Unrelenting violence, very graphic. But a terrific action movie.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
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