King Kong Lives

"America's biggest hero is back... and he is not happy."

1986 1h 45m EN

😐

5.2

MID

★5.2TMDB · 276

FantasyActionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After falling from the Twin Towers, Kong lies in a coma for ten years. When his heart begins to fail, scientists engineer an artificial heart, and a giant female ape is captured to serve as a source for a blood transfusion. When Kong awakens following his heart transplant, he senses the nearby presence of the female ape and the two escape to wreak havoc together.

“America's biggest hero is back... and he is not happy.”

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Cast

Linda Hamilton
Amy Franklin
Brian Kerwin
Hank Mitchell
Peter Elliott
King Kong
George Antoni
Lady Kong
John Ashton
Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt
Peter Michael Goetz
Dr. Andrew Ingersoll
Frank Maraden
Dr. Benson Hughes
Robin Cahall
Mazlansky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Guillermin
Writers: Ronald Shusett, Ronald Shusett, Steven Pressfield
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 47% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "King Kong (1976) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Guillermin, shot by Alec Mills. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Malcolm Cooke shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Linda Hamilton and Brian Kerwin and Peter Elliott carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "America's biggest hero is back... and he is not happy.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Guillermin directs. Alec Mills behind the camera. John Scott scores. Malcolm Cooke cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 47% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "King Kong (1976) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Guillermin, shot by Alec Mills. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by John Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Malcolm Cooke shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Linda Hamilton and Brian Kerwin and Peter Elliott carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "America's biggest hero is back... and he is not happy.".
9IMDB entry: tt0091344 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "pregnancy", "sequel", "animal abuse", "giant animal".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alec Mills
Original score: John Scott
Editing: Malcolm Cooke
Production design: Peter Murton
Costume design: Clifford Capone
Makeup / hair: Jeff Goodwin
Stunt coordinator: Bud Davis
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $4,711,220
Return: 47% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: King Kong Lives (1986)

Part of

King Kong (1976) Collection

An American giant monster film series remake based on the 1933 film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition.