Son of Kong (1933) Review
- Frank Laudato
- Apr 8
- 2 min read
Monster Appearances: Brontosaurus, Cave Bear, Elasmosaurus, Kiko, Nothosaurus, Styracosaurus
Son of Kong was fast-tracked King Kong took the world by storm in 1933. Just 8 months after the original's release, the sequel hit theaters and was clearly meant to capitalize on King Kong's massive success. But the big question is if Son of Kong is a good sequel to King Kong? We dive into that in our video review bellow, but if you want more breakdown keep reading.
Unlike King Kong, Son of Kong was under some tight production constraints. With only a short time to shoot the film, roughly a third of the original film's budget, a smaller cast, and limited sets, the films production was undeniably rushed.
The result is the movie feels scaled way down and less ambitious than its predecessor. Basically, the film picks up shortly after the events of the first film, with Carl Denham now broke and dealing with lawsuits and bill collectors at his doors for King Kong's destruction in New York. He has no other option but to run it back and return to Skull Island! In hopes for another cash cow...guess he didn't learn the first time.
While it clearly feels like a bit of a cash grab at the time the film is not all bad but not groundbreaking either. Son of Kong has a lighter toner, with more humor in the story than fans of the original might not have expected. The introduction of “Little Kong,” often referred to as Kiko (even though the name is never actually used in the film), is great we get a smaller albino version of Kong with more personality, and he is a bit of a goofball. Kiko feels like a significantly more innocent creature compared to Kong in the first film. He’s still young, still learning, and exists in a very different environment, one where there are no natives worshipping him or offering human sacrifices in his name.
Some viewers absolutely despised Kiko's goofiness, but I believe that comes from them seeing him as just another giant ape, rather than an innocent, childlike creature. Because of that, his story hits differently. In fact, Kiko’s ending is something I believe is even more tragic than Kong’s.
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Watch the full review below where we dive deeper into Kiko’s fate and what makes it so impactful:
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