Not a sequel to the previous Japanese release, this film was created to tie into the short-lived Rankin/Bass Productions cartoon series. This would undoubtedly be the worst appearance of King Kong, the suit used is simply atrocious, and it's hard to argue for it. His goofy, lumpy face and mangled hair do nothing to make audiences scared of him.
Kong is brought to an icy location to dig for highly radioactive "Element X," which Dr. Who (Eisei Amamoto) is mining to take over the world. When Kong is unable to perform the task, they create a mechanized Kong to do the job. When King Kong frees himself of his captors and heads for Tokyo, Dr. Who and his minions send their robotic version after him.
This is a fast paced film, one designed to keep kids entertained, and become hooked on the cartoon, which would oddly not see release until 1966. There are homages to the original, including a fight with a T-Rex like creature (known as Gorosaurus in the Toho universe of monsters), and the climbing of Tokyo Tower, the closest thing Japan had at the time to the Empire State Building. This is hardly a film for King Kong purists, but it does feature some goofy fun, and for small children who may be scared by the 1933 version, this isn't a bad choice.
King Kong (1976)
Endlessly hyped, this big budget Dino DeLaurentiis produced remake made a name for itself by claiming Kong would be played by entirely by a monumental life-sized robot. That creation appears only in a few brief scenes, and the rest of the time is played by special effects make-up master Rick Baker in a suit. The story was barely changed, swapping out the film-seeking expedition from the original and replacing it with a crew searching for oil. The finale was also relocated to the World Trade Center, angering fans of the original who protested the change.
Playing the obligatory damsel in distress, in her first role, is Jessica Lange. Kong's struggle is put aside for human character development most of the time. He is eventually brought down by helicopters in a brutal, bloody battle. The film's budget ballooned rapidly, sending it over $24 million.
It would haul in over $75 million worldwide, despite being critically panned and failing to deliver multiple beasts for Kong to fight with (here he enters into a brief struggle with giant snake). An alternate TV cut exists, which included a few shots deleted from the theatrical release to pad the running time for sequences that didn't fit TV standard. It's still held in high regard by many fans that grew up with this unique spin on the legend.