Metacritic reviews

But King Kong is more than a technical achievement. It is also a curiously touching fable in which the beast is seen, not as a monster of destruction, but as a creature that in its own way wants to do the right thing.

A fantastic film.

King Kong, as spectacular a bolt of celluloid as has thrilled audiences in a couple of sophisticated seasons, is the product of a number of vivid imaginations...We've got to admit that there's a certain tenseness about King Kong which defies you to glance away from the screen before the entire tale is told. It fascinates, to be sure.

None of the humans — not even scream queen Wray — can compete with Kong. But the film remains a perfect star vehicle. It prepares for its hero's entrance with hints of mystery, violence, eroticism and fantasy, then cuts loose with all the action, adventure.

The ultimate monster movie and one of the grandest and most beloved adventure films ever made, KING KONG is a film that has given us one of the most enduring icons of American popular culture--a massively destructive but curiously sympathetic giant gorilla whose rampage through New York City suggests, on a psychological level, the re-emergence of repressed desire.

Granddaddy of beast-on-the-loose movies.

Kong is an exaggeration ad absurdum, too vast to be plausible. This makes his actions wholly enjoyable.

Despite its various deficiencies and occasionally antiquated style, King Kong remains not only a milestone of movie-making, but a magical experience.

Highly imaginative and super-goofy yarn.

Willis O'Brien did the stop-action animation for this 1933 feature, which is richer in character than most of the human cast.