In 1933, director Marian Caldwell Cooper, under the backing of RKO Pictures, introduced audiences to the legendary ape-like monster,King Kong. The creature’s mannerisms and the original film’s use of unique special effects wowed audiences.
There was the rear projection technique, stop-motion animation images, miniatures, matte paintings, and many more. Other filmmakers and studio executives were impressed too, and years later, various blatant ripoffs would pop up.
The possibilities were endless and, since the original franchise owners couldn’t explore every idea, others felt the need to fill the storyline void while imitating the iconography. Regrettably, many of the knockoffs were weird rather than groundbreaking. Even with a giant ape in the picture, logic ought to have been factored in, but the imitators either settled for pure monster mayhem or cheesiness.
The copycats should have done much better while peeping at the original work. Still, most of these films are watchable, at least for their thrills and amusing elements.
10Konga (1961)
Years before Michael Gough packed sandwiches for the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher’sBatmanmovies, he was the botanist Dr. Charles Decker inKonga.In the film, Decker spends years researching carnivorous plants and animals in Uganda, before taking a pet chimp named Konga with him back to London.
Eager to prove that plants and animals are genetically linked, Decker injects Konga with a serum he made from the carnivorous plants, only for the chimp to turn into a giant ape. Apologizing is the first thought that comes into Decker’s mind, but he figures he can use Konga to take out his rival scientists, so he does just that.
Copying the Entire Assignment
In some ripoffs, there are often attempts to hide the fact that the idea was copied, but in Konga, everything is flagrant. “Konga” is “Kong” with an additional letter “a” thrown on it, and as if that’s not enough, the film’s poster features the words, “Not since King Kong has the screen exploded with much fury and spectacle.” In a blatant trick to fool potential ticket buyers that this is a sequel or franchise installment, the words “King Kong” are printed in a giant font size that almost matches the title.
Thankfully, the film has a few unique elements. For example, it allocates ample time to the buildup instead of rushing to the rampage. It’s not until the third act that the ape grows to full “Kong size.” Thanks to Gough’s incredible performance, Dr. Decker also makes a case for himself as one ofcinema’s greatest mad scientists.Stream it on Prime Video.
9King of Kong Island (1988)
King of Kong Islandalso has a mad scientist who believes apes should be toys for smart people like him to play with. He heads to Kenya and begins experimenting with mind-control devices on animals. This puts him in conflict with Eva, a woman who has been raised by apes and can communicate with them. Additionally, the film tucks in a mercenary subplot and a political subplot,
False Advertising
How long do audiences have to wait until the animal-of-the-moment shows up? The honest answer is “forever.” There is no giant ape inKing of Kong Island, despite the title giving the impression that Kong might be showing up any minute. Interestingly, the film’s original title wasEva the Savage Venus,but the producers and distributors tweaked it upon realizing that everyone in America was in on the Kong craze.
It could be argued that the film is more of aTarzanripoffthan aKongripoff, but this is debatable, since it focuses more on the apes than Eva.Stream it for free on Tubi TV.
8Queen Kong (1976)
Surprisingly, it took several decades for someone to think of a female Kong. Well,Queen Kongtakes the original film’s premise and does some gender-swapping. Instead of a male film crew heading to a jungle with an actress, a female film crew heads to a jungle with a thief named Ray Fay (Robin Askwith). They intend to use him as their lead actor and as they are filming, a giant female gorilla falls for the man.
Rom-com Fever in the Animal Kingdom
Though he does a copy-n-paste on the original premise, director Frank Agrama deserves to be lauded for crafting a creative romance subplot involving humans and animals. The logic isn’t far off either, as it has been scientifically proven that different primates can be attracted to humans. However, some fans will find the idea of a sex-crazed gorilla chasing a man around to be weird. Ultimately, Agrama was sued for making this project.
Consequently, it was never released in the United Kingdom. Even so, it developed quite a cult following in Japan.Stream it for free on Tubi TV.
7APE (1976)
Why would a 36-foot gorilla be imprisoned inside an oil tanker ship? It’s better not to bother about that whenAPEbegins, since no concrete answer is given. As expected, the ape escapes and jumps into the water where he battles a white shark. He then swims to the land (South Korea), where he begins terrorizing people. Soon, the animal becomes infatuated with an American actress who happens to be filming in Seoul. Because of this arc, the film was renamedAttack of the Giant Horny Gorillafor its grindhouse re-release.
Crushing on an American actress is hardly the weirdest thing the ape does in the movie. He dances to the movie’s theme music and even vomits. In the most memorable scene, he acknowledges the film’s silliness by staring directly at the camera and waving his middle finger. The film’s creators knew they were making a dumb ripoff, and they unapologetically rode along with it.
In another iconic scene, generals in the military refuse to acknowledge reports of a giant ape roaming around. One of them even jokes: “Someone should ask if his name is King Kong.”Stream it on Kanopy or for free Plex.
6The Mighty Peking Man (1977)
InThe Mighty Peking Man,Johnny is a heartbroken explorer. “The only two people I ever loved were my brother and girlfriend,” he says. Unfortunately, those two people have betrayed him and are now having an affair. When a group of Hong Kong explorers approach Johnny and ask him to help him find a giant ape in the Himalayan mountains, he sees it as a perfect opportunity to escape from his current sad reality, so he accepts.
Shortly after the ape has been captured and brought to Hong Kong, he breaks loose. In typical monster movie fashion, he becomes a nuisance to real estate investors, car owners, and aviation enthusiasts.
Love and Adventure
Released only a year after theKing Kongremake, it’s clear where the inspiration forThe Mighty Peking Mancame from. Thankfully, the movie offers a little more by weaving in a great love story. Johnny pairs up with another woman as a rebound, only for him to later be found in bed with his original cheating lover. So poor is his decision-making that the monster even becomes more likable than him.
Despite the director’s good intentions, the weirdness remains. The Mighty Peking Man doesn’t gibber. He speaks English, and how he learned such a language remains a mystery. Johnny isn’t the only one who makes baffling choices. During the expedition, one of the men gets injured, and instead of offering medical help, his colleague shoots him.Stream it on Arrow Player or rent it on Apple TV+.
5Ape vs Monster (2021)
Asylum’sApe vs Monsteris an obvious cash-in onGodzilla Vs. Kong’s success, but has a sensible foundation to base the plot on. The events kick off with a chimpanzee in a space capsule crash-landing on Earth. It’s then revealed that he was sent to the moon as part of a Cold War experiment. It’s also revealed that once it comes into contact with oxygen, the green-like fluid inside the space capsule can transform any creature into a monster.
The ape thus becomes a giant, and so does a Gila that passes by and comes into contact with it. The stage is thus set for a showdown between the two.
Cool Fights… but Nothing More
Anyone looking for a deeper film will be disappointed sinceApe vs Monsteris all about the fights and nothing more. The ape and the Gila go at each other for lengthy periods while the scientists discuss animal rights and whether it’s ethical to nuke or euthanize the two monsters.
Each creature has its distinctive moments, too, and audiences will forever remember a scene where the Gila munches on a train like its spaghetti. An attempt at a lesbian-bait romance between two women scientists on different divides of the Cold War narrative also falls flat.Stream it on Prime Video.
4Yeti: The Giant of the 20th Century (1977)
InYeti: The Giant of the 20th Centurytycoon, Morgan Hunnicut tags his pal Professor Waterman along on an expedition to research Yeti, a giant creature frozen for a million years in a large ice block on Newfoundland’s coast. Like every sinister movie tycoon, Hunnicut intends to profit from the giant. After all, the American public has already fallen in love with the big dude without seeing him yet, thanks to endless media hype. Everything goes well for Hunnicut until his granddaughter, Jane, falls in love with Yeti.
Hardly Any Monster Mayhem
Yeti: The Giant of the 21st Centuryhas little to no monster mayhem compared to other King Kong ripoffs. The giant remains peaceful for most of the film, with the story mainly teasing a romance between him and Jane. Consequently, there are numerous awkward moments, such as when the lady accidentally brushes her hand across Yeti’s massive nipple, causing him to giggle with adolescent-like excitement.
On another occasion, Yeti uses the skeleton of a whale he had for dinner to comb Jane’s Rapunzel-like hair. For the most part, Yeti remains a wanderer, moving around aimlessly without dealing with choppers wanting to shoot him down. Sometimes he peeps into a hotel room’s window and scares a couple, but that’s just about it.Stream it on Tubi TV.
3Konga TNT (2020)
Konga TNThas yet another outer-space serum that causes creatures to grow big. The mayhem begins when a spaceship crash-lands in the Amazon. Renowned tracker Skipper Smith is assigned to locate its power source, and while he is in the forest, he encounters a women-only tribe. He seduces their leader and convinces her to hand over the power source before taking it back to the city, where scientists inject the substance inside it into a monkey. The rest of the events then play out in the usual manner.
Above-Average Buddy Comedy with Familiar Ingredients
The film comes to life when two boys, Chance and Grayson, discover the monkey right before he becomes a giant. This happens after they find him eating their snacks. Within a short period, they find themselves attached to the animal. They are, therefore, forced to try and rescue him when the military starts hunting him down.
The numerous helicopters and angry generals create a familiarity that could have been avoided. On a positive note, there is plenty of juvenile fun, such as when Chance tries to lure the monster away from danger by dressing up in a hot dog suit.Stream it on Prime Video.
2The Mighty Gorga (1969)
The Mighty Gorgarevolves around the circus owner, Mark Remington, who considers himself too macho to file for bankruptcy. His business is shown to be failing, but he vows to do everything he can to save it, including stealing.
Thankfully, he doesn’t resort to that kind of crime. He instead heads to an unnamed section of Africa after learning that an overgrown gorilla is roaming around in the forest. He aims to bring the animal back to America, but his plan doesn’t unfold as he expected.
A Fun Adventure, Plagued by Poor Visuals
The film has a captivating story, but it has become notorious for its poor special effects. Gorga doesn’t look believable either. He is simply a man in a suit, and it’s clear that the budget used for filming was as low as the money in Remington’s account. Worse still, no attempts were made to reshoot the numerous flubbed lines. It sure is a contender for one of theworst movies ever made, but it’s worth watching, especially for filmmakers who want to learn about the “dont’s” of filmmaking.Buy it on Amazon.
1The War of the Gargantuas (1966)
The War of the Gargantuasrevolves around two giant humanoid monsters who were both born from the cells of the original Frankenstein monster. The Green Gargantua grows to be a peaceful creature because he was raised in the mountains, while the Brown Gargnatuas grows to be malicious and murderous because he was exposed to urban pollution for most of his life. When Brown Gargantua starts murdering people, Green Gargantua gets falsely accused of the crimes, forcing a scientist to help him.
Action-Packed Film with a Strong Legacy
The Japanese film is highly entertaining, thanks to its well-choreographed action sequences. However, these scenes defy logic. In reality, such large creatures cannot be as flexible as ninjas during fights. Despite its unrealistic nature,The War of the Gargantuasleft a strong legacy.
Quentin Tarantino mentioned that it inspired the fight between Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah inKill Bill (Vol 2), which he dubbed the “War of the Blonde Gargantuas.” Brad Pitt also mentioned that the film is part of the reason why he chose to be an actor, while Guillermo del Toro named it one of his favorite monster movies.Stream it on Max.
