We defend King Kong Lives (1986) with Linda Hamilton – The Black Sheep

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With the Hell in a Cell match of Godzilla vs. Kong releasing this week, we are going back to the mid-'80s and giving an underappreciated sequel its due. Though the 1976 remake gets all the attention, we are here to defend King Kong Lives (OWN IT HERE). The 1976 remake of King Kong was a massive success for director John Guillermin and producer Dino De Laurentiis. Not only did it earn over triple its budget, but it won an Oscar for best visual effects. With ongoing legal issues holding up an inevitable sequel, King Kong Lives didn't hit screens until 1986, a decade after the successful remake.

Long after anybody cared, King Kong Lives came and went with little fanfare. It failed to reach an audience and was panned by the critics. Hell, even Roger Ebert gave it only one star. An aged sequel without the star power or prestige of the original remake, is there anything worthwhile about King Kong Lives? Of course! This episode of THE BLACK SHEEP looks back at this cheesy yet fun action-adventure film that has more to love than it gets credit for.

King Kong Lives stars Linda Hamilton, Brian Kerwin, John Ashton and has the following synopsis:

Kong falls from the twin towers and he appears to be alive. However, his heart is failing, so it's replaced with an artificial one. All is well until he senses that there's a female Kong somewhere out there and escapes wreaking havoc.

This episode of THE BLACK SHEEP is written by Andrew Hatfield, narrated and edited by Lance Vlcek. Produced by John Fallon and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

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