This is a good value package of three great films, (3 discs in one standard sized case) though the two Japanese features are more of an acquired taste to be sure!
The first film, the original King Kong needs no introduction other than it is awesome, classic cinema, and if you haven't seen it, watch it now- it is has just everything you want from a monster film, yet it is a tribute to the makers of the film that I feel bad calling Kong a 'monster', it is amazing how much emotion and pathos O'Brien creates in his masterpiece of stopmotion. Call me a Luddite, but I feel that the FX work better, on their own terms, than in the Jackson remake.
I'll review King Kong vs Godzill next as the dvds are presented out of chronological order. Whereas the original King Kong has a deserved right to be not just to be a classic monster film but also classic cinema, Godzilla vs King Kong can only be classic cheese! I love this film! This is the American version, which has butchered a lot of… more »

This is a good value package of three great films, (3 discs in one standard sized case) though the two Japanese features are more of an acquired taste to be sure!
The first film, the original King Kong needs no introduction other than it is awesome, classic cinema, and if you haven't seen it, watch it now- it is has just everything you want from a monster film, yet it is a tribute to the makers of the film that I feel bad calling Kong a 'monster', it is amazing how much emotion and pathos O'Brien creates in his masterpiece of stopmotion. Call me a Luddite, but I feel that the FX work better, on their own terms, than in the Jackson remake.
I'll review King Kong vs Godzill next as the dvds are presented out of chronological order. Whereas the original King Kong has a deserved right to be not just to be a classic monster film but also classic cinema, Godzilla vs King Kong can only be classic cheese! I love this film! This is the American version, which has butchered a lot of the Japanese sequences, tacked on more effects shots to the earthquake that occurs after the climactic battle, and added a framing device of UN reporters to better appeal to the American viewers. Lots of cheesey fun, and while there's not the same amount of monster sequences as in King Kong, the hilarious acting will provide much amusement in the lulls between the fights. And the end fight is excellent, Kong's lightening punches being the, um, highlight for me.
Finally, King Kong Escapes heightens the cheese, more than compensating for the FX which are markedly more 'toy-like' than in the previous film. Overall it bears a lot of visual resemblance to another Toho fim of the same year, 'Son of Godzilla'.
This film's heroes are (of course) Kong, and three UN submarine crew members, including Rhodes Reason as the suitably rugged captain and Linda Miller as the bobbed nurse Kong falls for. The plot, such as it is, sees an evil genius named Dr. Who(!) building a mecha-kong to extract a radioactive element from a crater at the North Pole, then kidnapping Kong and the 3 UN crew members to further his nefarious plans. Kong escapes to Tokyo (where else?!) pursued by Who and his Mecha Kong, cueing a great fight sequence on the Tokyo Tower. Good Cheese!
Couple of caveats to King Kong Escapes; don't expect the graphics to be all that great, especially on Kong himself, but then that's part of the appeal with these old Suitmation flicks, isn't it? And while I wouldn't hesitate to let my children watch these films, I would encourage them, but there's a couple of bits that would require parental guidance for the very young- Who shoots a couple of people at close range, and someone gets crushed by a table, with a fair bit gore for this cert. Nothing terrible, just a heads-up for parents/gaurdians.
Overall, a great package, and at 8.99, great value.