About 30 years before Peter Jackson got the bright idea to deliver his vision of the 1933 classic King Kong to a new generation of moviegoers, producer Dino De Laurentiis had the same thought. Of course, due to the technology available at the time (and maybe a bit of De Laurentiis' own cornball spirit; this is the guy who gave us the Flash Gordon movie, after all), 1976's King Kong is nowhere near the technological marvel that Jackson's version is, nor does it achieve the level of pure adventure and spectacle that the one that started it all achieved. Starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, for all its undeniable flaws, the '70s take on Kong is still a fairly enjoyable flick, even if it's on a much cheesier level than some might care for.

Updating the story into more modern times, this King Kong centers around the Petrox company and an expedition, headed by ambitious executive Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin), to an uncharted Pacific island in hopes of tapping vast oil reserves. Two extra, unexpected passengers make themselves at home in the form of stowaway photographer/dashing paleontologist Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) and Dwan (Jessica Lange, in her cinematic debut), an actress left stranded after her boat suffered a horrible accident.

Once Wilson and crew make it to the island, they find not the endless supply of oil they bet everything they had on but rather something big, hairy, and very angry: a giant ape the native islanders refer to merely as "Kong." As the story goes, Dwan gets served up as a sacrificial offering to Kong, only for the fair maiden and the big ol' ape to engage in a little bonding time, showing the former that the latter isn't the dumb beast he appears to be. But when Kong is caught and hauled off to New York City to be gawked at by throngs of spectators, there's no force on earth that can contain the fury that the hairy one is about to unleash.

With The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure topping the box office, the '70s was the decade of the disaster film, and this was the mindset with which King Kong was made. There is no "'Twas beauty killed the beast" or sweeping statement about man's quest to topple nature itself; at the end of the day, all that this King Kong comes down to is a guy in a monkey suit tearing up the Big Apple piece by piece.

Essentially, this is an American Godzilla film, with special effects maestro Rick Baker smashing model trains, cars, and helicopters inside the Kong suit. This film is as cheesy as they come, but what might surprise you is how -- dare I say it -- honest to goodness good it comes across, at least to start. Director John Guillermin does a fantastic job of composing an atmosphere of mystique for the film's first quarter or so; even though chances are that viewers know what lies ahead is a massive, ticked-off ape, there's still an aura of suspense and mystery present as the characters get closer to the island.

Of course, all of this surprising good will and effective filmmaking is tossed out the window once the mighty Kong enters the picture, the potential to become a true cinema spectacle for the '70s ditched in favor of one really awkward love story between a huge monkey and teensy Jessica Lange. It's at this point that King Kong really starts to run out of steam, since this relationship, arguably the most well-known aspect of the story other than Kong himself, is handled more as something the filmmakers have to cover as part of its obligations as a remake, rather give the subplot their own spin.

It also doesn't help that Lange, even for her first film performance, is almost a little too flighty and ditzy as Dwan (read: she gets over the deaths of many individuals really fast). Bridges, however, does a solid job as the obligatory rugged hero, and Grodin's greedy oil exec is just big enough of a jerk to deserve his eventual comeuppance while not coming across as an annoyance. The action scenes are decidedly mixed, though, exemplified by Kong's climactic rampage, which is alternately scary and yet still way too long.

Perhaps it's a little unfair to compare Kongs, since all three were made under different circumstances, with different aims in mind. Still, with 1933 and 2005 versions being the masterpieces they are, and then looking at Mr. 1976 sitting between them, you can't help looking upon this trio without thinking of it as a sandwich where the bread's more delicious than the meat is.

Director: John Guillermin

Writer: Lorenzo Semple Jr., based upon a screenplay by James Creelman and Ruth Rose (idea by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace)

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange, John Randolph, Rene Auberjonois, Ed Lauter

Rating: PG (violence, profanity, some very brief nudity)

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Run Time: 134 minutes

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Format: Color, widescreen