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A month after Kong fell to his death from the Empire State Building following his destructive rampage through the city, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) faces numerous lawsuits and is on the verge of indictment by a grand jury. Escaping prosecution, Denham leaves New York City aboard the Venture, which is still under the command of Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher), who also fears legal action against him if he stays. After failing to make much money moving cargo around Asia, Denham and Englehorn arrive at the port of Dakang, where they encounter Nils Helstrom (John Marston), the Norwegian captain who initially sold Denham the map to Skull Island. Helstrom convinces Denham and Englehorn that there is a treasure on Skull Island they can retrieve together, but this is only a ploy to dupe the men to take him away from Dakang to prevent his prosecution for the death of Mr. Petersen (Clarence Wilson). The voyage soon gains a stowaway in Petersen's daughter, Hilda (Helen Mack), who winds up accompanying Denham, Englehorn, Helstrom and the ship's cook (Victor Wong) when the crew of the Venture stage a mutiny. The group soon arrive on the shores of Skull Island, where they encounter a large albino gorilla who, presumably, is Kong's son.
Screenwriter Ruth Rose (who co-wrote King Kong and was married to Ernest B. Schoedsack) knew the sequel had no chance of equalling the first film, let alone surpassing it, and instead concentrated on making it funnier. The Son of Kong is knowingly goofy and tongue-in-cheek, with the characters even finding Kong's son within minutes of landing on the island, a laughable notion after the ape was nowhere to be seen in the original picture. Beyond Denham landing his boat a bit further up the island, the script offers no explanation about where Little Kong was hiding during the first film's events. Indeed, Rose's script knowingly leans into the goofiness, never even trying to recapture the emotional core or heart of King Kong. In one scene, Little Kong scratches his head and shrugs at the camera, seemingly breaking the fourth wall, which reflects the non-serious tone. Little Kong also acts embarrassed when he sees Denham and Hilda kissing, and the scene of the pair bandaging the ape's finger is more amusing than touching. Furthermore, the storytelling is less assured than the first picture, with The Son of Kong struggling to maintain interest in the lead-up to the return to Skull Island. However, the screenplay does contain some fascinating ideas, including the Skull Island natives blaming Denham for Kong destroying their village and making it clear that he is not welcome.
Willis H. O'Brien returned to oversee the stop-motion animation for this sequel, though traumatic personal circumstances and frustrations with Cooper and Schoedsack reduced his involvement, as the animator seldom showed up for work. In his stead, Buzz Gibson (O'Brien's assistant on King Kong) finished the animation. Especially due to the time constraints, The Son of Kong features significantly fewer special effects sequences than its predecessor, with the characters arriving on Skull Island at the 40-minute mark of the 70-minute picture. Planned sequences were abandoned, including a dinosaur stampede during the climactic cyclone/earthquake on Skull Island that never made it past the scripting stage. Schoedsack was the sole director for The Son of Kong, as Cooper lost interest in the project after finding out about the reduced budget (less than half of King Kong's budget) and fast turnaround time, instead serving as an executive producer.
Despite the accelerated production schedule, the special effects throughout The Son of Kong remain impressive for the most part, with the crew once again using matte paintings, miniatures and rear-screen projection to portray Skull Island and integrate the live-action actors with the animated creatures. Notable set pieces include a large Styracosaurus chasing a group of characters into a cave and a prehistoric cave bear fighting Little Kong. Although these scenes display an unnerving edge with the ferocious roars of the creatures, the picture's goofiness also shines through, with Steiner's intense music turning to something more playful as Little Kong bumps his head on some rocks during the scuttle. To distinguish Little Kong (or "Kiko") from his father, the ape is albino with white fur and is understandably smaller than King Kong. Little Kong's armature is actually a repurposed Kong puppet from the original film.
Despite RKO's desperate attempt to recapture King Kong's commercial success by striking while the iron was hot, The Son of Kong was only a moderate success, grossing a bit over twice its budget and not coming close to replicating the box office earnings of its predecessor. One supposes that the comparatively underwhelming commercial performance dissuaded RKO from pursuing any further sequels, with the King Kong franchise subsequently lying dormant until Toho used the character in the 1960s and Dino De Laurentiis produced a King Kong remake in 1976. Without ever coming close to the heights of its predecessor, The Son of Kong is a watchable epilogue that remains a competent showcase for the era's groundbreaking stop-motion special effects. Just skip past the first 40 minutes and start watching when the characters reach Skull Island. It feels like half-hearted leftovers, but at least it's sometimes fun. Interestingly, Robert Armstrong reportedly preferred The Son of Kong over the original film because the sequel focuses more on Denham, with the film director becoming the story's protagonist and receiving a happy ending in which he gets the girl. It is doubtful any viewers will share his opinion.
6.1/10
