This version of the classic story picks up from where the 1976 version left off. The mighty ape is resurrected through a miracle of modern medicine and brings him together with what will be the equally terrifying love of his life: Lady Kong...
Before John Hughes claimed the mantle of Hollywood's antichrist, that title was firmly held by producer Dino De Laurentiis, whose middle name may have been hubris. He vowed that this remake of the 1933 horror classic would be a bigger hit than Jaws and that his Kong would be more sympathetic than the shark. But for all the money he spent on trying to make this monkey look real, the biggest special effect was making Jeff Bridges look like a monkey--and nearly destroying Jessica Lange's acting career before it started. The film was noteworthy mostly for how cheesy the ape looks, though this was one of the first films to be shot at the then-new World Trade Center. Even Charles Grodin, as the villainous promoter, can't get laughs in this idiotic film.
Disaster movies used to work because there was little certainty as to who would survive. Not so in this film, really an amalgam of two original stories, about a group of well-to-do celebrants at the top floor of a skyscraper. Cheapo electrical wiring and bad construction management cause an enormous blaze at the lower floors, steadily rising to consume the revelers. Newman's an architect, McQueen a firefighter, and Fred Astaire a kind old gentleman, for which he was Oscar-nominated. O.J. Simpson plays a security guard who rescues a cat. Now that's a disaster.
Toutes les personnalités en vue de San Francisco se sont données rendez-vous ce soir-là pour l'inauguration du plus grand gratte-ciel du monde. Mais il suffit d'un court-circuit pour transformer une soirée en terrible cauchemar : quand le feu commence à se propager, il est trop tard pour s'échapper...