It's been 75 exalted years since the eighth wonder wandered out of his prehistoric jungle and into our cinematic lexicon as the beast. The infamous final insight in Merian C. Cooper's classic King Kong is, "It's beauty that killed the beast," but – besides referencing leading lady Fay Wray – beauty, in this creative case, also slays disbelief. A crude-yet-captivating fantasy featuring amazing stop-motion square-offs between Kong and claymation creatures, the film, bookended by its Skull Island start and its oft-parodied Empire State Building finish, rests in the bizarre relationship between Kong and damsel-in-distress Ann Darrow (Wray). This, of course, reveals little of the basic brilliance and playfulness that this self-conscious escapist film revels in.