The Asylum is an independent American film studio established in the late 1990s best known for producing low-budget, direct-to-video movies that often appear alongside major Hollywood blockbusters. Their films—commonly called mockbusters—capitalize on the titles, themes, or marketing of big releases, all delivered with fast-paced, over-the-top energy rather than strict adherence to source material.
These mockbusters are created to coincide with the release of major Hollywood blockbusters, deliberately mimicking the titles, themes, and marketing strategies of these popular films to attract audience attention. The Asylum’s films tend to feature fast-paced storytelling, exaggerated action sequences, and sensational plots, prioritizing energetic entertainment over strict fidelity to original source material. Their rapid production schedules and resourceful use of limited budgets have become trademarks of their brand, resulting in movies that are both entertaining and remarkably prolific.
However I think in some way, it is unfair to call their films ‘Mockbusters’ at all for those films by them that have connected with me (as they have with many others), especially if they are related to movies or literature that I love (as well as if the look of a movie almost is like it is telling me to watch it) which is why I just call them remakes still.
I first discovered The Asylum through King of the Lost World, released in 2005 a movie whose title suggested a link to (Sir) Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World but was in reality more closely modelled on (Sir) Peter Jackson’s remake of the 1933 film King Kong, which came out just a day later. Despite the many differences from Doyle’s novel, a few thematic coincidences appear—largely because The Lost World heavily influenced the original King Kong. This timing was no coincidence, as The Asylum often schedules its releases to coincide with major studio films, leveraging public interest and marketing momentum. Although King of the Lost World diverges significantly from the plot and character details of (Sir) Doyle’s novel, there are several thematic overlaps—many of which exist because Doyle’s work had a profound impact on the original King Kong film. For instance, elements such as prehistoric animals, isolated environments, and the clash between civilization and the unknown serve as common threads weaving these stories together.
In this way, King of the Lost World serves as an unintentionally fascinating bridge between classic literature and contemporary blockbuster spectacle, and it was through this film that I became interested in exploring both its similarities and differences with the stories that inspired it, as well as the many ways it echoes King Kong even if in the end, it is hard to tell whether the basis lies with King Kong or The Lost World.
King of the Lost World is more than a simple retelling of two tales that are indirectly connected—it acts as an unexpectedly meaningful bridge between classic literature and modern blockbuster spectacle. The film’s creative choices, including its reinterpretation of iconic monsters and its blending of adventure and thriller genres, reflect both the enduring legacy of (Sir) Doyle’s novel and the ongoing influence of King Kong on popular culture. Watching this film sparked my curiosity about the relationships and differences between the original stories and their cinematic adaptations. I found myself compelled to explore the various ways King of the Lost World echoes, reimagines, and diverges from the narratives that inspired it, particularly in its portrayal of prehistoric threats, its treatment of native cultures, and its dramatic rescue sequences. These explorations have offered fresh insights into the evolution of adventure storytelling and the enduring appeal of legendary animals like Kong, revealing how filmmakers continue to reinterpret timeless tales for new generations.
(Statutory Caution: Only read this if ye have seen the mentioned movies/read the books)
Similarities
- As mentioned, King Kong was heavily influenced by The Lost World and in a nod to (Sir) Jackson’s remake of King Kong, making the legendary ape the seeming King of this world which happens to be in South America where The Lost World is set also echoes the fact that since this area where the human characters are is near-unfamiliar to them also sets the space for the phrase ‘Kong was King of the World he knew’ by Carl Denham, a Kong character
- In the 2005 adaptation of King Kong, a few prehistoric animals were notably modified from their counterparts in the original 1933 film; for example, the Terapusmordax—a large, humanoid bat—was introduced in place of the pterosaur. In contrast, King of the Lost World does not feature dinosaurs, but instead includes giant scorpions (which were present in the remake of King Kong), giant spiders and flying, fire-breathing lizard-like animals, the latter of which appear to serve a similar narrative function as the pterosaurs.
- In The Lost World, while there are indeed natives who wage a war against a tribe of ape men, there are no ape men in the novel. It is worth noting however that the very way the natives of Skull Island both fear and revere King Kong so too do the natives in this film
- The natives believe that by sacrificing people to Kong, they can protect themselves from his wrath. When the main characters are captured, two men are chosen to be sacrificed, including a character that is a new version of Edward Malone from The Lost World before the two are rescued. This is similar to King Kong, where the natives also use a human—usually a woman—as a sacrifice to try to keep the giant ape away. In both cases however, the sacrifices are rescued although the search for Anne Darrow to rescue her from Kong is longer than that of Malone and the other man who are rescued immediately.
- In a nod to point 2, there are no proper prehistoric animals in this movie although since this movie seems to be centred on King Kong, it may or may not be worthy of saying that in the 1976 remake, there were no prehistoric animals either and only a giant snake which Kong fought.
- Airplanes coming to the rescue of the protagonists by engaging Kong in combat is a clear reference to the climax of most King Kong films where he is stopped by airplanes except he is not in human society in this film and is not shot down by any of the planes
- The natives in this film much like in King Kong are enemies of the protagonists although unlike that film are named. This could be in reference to The Lost World where some of natives who are allies of the protagonists are named as well.
Behind the Scenes
- Like Arthur Conan Doyle, Peter Jackson the director of King Kong also has knighthood although the former was a writer and the latter more a director and producer yet Jackson can be technically credited as a writer for screenplays
- (Sir) Peter Jackson never remake the sequel to King Kong, Son of Kong released the same year as its predecessor. Similarly, the Asylum has never touched upon making a sequel to this film like they have done with a few other of their films, considering that this film was one of their successes
- Jeff Denton, who plays Edward Malone in this film resembles Matthew Rhys who played the role in the BBC version of The Lost World which despite differing from the novel as well was far more faithful in parts because of its depiction of prehistoric animals. Also (Sir) Jackson is from New Zealand which is where the BBC version was filmed