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Goliathon
Movie

Goliathon

1977 • Action, Adventure, Horror

Woke Score
3
out of 10

Plot

King Kong goes Hong Kong as a giant Himalayan beast tries to save a sexy Russia Tarzanette from a sleazy show-biz promoter. The action, locations set in India, and interracial romance made Variety reach this verdict: "High camp, Chinese style."

Overall Series Review

The 1977 Shaw Brothers film, *Goliathon* (a.k.a. *The Mighty Peking Man*), is an exploitation-style giant monster movie. The narrative follows an expedition led by a Chinese explorer to the Himalayas to capture a giant cryptid, Utam. The explorer discovers a Caucasian 'Tarzanette' named Samantha who was raised by the creature. The plot centers on the explorer’s interracial romance with Samantha and the attempts of a greedy Hong Kong show-business promoter to capture and exploit Utam in Hong Kong. The story uses the classic King Kong trope, where man’s greed brings disaster to a natural wonder. The moral conflict is straightforward: the cynical, exploitative urban world corrupts and destroys the innocence of the natural world, leading to a tragic, violent end for the monster, the woman, and the hero.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The plot focuses on a clear moral conflict between individual greed (the Chinese tycoon/promoter) and individual heroism (the Chinese explorer). The casting involves an interracial romance (Chinese male hero, Caucasian female lead), but this is not presented as a political statement or a lecture on privilege; it is a straightforward romantic pairing analogous to *Tarzan*. Characters are judged entirely on their moral conduct and merit, not immutable characteristics.

Oikophobia7/10

The movie strongly employs the 'Noble Savage' trope. The natural world of the Himalayas is shown as a place of innocence and beauty, embodied by Utam and Samantha. The civilized world of Hong Kong is depicted as fundamentally corrupt, cynical, and motivated solely by greed and exploitation, which directly causes the monster’s capture, suffering, and final rampage. The narrative's entire dramatic weight rests on the city-based civilization's moral inferiority to nature.

Feminism2/10

The female lead, Samantha, is cast as a 'Jungle Princess' archetype—a scantily-clad, physically capable woman of nature who is nonetheless rescued by a male hero and is objectified for her sexuality. She is not a 'Girl Boss' or a 'Mary Sue'; her vulnerability in the civilized world is key to the monster's rage. The film focuses on classic gender roles, emphasizing the romantic pairing and the male's protective instinct. There is no anti-natalist messaging or critique of motherhood.

LGBTQ+1/10

The core human dynamic is a traditional heterosexual pairing between the Chinese explorer and the Caucasian Tarzanette. The entire emotional structure is built on this normative romantic attraction and the classic monster-protective-of-the-woman trope. There are no elements of queer theory, deconstruction of the nuclear family, or focus on alternative sexualities or gender identity.

Anti-Theism3/10

The film’s moral compass is secular, pitting human greed against nature’s innocence and human compassion. The story does not contain any religious characters, themes, or critiques. The morality is objective—exploitation and cruelty are bad, protection and love are good—but the source of this moral law is a-theistic, residing in nature and individual conscience rather than a transcendent faith.