Summary:
Assisted by a military escort, a team of scientists travels to an uncharted island in the pacific in search of monsters.
My Thoughts:
There’s something about monster movies that still leaves me in awe, despite the fact that I know what I’m seeing is produced by means of modern technology. I love classic Kaiju and monster B-movies like “Gojira” or “Them!”, and to this day I still get enjoyment out of the monster movie spectacles that occasionally show up in the theaters. Monster movies aren’t as popular as they used to be (they still seem to be more popular in Asian countries), but every once in a while we’ll get a good one. “Kong: Skull Island” is not a great movie, but it sure is a ton of fun. While this version of Kong will never reach the classic status of “King Kong (1933)”, it will entertain a new generation of Kong-lovers, perhaps even more so than Peter Jackson’s still-enjoyable yet long-winded version (“King Kong (2005)”).
“Is that a monkey?”
After a scientist named Bill Randa (John Goodman, “The Big Lebowski”) secures funding from a Senator (Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”) for a mission to a mysterious island, he assembles a crew comprised of a tracker (Tom Hiddleston, “Avengers: Endgame”), a photographer (Brie Larson, “Captain Marvel”), and a ragtag team of soldiers (Shea Whigham, “First Man”; Samuel L Jackson, “Glass”; Thomas Mann, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”). After arriving, the crew quickly learns they were vastly underprepared and must rely on the help of Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly, “The Sisters Brothers”), a soldier whom has been stranded on the island for years.
I think the thing that I liked the most about this film is the sheer brutality that it brings to the table. I was honesty pretty surprised this movie got away with a PG-13 rating, because there are so many ridiculously over-the-top death scenes, and some of them are actually pretty gory and the body count is pretty high. As this is a monster movie, that’s pretty much exactly what I’m looking for. People get flung back and forth by Kong and the other occupants of the island; people are smashed; exploded; run through with trees; hit like golf balls… you honestly don’t know which of the soldiers will live and which ones will die, and that adds a lot of excitement to the film. More than 70% of the crew end up as fodder for the monsters- it’s great!
Another thing I really enjoyed was the imagination that went into designing the creatures. The ‘Skullcrawlers’, as John C Reilly calls them, have a unique design (long tail used to wrap around pray, two main legs for walking), but there are probably a half dozen other creatures that our heroes run into as well, and not all of them are evil. By showing that not everything on this island is trying to kill our heroes, it makes the island feel more fantastical and intriguing (I wouldn’t want to visit an island where Kong was running around rampant, but I’d go see a giant water buffalo!) I personally thought the peaceful creatures added a ton to the world.
There was also a surprising amount of humor in this movie, which I really appreciated. I feel like Jackson’s “King Kong (2005)”, while good, is a little self important, but this one doesn’t really take itself seriously at all. The constantly underrated Shea Whigham is hilariously straight faced the entire film, while John C. Reilly’s character is delightfully close to loosing his mind. The characters provide a bit of fun while never ruining the tension provided by some of the other characters, like Jackson, who is bent on destroying Kong for what he did to his fellow soldiers.
While this film appeals to the monster-movie fan in me, I do have to admit that, plot-wise, this movie doesn’t have much going on, but truthfully that doesn’t bother me too much. The characters get to the island, realize they’ve made a mistake and try to leave. Do we really need more of a plot for a movie like this? I mean, I suppose if you really wanted to, you could, but I was fine with the way they handled this storyline: through monster set pieces and ridiculous action. It’s not often that I opt for special effects instead of plot, but hey, there’s a time for everything, and in popcorn flicks like these, sometimes it’s better to just turn half your brain off and enjoy the explosive ride.
This was a spiritual prequel to “Godzilla (2014)”, but the only way we really can make that connection is through a briefly mentioned company named MONARCH. Monarch, I have read, will also play a role in the upcoming “Godzilla: King of Monsters” as well as the forthcoming “Godzilla Vs Kong” (2020). I personally am really looking forward to “King of Monsters”, though we’ll see how that turns out.
Verdict:
While it won’t be remembered as anything spectacular, this movie is a perfect rainy Saturday flick. It’s full of fun set pieces and ridiculous action, likeable characters and memorable monsters. If you’re looking for a good way to kill two hours, Kong is a safe bet.
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