My review of Kong: Skull Island

 My review of Kong: Skull Island 

 

Intro: Could someone pop Peter Jackson upside his head because this is the movie, we should have gotten twelve years ago. 

Kong: Skull Island: The movie takes place in 1973 where a group of scientists and soldiers are looking for an island called Skull Island to investigate it. Their mission of discovery turns into survival when they see that this island is filled with giant creatures. Escaping the island becomes difficult when the Army wants to pick a fight with one of the creatures name Kong. Now the groups have to decide if they want to fight or flee? 

This is a movie that surprised me because I wasn't expecting much from it. This movie may have a simple story but it has some depth to it. The conflict between Kong, the humans and the other animals on this island all make sense in a way that doesn't feel like it's black and white. The theme of this movie is protecting vs destruction and this is where the human characters come into play. I like that this film has humor because it helps lighten up the mood. Also, the fight scenes are brutal, the CGI is impressive and the film is well-directed with some great shots. I like the creature designs because some of them blend in with their environment. The movie wastes no time getting us to what we want to see and that's Kong. 

Speaking of Kong I'm fond of what the movie has done with this character. The issue I had with this character is I couldn't root for him in the 1933 movie because he was a lovesick puppy dog in that film. I wouldn't have minded the beauty and the beast aspect of that film if it was good. Peter Jackson had a chance to fix that in his 2005 remake but he dropped the ball. In this movie, he's the protector of this island and he has a good rapport with the natives. This movie works as an origin story for Kong as you will see when you watch the movie. 

William Randa is the lead scientist of the group who will stop at nothing to get to Skull Island. What bothers me about him is that the movie could have done more with him. 

Hank Marlow is the comic relief and the voice of reason due to him being on the island since WW II.  

Col. Packard is a fearsome soldier who's chummy with his men, he does push them however he's not ball-busting about it. What bugs me about him is that he becomes an obstacle for everyone, I understand where he's coming from however, he's being short-sighted about it. it's hard to tell if he's surfing for PTSD or not. 

The human characters are the weakest part of this movie they're mostly there to get killed off. I wish the natives were more involved with the story. The movie also has some head-scratching moments in it.  

Overall this movie is a good example of how to reintroduce an iconic figure to the public. I would recommend this if you like monster movies. 

Rating = Rental