Kong: Skull Island REVIEW: A Good Monster Mash

‘Kong: Skull Island‘ is a 2017 film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Focusing on the world built from the 1933 film, it brings the gigantic ape, this film puts him into a new era, the 1970s and focuses more on him being a god on this island. The movie begins as the Vietnam War ends and the troops are on their way home. They are diverted to an undiscovered island in the pacific and the story begins there. What we are given is truly a showcase for the might of Kong and is the largest we have ever seen him on film. Standing at approximately 100ft tall, he uses that size to smash and protect his island. It is a great ensemble movie with a huge cast and that is without even looking at the giant monkey and surrounding creatures. It boasts awesome fights and even better visuals all while giving all of its stars a good story to walk through. While at times it seems to be spread over too many storylines, overall it is an enjoyable time and worth the price of admission.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the movie is the wide cast that it boasts, from A-List movie stars to that guy you will know because of that thing. And it gets even better when you realize that everyone gets their moments to shine. From newcomers Thomas Mann and Jason Mitchell to icons like John C. Reilly and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson portrays this old and grizzled Lieutenant Colonel that has been through so many wars that it is now his life. At the beginning of the movie, we learn that the war is over, he is upset by this because he has become so accustomed to war. He is only satisfied when he gets the call to do one last mission and the soldier inside him lives on. This war-like nature fuels his journey throughout the rest of the film and not only benefits himself and his survival but also hurts the team around him. He is looking for war and he found the biggest enemy to pick it with. Another interesting part of this huge cast is the duality that can be seen in the characters.

Everyone seemingly has someone that mirrors their personality and we get to see the same ideas and opinions showcased. Mann’s Slivko and Reilly’s Hank Marlow are the most obvious example of this. They are the slightly odd, one liner male character that seems more interested in adding a pop culture reference than shooting the gun but they do both jobs well. Seeing the young and old perspective on these characters was interesting because it gave everyone additional levels and it slightly allows to show what made them into the person they are or what they could become.

The cinematography was breathtaking for showcasing the size and scale of all of the events. Filmed by Larry Fong who has been Zach Snyder’s cinematographer for the last few movies showcases every character in an interesting way. It is focused a little more on providing a cool visual over the practicality of the shot but with a giant ape in the background, it’s not the worst problem. Each battle has weight and creates the world in its own that draws you into the action and makes you feel the weight of every hit or slash. It is often hard to film when the most important part of the scene isn’t there but they accomplish that well. The CGI also fits in seamlessly. When there is such a fantastical world with monkeys, lizards, buffalos and many more creatures it is obvious where the CGI meets reality but here there is no such line. The villainous monsters are called the ‘skin-crawlers’ and they are both fake and so scary. The world we are shown is so beautifully created and slid into reality and it feels so natural. They were on location in Vietnam, Australia, and Hawaii and the combination of that with the monsters makes the Skull Island truly come to life.

3.75 ⭐⭐⭐/5

SPOILERS

First of all, oh my! All of the different things that Kong uses as weapons! Soo cool! The tree he uses as a bat/sword that is amazing. And at the end when he is swinging the propeller of an old tanker as a weapon, it is beautiful. The world building with all the various creatures is astonishing as they all fit so well but are also unique. As he is fighting the giant octopus/squid my mouth was open the whole time and then he casually eats it once it’s dead and takes the rest of it for leftovers. So much badassery going on Kong, so much.

But here we go into the discussion about that amazing post-credit scene. Now while it didn’t show us anything new or amazing, it gave us the promise of more. If you are not up to date with the Toho monsters that populated the old Godzilla movies then you won’t know who the moth, lizard and 3 headed dragon was but in Godzilla lore that is Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. So far we know that a Godzilla: King of Monsters movie has been scheduled for 2019 and Godzilla vs Kong in 2020. Both of these movies will most likely be populated by these awesome monsters and who knows who else. One part that has me scratching my head is when this will take place. While the true stars aren’t Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston, it would be fun to see them come back. I believe that we will re-meet Kong in the modern day and he has almost doubled in size because in Skull Island they mention he is young and still growing. With the emergence of monsters into the world during Godzilla set in 2014, the stage has been set for a fight with epic conclusions. If they wanted to keep the stars from this movie because arguably they are better than the cast from Godzilla it would be cool to see Godzilla come to the island or some other secret monster dueling arena under the earth. Explain natural disasters as a cover up for some crazy monster fight and you have a really cool movie.