Kong: Skull Island Reviews

Simply a fun, well-made monster yarn

Posted : 6 years, 9 months ago on 7 August 2017 03:27

A quasi-remake of King Kong, 2017's Kong: Skull Island is a mightily entertaining B-movie in every sense of the word, and it represents the second instalment in Legendary Entertainment's interconnected "MonsterVerse" franchise, following 2014's Godzilla. Whereas Peter Jackson's 2005 reimagining of King Kong augmented its spectacle with emotion and themes, Skull Island is all about rampaging monsters, but it's nice to see a blockbuster of this ilk made by a team of filmmakers who care about their craft and know how to create thrilling action sequences. There are no pretensions here - this is just a fun, well-made monster yarn which miraculously doesn't require a lobotomy prior to viewing.

In the waning days of the Vietnam War, senior Monarch employee Bill Randa (John Goodman) convinces the United States government to sanction an expedition to an uncharted land mass in the South Pacific known as Skull Island. For the trip, Randa and his scientist partner (Corey Hawkins) recruit British Special Air Services Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) and photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) to join the team, which is escorted and guarded by a military envoy out of Vietnam headed by Lt. Col. Packard (Samuel L. Jackson). Taking to the skies of Skull Island to bomb the landscape in order to draw out any wildlife, Packard's team unwittingly disturbs the natural order of things, which enrages monster ape Kong. Attacking the squad of choppers, Kong makes a mess out of the soldiers, separating the survivors into groups scattered all over the island, who have just two days to make their way to the rendezvous point. But the humans quickly find that the island is populated by other creatures even more menacing than Kong, especially the carnivorous "Skullcrawlers" who consume everything in sight. Amid the chaos, they encounter Marlow (John C. Reilly), an American soldier stranded during WWII who hopes that he finally has a chance to get home.

With a script credited to three writers (from a story by John Gatins), Kong: Skull Island more or less plays out like the first two acts of any other King Kong movie, minus the capture of the titular ape and New York finale. It's a welcomely refreshing way to reintroduce the gigantic simian yet again, finding director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) plotting out his own fresh vision which takes inspiration from Apocalypse Now and Jurassic Park, with a fun reference to Cannibal Holocaust to boot. Set-up and exposition is efficient, doing just enough to explain the mission and introduce the characters before reaching the island and giving over to a fast-paced succession of action set-pieces. Subplots do appear, but Packard's yearning for revenge against Kong is perhaps the most prominent - he takes Kong's initial attack personally, becoming very reminiscent of Captain Ahab. As previously stated, there isn't much in the way of emotion throughout Kong: Skull Island - it doesn't even try to dabble in the science-gone-wrong themes of Jurassic Park - but it all comes together well enough nonetheless. The script even serves up a smattering of gallows humour to add some levity to the sometimes unnerving violence.

It would appear that Legendary learned from 2014's Godzilla, which was criticised by fans due to its lack of action and shortage of Godzilla screen-time. Hence, Vogt-Roberts doesn't waste much time introducing the great ape - Kong is briefly glimpsed in an effective prologue establishing Marlow’s residency on the island, but he really joins the fray at the half-hour mark as he viciously takes down Packard's choppers, killing dozens of soldiers. From there, monster throwdowns are prolonged and frequent, spotlighting the titular beast as he battles the island's perilous wildlife of all shapes and sizes. Whereas Michael Bay repeatedly ruins each Transformers movie with a routine of rapid-fire cutting and shaky-cam, Vogt-Roberts and cinematographer Larry Fong ensure that the carnage is always fun to watch and easy to comprehend, relying on smooth wide shots. Vogt-Roberts endows the combat with fun little quirks, too, adding personality to what could have been just another drab, generic blockbuster in less skilful hands. However, the movie does go a bit too far with a 300-inspired slow motion shot of Conrad slicing prehistoric birds in mid-air which just comes off as hoary, unnecessary and self-indulgent.

Skull Island's unique version of Kong stands approximately 100ft tall and is more human in his movements, never hunching over on all fours like a primate. As to be expected from a generously-budgeted studio blockbuster, the digital effects consistently impress in their fluidity and detail, and Kong is insanely expressive and nuanced thanks to always-improving motion capture techniques. However, the CGI is knowingly artificial as well, which is more noticeable because the movie was shot digitally, taking away any sense of tangibility. It has to be said that there was a bit more charm to similar monster movies of yesteryear, which were shot on good old-fashioned celluloid and used men in dumpy rubber suits to play monsters on miniature sets. Still, Kong: Skull Island gets more right than wrong, and Fong makes fantastic use of the truly breathtaking locations in Vietnam, Hawaii and Australia. For a monster movie, there's genuine cinematic artistry throughout, and it's brilliantly accompanied by a soundtrack of classic rock tunes from the Vietnam era - the playlist includes tunes from Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane (just to name a few), adding further flavour to the material.

As perhaps to be expected, the acting is effective but unremarkable for the most part, though at least nobody disgraces themselves. Hiddleston is a very good actor and he acquits himself well enough, but he's certainly not believable as a badass special forces type. Jackson, however, can do this type of hard-nosed military leader routine in his sleep, and he's a real asset, while Larson is simply lovely as the token female character who seems to intrigue Kong. But it's Reilly who really steals the show; he actually has a proper character to play, and it's easier to instantly latch onto him compared to the rest of the ensemble. Reilly is his usual goofy self, but there's a hint of poignancy here too, giving the movie its only real traces of humanity. The rest of the actors do what they can with their underwritten roles, particularly Shea Wingam who makes a good impression as a seasoned soldier, but the movie basically belongs to Kong and John C. Reilly.

Kong: Skull Island is a bit silly and it likely won't resonant with many viewers on a profound level, but it's slickly-made and it doesn't outright insult anybody's intelligence, nor does it feel overlong, which confidently places it above other contemporary blockbusters. Quite simply, it delivers the goods, and it's a total blast if you're in the mood for some well-paced big-screen escapism. Also, be sure to stay tuned for a touching additional sequence during the credits and a Marvel-style post-credits scene which sets up further connections to Godzilla and teases what's to come in the future of the MonsterVerse.

7.8/10

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Kong: Skull Island review

Posted : 7 years ago on 27 April 2017 11:06

King Kong in the house! I mean come on how can you not want to see this?! The cast, Kong, and a different take on the story. It took a little bit for me to get to see it, but I finally made time. This is the first film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts that I've seen even though I have heard of his other work. Dan Gilroy is an excellent writer with Nightcrawler, Bourne Legacy, and Real Steel under his belt. Max Borenstein also wrote the 2014 Godzilla remake. Derek Connolly wrote Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed which were both awesome. John Gatins has also wrote many films like Real Steel, Coach Carter, and Flight. With such talent on and off-screen it's a given that this would be excellent.

This was a lot more intense and suspenseful than I had anticipated. With that i have to say I loved it. The carnage was incredible. I never expected what was about to happen and to whom. The creatures were remarkable looking and this was definitely the coolest looking Kong by far. The characters were great and likable. The acting was as I expected fantastic. Thank goodness that Kong actually had a decent amount of screen time as compared to what Godzilla was given. I think it was interesting how they dealt with the beauty and Kong aspect differently than we typically see. Of course you must make sure to stay for after the credits as this is one of those types of films. It's worth it though trust me.

Do I really have to convince you to check this out? It's a badass story about Kong with a great cast of characters! If you haven't seen it yet get on it already!

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"Kong: Skull Island" (2017)

Posted : 7 years, 1 month ago on 28 March 2017 08:01

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A team of scientists and soldiers explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong, and must fight to escape a primal Eden.

We have a surprising winner for the title of my favourite movie of the year so far! :) I know it's weird to say that about a giant monster movie, but let me explain. A monster flick is all I expected going in, but I underestimated just how well this particular one would do its job. It absolutely succeeds in making Kong and the other monsters seem gigantic; the camera work captures their size and weight perfectly. The result is that the movie truly thrilling, and it never stops being entertaining, not even for a second. There wasn't one second of this movie where I was bored or begging it to move on.

The human characters are nothing to write home about, but I don't care. They fill their roles just fine, and I like how none of their actions are blatantly stupid.

For as much as I rag on Michael Bay movies and other similar blockbusters, this should prove that I don't automatically hate them all; I'm just as prone to mindless entertainment as the next guy, as long as it's done correctly. I think this is a damn near perfect example of that.

I'd even say it's better than Peter Jackson's King Kong, which I consider to be one of the best remakes ever.

My rating: 85%

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Kong: Skull Island review

Posted : 7 years, 1 month ago on 20 March 2017 04:30

[English Version]

Notes: Before I begin, I must clarify that this review would have some spoilers in order to make a point. So, if you haven't seen the film yet and you are afraid of spoilers, please do not continue reading.

Kong: Skull Island (also know as "Kong") is a 2017 American monster movie directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly, been this a reboot from the King Kong franchise, since the 2005 peter jackson film. It tells the story of scientists and Vietnam War soldiers who travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific named "Skull Island" and encounter terrifying creatures and the mighty Kong.

To be honest, I never was a fan of King Kong (not even with the mediocrity of the previous movie) but I went only because I was bored to see this movie with low expectations.................and it turn out to be actually pretty fun.

Ok, I admit that their are some notable problems in this film: The main plot is straight forward and simple, some of the characters are very simple (but functional to the movie, like most of the soldiers except for Preston), and the first 15 minutes or so are not so much great compare to the rest of the movie (jumping from 1 location to another very quickly)

BUT, by the positive side of things: The pacing is very well done (beside the first minutes), the acting in general is competent, action scenes are excelent directed along side with really nice special effects (most of the Kong scenes), the cinematography is well made, most of the humans characters are very competent with the story; the concept of "human vs nature" is very well excuted,and in contrast of the previous movie the character of King Kong is very well done.

All in all, not a excelent movie, just OK, is fun, entertaining and is a competent survival movie, that's all. I would recomended if you as a pass timer, but nothing more. Although, I'm curious about the "Monsterverse" that follows.

Final Score: 6.5/10

[Spanish Version]

Nota: Antes de comenzar, debo aclarar que esta revisión tendría algunos spoilers con el fin de hacer un punto. Por lo tanto, si aún no has visto la película y tienes miedo de spoilers, por favor no sigas leyendo.

Kong: Skull Island (traducido como Kong o Kong: Isla Calavera) es una película estadounidense de 2017 dirigida por Jordan Vogt-Roberts y escrita por Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein y Derek Connolly, que ha sido un reinicio de la franquicia de King Kong, desde la película de peter jackson de 2005. Cuenta la historia de científicos y soldados de la guerra de Vietnam que viajan a una isla inexplorada en el Pacífico llamada "Isla Calavera" y encuentran criaturas aterradoras y el poderoso Kong.

Para ser honesto, nunca fui un fan de King Kong (ni siquiera con la mediocridad de la película anterior), pero fui sólo porque estaba aburrido de ver esta película con expectativas bajas ...... y resultan ser realmente muy divertido.

Ok, admito que son algunos problemas notables en esta película: La trama principal es sencillo y sencillo, algunos de los personajes son muy simples (pero funcional a la película, como la mayoría de los soldados excepto Preston), y los primera 15 minutos por ahi no son tan grandes comparar con el resto de la película (saltar de 1 lugar a otro muy rápidamente).

PERO, por el lado positivo de las cosas: El ritmo es muy bien hecho (dejando de lado de los primeros minutos), la actuación en general es competente, escenas de acción son excelentes dirigidos junto con efectos especiales muy agradables (la mayoría de las escenas de Kong), la cinematografía está bien hecha, la mayoría de los personajes humanos son muy competentes con la historia; El concepto de "humano vs naturaleza" es muy bien ejecutado, y en contraste con la película anterior, el personaje de King Kong está muy bien hecho.

En general, no es una película excelente, está bien, es divertido, entretenido y es una película de supervivencia competente, eso es todo. Lo recomiendo si como algo para pasar el tiempo, pero nada más. Aunque, tengo curiosidad por el "Monsterverse" que harán en el futuro.

Nota final: 6.5/10

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An average movie

Posted : 7 years, 1 month ago on 10 March 2017 11:44

To be honest, this movie was not really a high priority for me but Nick, my step-son, was quite eager to check it out. Well, eventually, I have to admit that it was not bad at all after all. Indeed, it was an interesting choice to set the action in the 70's and, as a result, it really stood out from it predecessors and it was easily the funkiest version of King Kong I have seen so far. It was also pretty neat that, right from the moment that they came to Skull Island, you actually get to see Kong in a massive fight which was quite unexpected as, usually in this genre, you have to wait forever before something really exciting actually happens. Still, when I think about it, the story was not really strong after all. Indeed, basically, the characters go into quite some trouble to get to this island and, yet, from the very minute they get there, they decide that they actually have to escape. At some point, Samuel L. Jackson even became a bad guy for some rather dubious reasons and the whole thing from this point pretty much lost me. To make things worse, there were maybe 10 or 15 characters and none of them, except maybe John C. Reilly, was properly developed and the biggest victims were Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston, two of the most interesting actors at work nowadays, who really had nothing to do, except looking really attractive. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was a still decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

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