Review: Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island comes out in early March with the bombast of a summer blockbuster. The reported $190 million budget on this thing suggests it would have been a tentpole of the summer release schedule. Finding it in Spring is a bit of a curiosity. Nevertheless, the budget on this thing is up on the screen. The film is a digital effects champion.

This version of Kong has more in common with the more recent Godzilla remake than Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong or the original film. This is a pure monster movie that at times reminded me of the grandeur Guillermo Del Toro conjured in Pacific Rim.

The film opens with a rousing scene that sets the stage for what is to come. A WWII pilot crashes on an uncharted island in the South Pacific in 1944, only he is not alone. Right off the bat, the film owes plenty to Jurassic World but director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and cinematographer Larry Fong have their own unique visual style. The image of a large burning sun fills the frame more than once in the film for example. 

The film then jumps to 1973 right at the end of the Vietnam War. John Goodman leads a crew to go check out seismic activity on the uncharted island. He enlists a squadron leader, Samuel L. Jackson, who holds a grudge for not winning the war. He is hell bent on defeating Kong in the film. Along for the ride is Tom Hiddleston as a British SAS officer out for money and an anti-war photo journalist played by Brie Larson.

The script by Dan Gilroy, Derek Connolly and Max Borenstein gives these characters basic sketches in a quick manner because truly that is all you need. Kong: Skull Island is focused on delivering an exciting adventure full of giant creatures and one big angry ape. The film revels in the creatures it has placed on the island including giant water buffalo, even larger spiders and lizard-snake hybrid nasties. 

About half-way through the film Vogt-Roberts pulls out his secret weapon, John C. Reilly.  Reilly plays the now older pilot who was shown in the film's prologue. He is a simple guy who wants to get home to see his son and have a hot dog and a beer. He brings a levity and heart to the film that is unexpected. His character really propels the film's second half into some satisfying territory.

Nothing about the story or characters in Kong: Skull Island are particularly new or original. Th film names characters Marlow and Conrad as open winks to Heart of Darkness. It is that kind of film. What is original is the film's visual flare. The mix of Vietnam War imagery with giant monsters is refreshing and thrilling at times. The general look of the film is meant to showcase the amazing locations that create Skull Island. The inner child in me wept as a giant octopus and ape fight each other and if that at all sounds appealing to you, go see this film.

3.5/5