Don't let the title and promotional material fool you: Kong Skull Island is more military commentary and homage to Apocalypse Now than simply another King Kong movie. In that sense it brings something new and fresh to the series, and is also very much a period piece--a period that all too recently seemed to be contemporary history, not the distant and unfamiliar past in which the film takes place.
After a prologue set during WWII, the current setting of the film opens in the waning days of the Vietnam War. While plenty of films have explored the war in Vietnam, Kong eschewed using combat o... read the rest.
Thought that Peter Jackson's KingKong movie could have done without the entire first act? Though that the Godzilla movie set in the same universe should have shown their big beastie a whole lot more? Well Skull Island fixes those problems, and replaces them with a whole bunch of new ones!
I had a lot of fun though. So it passes into the realm of a positive review by the skin of its octopus-riddled teeth.
Final rating:★★★ - I personally recommend you give it a go.
I really wanted to give this movie a better score but I just could not bring myself to overlook the stupid and crappy story.
Okay, let’s start with the bad. The movie is about a group of explorers exploring this Skull Island. No surprise there. They are accompanied by a military detachment. Somewhat okay still, there is a half decent explanation for that. One of the main characters in the movie is Lieutenant Colonel Packard. At first, I quite liked him, especially when he told off the journalist informing her that they did not loose the war, it was abandoned by the politicians.
So here we have it, part two of the franchise reinvention of the beloved iconic creatures of cinema lore. After the 2014 redux of Godzilla was something of a tonal misstep, it's unsurprising to find this version of the King Kong legacy going all out blockbuster popcorner, and with that it succeeds - kinda.
Plot is wafer thin, bunch of humans from various professions rock up at the uncharted Skull Island, each with differing levels of interest as to what might be there. Of which they quickly find out is a whole heap of trouble - big trouble!
Seems I'm the only one who did not know it was not a sequel to the 2005 film. The Kong was over a 100 feet tall in this, compared to 25 feet from a decade ago. Being a big fan of that film and Peter Jackson, I hated this idea, especially for totally a fresh cast and crew. So I was not expecting it. Only while watching it, I came to know it was a new version. With a new cinematic, a new set of actors, timeline, completely a different kind of tone for a King Kong film that I have ever seen.
They wanted it to be a badass action film than a value added st... read the rest.
Alright. So i like action movies. I like King Kong. So when you have this idea of having the traditional king kong story made into a action movie about monsters in the skulk island, that sounds like a fcking great idea. The best part of King Kong was all this other monsters in the island. But this film is the first one to tell the story of kong completely from that perspective. What i also really liked was that it was still very human even though its a monster movie. I personally enjoyed it very much like with any other Kong film there is the love angle which is done with brie larson character... read the rest.
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After a pleasant revisit to Godzilla (2014), now comes the time for Kong: Skull Island, the second installment in Warner Bros. and Legendary’s shared cinematic universe. I watched this film at its original release date and never saw it again. Not because I deeply disliked it or anything of that level, but I never felt a strong desire to rewatch it. I remember feeling indifferent towards the movie since it didn't really surprise me in any aspect. If there's one thing no one can complain about Mon... read the rest.
Some editing and musical (same-y tracks, exact same utilization each time) choices aside, 'Kong: Skull Island' is entertaining. Kong looks great, Skull Island is brought to life pretty neatly. The action sequences and visual effects are done to a positive standard. The near 2hr run time is paced well too.
Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson are a strong match, with John C. Reilly the best of the rest. Samuel L. Jackson's character is a little underwhelming, though Jackson manages to make Preston Packard more memorable than most others actors would've. Elsewhere, Joh... read the rest.
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