Review of Kong: Skull Island (2017) by Coltonjames — 15 Mar 2017

Being over 80-years-old and with seven films under his belt, King Kong needed to change up the formula with his eighth outing. Rather than the usual route of ape meets woman, ape falls for woman, ape dies; Kong: Skull Island attempts to be fresh by venturing into new territory with an Apocalypse Now inspired theme and bold foray into the studio coveted “shared universe” approach with a planned Godzilla vs.

King Kong in 2020. Does the film succeed in this regard? Short answer: kinda. The film nails presentation, action and Kong himself, but is a disappointment in every other aspect. The giant gorilla based adventure is set in the Vietnam War era, with a group of scientists and their military escorts attempting escape from an ancient island, inhabited with terrifying monsters and godlike behemoths.

An all-star cast consisting of Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly try their best to save the film from its formulaic approach, but ultimately fail. The actors are given clunky dialogue and poor motivations.

The human characters are clichéd and given nothing to do in the entire film other than stare in awe at Kong, and Kong is to be marveled at. The best compliment I can give this film is that Kong’s depiction makes him feel like a true God compared to other King Kong films.

The mythology of the island and monsters, although delivered through tedious exposition dumps, is thought out and tantalizing leaving you wanting to know more about this world. Kong is not the only inhabitant of the island and many other fascinating creatures are given cool set pieces.

Kong’s effects are beautifully done and the action is easy to follow. Helicopters are thrashed, giant “skull-crawlers” are punched and humans flee in terror in glorious spectacle throughout the film.

Unfortunately, the moments in-between the action don’t deliver. Many scenes feel very familiar and were done better in other movies. The tone of the film is wildly inconsistent. It appears director Jordan Vogt-Roberts didn’t know if he wanted it to be a hard-edged Vietnam war flick or a light-hearted action comedy.

There are far too many attempts at humor with only lines by standout John C. Reilly landing. Kong: Skull Island is a passable action film, but it also is a great monster flick. If character progression and in-depth storytelling are what you’re looking for, don’t look to this film.

More likely however, you’re looking for a movie about a giant gorilla smashing things and you can’t do much better than Kong: Skull Island.