Kong: Skull Island

This is a really cool movie! It's not deep or complex, but it's visually great and a lot of fun.

THIS is the way a movie should be done.

Have you ever watched the scene from The Princess Bride where the grandfather tells the kid: It's got everything. "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love ...". Well, in a way, that's this version of KONG, and I am really happy and surprised at just how GOOD it was.

Take a bit of the original Kong, mix it with one part Private Ryan, a dash of The Deer Hunter, some Monty Python, lots of Jurassic Park, a pinch of A Space Oddity and mix well with some (insert your favorite lower-key funny movies HERE). The result is a pleasing fare one can really sink their teeth into and enjoy.

It has some familiar faces too, and what's best about it, is that not only do they live up to their so-called stardom, but even the unfamiliar or not-yet- "famous" actors with smaller roles, really do a great job and sell it. At no time while you are watching this movie do you feel it far-fetched or unbelievable that Kong actually exists, and isn't that, in a nutshell, what all movies should aspire to - the suspension of disbelief? Mission accomplished on this one, and good job to the creators.

A definite must-watch.

Released in 2017 and directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, "Kong: Skull Island" takes place in 1973 where a military crew about to depart Vietnam is commissioned to guide an expedition to map out the eponymous island. Of course, the giant ape, Kong, is soon discovered, as well as several other deadly colossal creatures, including reptilian underground monsters dubbed "Skullcrawlers." Will anyone make it out alive?

Like my title blurb says, this delivers the goods for fantasy-adventure lovers. The opening act is great with its kinetic air and excellent late 60s/early 70's soundtrack. The rest of the movie more or less keeps up the entertainment value, highlighted by the racially diverse cast, led by Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and John C. Reilly; there are many others.

"Skull Island" has the high adventure demanded in a King Kong flick and is arguably on par with the original "King Kong" (1933), as well as the 1976 and 2005 versions, although it's superior to the latter because it lacks that one's pretentious over-length, cartoonish CGI-jungles and overkill action sequences (like the absurd brontosaurus stampede). Of course, it's criminal to compare a modern CGI-oriented flick with a classic like the 1933 film (or even the '76 version); I'm just saying that, if you favor those movies, you'll probably relish this one because it's cut from the same cloth and is effective for what it is, a colossal creature adventure flick. For further comparison, "Skull Island" is pretty much as good or, IMO, better than any of the Jurassic Park pictures.

Along with the thrilling jungle escapades, there are some interesting subtexts and gems to mine, like the quasi-Ahab subplot and the fact that dropping myriad bombs might not be the best answer. Early in the film the photographer (Brie) tells the the gung-ho Colonel (Jackson) that America lost the Vietnam War. Yet, this isn't really accurate since the USA won every battle of that infamous conflict. So the colonel rightly corrects her: "We didn't lose the war; we abandoned it."

The movie runs 118 minutes and was shot in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh, Vietnam; Oahu, Hawaii; and Queensland, Australia; with studio work done in Los Angeles.

GRADE: B+

Looking back at old movies, the effects date quickly and they become rather cheesy in their simple pleasures. Someday I will do that with this film, because essentially it is a creature feature, albeit one that happens to be being delivered with the biggest stars, biggest budget, and state-of-the-art effects. And the thing is, despite all this superficial polish, the film is essentially big monsters and spectacle.

On this front it is enjoyable though; it has plenty of action, lots to look at, and a reasonably successful mix of humor and drama. I say reasonably, because the plot isn't up to much, and different characters seem to be in different films depending on who they are. This is matched by the performances which range from the silly fun (Reilly) to the stupidly OTT (Jackson) to the starry but bland (Hiddleston, Larson); the film doesn't seem to have a handle on what it wants to do, and the mix that it produces is not always successful, and it relies on big moments of action and noise to try and cover it. Perhaps at some point there was some smart commentary about US foreign policy in there, but that is lost in the mix too.

Still, it works as a monster movie with great effects and lots of polish, so enjoy it for that even if there is not too much beyond that.

Any movie, or anything, really, that keeps my attention is good. Although I didn't really like the orange tinge everything seems to have in the very beginning, the technical side improves dramatically as the film progresses.

It takes place in 1973, just after the Americans "abandoned" the Vietnam War (according to Samuel L Jackson's Preston Packard character). The 70's production design is good and brings me back to my childhood (the soundtrack was awesome with plenty of 70's hits), although you don't see much of the 70's vibe after the first 20 minutes or so. The CGI is very good and doesn't make me feel like I'm playing a video game. This movie is like Jurassic Park meets Godzilla and they had a baby called Platoon and it grew to become a mash-up of the three of them with its own uniqueness called Kong: Skull Island.

Just under two hours in length and "hold onto your butts" and watch the credits.

My favourite quote from the movie is, "A camera is more dangerous than a gun." Seems like SLJ get's all the good lines.