Support The Morung Express.
Your Contributions Matter
Click Here
Kong Skull Island REVIEW
12th March 2017
Of napalm, old school
rock and a giant Ape
The Skid Reviewer
There are few images more synonymous with classic American cinema than that of King Kong -- a giant ape -- hanging from the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, with some kind of gorgeous blonde nearby.
Which is why it might seem strange to say that Warner Bros.’ newest attempt at bringing the King of the Apes to life on the big screen takes place not in a 1930s New York City, but in a psychedelic, napalm-scented, 1970s Southeast Asia.
Kong: Skull Island manages to give the King Kong character something that none of the previous live-action films have -- a pre-existing reputation and mythology before he even sets foot off of his beloved homeland.
Starting with a brief, fun flashback sequence set in the 1940s; Kong: Skull Island spends most of its time early on in 1973 America, when the US has officially decided to abandon the Vietnam War and the country seems the most divided.
The group’s first run-in with Kong is an adrenaline-fueled montage of carnage and destruction that King Kong fans have likely been waiting their whole lives to see.
Unlike director Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla, Vogt-Roberts wastes little time introducing Kong, showing off the character’s power and design with a confidence that only makes this version of Kong seem that much more terrifying and dangerous.
Aesthetically, cinematographer Larry Fong (Batman v Superman) is borrowing most heavily from Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, but the editing, story, and action of the actual film feels more in line with the work of filmmakers like Edgar Wright and Guillermo del Toro, with a blood-pumping 1970s rock soundtrack to boot.
If that sounds like the kind of monster movie you’d want to see, then Kong: Skull Island is for you. There are moments when it feels more like an amusement park ride than a traditional monster movie origin story, taking full advantage of the set piece and stylistic opportunities available -- it’s a thrill ride for people ready to kick off 2017 with a big bang.
The film’s characters and emotional moments don’t match up to the visual and stylistic aspects of the film, unfortunately, and a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that Skull Island has more main and supporting characters than any other, non-superhero blockbuster film in recent memory.
Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Goodman all turn in fine performances as the film’s main characters, but one of Skull Island’s more prominent flaws is how much more interesting and fleshed out the supporting characters around them appear to be.
Shea Whigham gives a particularly stand out performance as Cole, one of the more seasoned and wise soldiers who doesn’t seem to be surprised by or fazed by much anymore.
John C. Reilly meanwhile steals the entire show, however, as Marlow, a World War II fighter pilot who crash landed on Skull Island accidentally in the mid-1940s and has been stranded there ever since.
On the negative side, the film’s pacing can be spotty at times, especially near the middle when all of the group’s surviving members are trying to regroup and meet back up. Additionally, the directions it takes some of its main characters in (especially Packard and Randa) feel inorganic and rushed compared to the rest of the film.
But for what Kong: Skull Island sets out to do, which is deliver a monster movie filled with the kind of action and destruction that audiences have never seen from a King Kong film before, it’s hard to imagine it doing a much better job than it does.
THE VERDICT?
Some King Kong purists may feel some frustration with Skull Island, but while the aesthetic of this new adventure may be very different, it ends up evoking the same feeling that made King Kong such an icon in the first place. Even if this time, it’s coming to you with roaring electric guitars and napalm rather than Empire State Buildings and damsels in distress.
Of napalm, old school
rock and a giant Ape 
The group’s first run-in with Kong is an adrenaline-fueled montage of carnage and destruction that King Kong fans have likely been waiting their whole lives to see.
Unlike director Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla, Vogt-Roberts wastes little time introducing Kong, showing off the character’s power and design with a confidence that only makes this version of Kong seem that much more terrifying and dangerous.
Aesthetically, cinematographer Larry Fong (Batman v Superman) is borrowing most heavily from Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, but the editing, story, and action of the actual film feels more in line with the work of filmmakers like Edgar Wright and Guillermo del Toro, with a blood-pumping 1970s rock soundtrack to boot.
If that sounds like the kind of monster movie you’d want to see, then Kong: Skull Island is for you. There are moments when it feels more like an amusement park ride than a traditional monster movie origin story, taking full advantage of the set piece and stylistic opportunities available -- it’s a thrill ride for people ready to kick off 2017 with a big bang.
The film’s characters and emotional moments don’t match up to the visual and stylistic aspects of the film, unfortunately, and a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that Skull Island has more main and supporting characters than any other, non-superhero blockbuster film in recent memory.
Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Goodman all turn in fine performances as the film’s main characters, but one of Skull Island’s more prominent flaws is how much more interesting and fleshed out the supporting characters around them appear to be.
Shea Whigham gives a particularly stand out performance as Cole, one of the more seasoned and wise soldiers who doesn’t seem to be surprised by or fazed by much anymore.
John C. Reilly meanwhile steals the entire show, however, as Marlow, a World War II fighter pilot who crash landed on Skull Island accidentally in the mid-1940s and has been stranded there ever since.
On the negative side, the film’s pacing can be spotty at times, especially near the middle when all of the group’s surviving members are trying to regroup and meet back up. Additionally, the directions it takes some of its main characters in (especially Packard and Randa) feel inorganic and rushed compared to the rest of the film.
But for what Kong: Skull Island sets out to do, which is deliver a monster movie filled with the kind of action and destruction that audiences have never seen from a King Kong film before, it’s hard to imagine it doing a much better job than it does.
THE VERDICT?
Some King Kong purists may feel some frustration with Skull Island, but while the aesthetic of this new adventure may be very different, it ends up evoking the same feeling that made King Kong such an icon in the first place. Even if this time, it’s coming to you with roaring electric guitars and napalm rather than Empire State Buildings and damsels in distress.
