Kong: Skull Island review – a fun and entertaining creature feature

‘A diverse team of explorers set off to find a mythical island and end up fighting for their own survival.’

After two remakes of King Kong since the 1933 version. The King of the Apes is finally getting the reboot treatment and unsurprisingly being brought into the same universe as 2014’s Godzilla. As the title suggests, Kong: Skull Island, directed by John Vogt-Roberts, also deviates from the original’s formula and will be almost entirely set on this mythical island of monsters, with no giant ape running amok in New York City, or inter-species love side plot.

This is purely a fun and entertaining monster movie designed to set up and expand this new ‘MonsterVerse’, which will then lead into a Godzilla sequel, followed by ‘Godzilla vs Kong’. For what it is then, Kong: Skull Island is an efficient and enjoyable popcorn film with plenty to recommend it, and as a reboot, brings something fresh and different to this well-known character’s tale. To help it stand alone, the writers have placed this story in the early seventies so as not to jumble the continuity, and allow audiences to enjoy the film on its own.

The story takes place just after the Vietnam war and starts with John Goodman’s William Randa. An official for a secret organisation called “Monarch”, recruiting a team of military and scientist personnel, including tracker James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) and war photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), in an expedition mission to survey a mysterious uncharted island. Once there, they’re soon faced with giant and ancient creatures, and caught in the middle of a battle between a humongous ape, known as Kong, and giant reptile-like monsters. Desperate to get off the island, they traverse this dangerous and hostile land. Along the way learn they have a vested interest in seeing Kong remain the dominant force on the island.

It’s a straight forward plot and definitely has a completely different tone and structure from the previous incarnations of Kong. There’s certainly a stronger emphasis on action, and after a quick set up of the main characters, once on the island, we’re thrown right into the conflict via a great and well executed aerial battle between Kong and number of helicopters that strands the expedition team on the island. There’s a lighter mood to the story as well, when compared to the more sombre films that came before, and even a fun sense of humour that runs throughout.

The period setting is also an added bonus, and is well represented, down to its cool Seventies soundtrack, and some retro looking cinematography that feels very reminiscent and influenced by Apocalypse Now (1979). It certainly helps that the film was shot on real exotic locations in Vietnam, which adds a level of realism and authenticity, especially when used as a backdrop for a lot of the CGI monsters.

Speaking of which, the creature designs are well rendered, and Kong himself feels like a real character (which is good since it is his film). His look harks back to the original 1933 version and is given both a ferociousness, but also a heart and a gentleness to him as the true protector of Skull Island. The ‘Skullcrawlers’, who are the true enemy of the film, have a ghostly and slithery design, and these reptilian creatures make a formidable foe for Kong and provide some great monster on monster carnage.

Sadly, the human cast aren’t as compelling, and not everyone is developed that well. A lot are obviously there to be thrown, squished or eaten by various giant monsters, including Toby Kebbell in another wasted role. Amongst some of the core cast though, there are a couple of engaging and interesting characters that you can really get behind, and actually bring some heart to their roles. Hiddleston is sufficient as that rogue hero archetype, who plays off well with Larson’s photographer, but it’s really John C. Reilly as Lieutenant Hank Marlow, who helps elevate the more human centric elements of the film. What could have easily been a plot device role, and there to purely dump necessary exposition, is actually a well-rounded character.

Having been stranded on the island for some time, he adds some much needed emotion to the performance, and is one of the few people you will actually care about. Mostly known for his comedy, it’s not that surprising to find Reilly’s also the source of a lot of the humour. He has some great one-liners and funny dialogue as this slightly unhinged castaway who hasn’t had any contact with the outside world in nearly thirty years. After Reilly, it’s Samuel L. Jackson who stands out, chewing the scenery as this battle-worn colonel who sees Kong as a new enemy to wage war against. Slowly turning  into this Captain Ahab type character, we see him become obsessed with killing his new Moby Dick. It’s the sort of Jackson performance we’ve come to expect from him; all bugged eyed and intensity levels dialled up to eleven.

‘As a standard creature feature, Kong: Skull Island does exactly what it says on the tin: to have giant monsters fighting each other, and mankind caught in the middle. With a couple of stand-out roles from Reilly and Jackson, and a different spin on this well-known beast, there’s a lot of fun and entertainment to be had. Sadly, what brings it down is a large cast of characters with no substance or anything to emotionally latch on to, and are purely there to be picked off one by one in a gruesome fashion.’