KONG: SKULL ISLAND review

First things first, let me quickly address the main criticism of this movie: the characters aren't interesting enough. Here's my brief rebuttal: IT. IS. A. MONSTER. MOVIE! Who cares? I'll probably go into more detail about why this criticism is nonsense at a later date; but, I thought it'd be wrong if this elephant in the room went ignored. Anyway, on with the show...

Legendary Pictures' "MonsterVerse" has been one of the more interesting factors in a post-Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster world. It's probably the only franchise I can think of that's started out with such a thoroughly average movie like Gareth Edwards' Godzilla and yet I'm still completely stoked to see what happens next. And, with Kong: Skull Island, it appears that my anticipation has now been rightly justified. Functioning mainly as a classier version of old school, B-movie popcorn fare, Kong: Skull Island frequently fires on all cylinders. Does it have its problems? Sure. The mostly witty screenplay does occasionally have a few bad lines and the characters could use a little more depth.

While Skull Island is by no means a straight-up remake of the 1933 original, its story does follow some of the same beats; yet, it doesn't feel too much like previous cinematic incarnations of the titular ape. The characters are undoubtedly archetypal; but, the combined efforts of the cast and the script make sure they aren't completely without personality.

In my humble opinion, almost any shot of this movie could featured on One Perfect Shot. Cinematographer Larry Fong crafts countless instantly iconic shots (some of which you've seen in the trailers), each of which could be hung and framed. In my humble opinion, almost any shot of this movie could featured on One Perfect Shot. Speaking of which, the whole looks absolutely stunning. The crew behind it have claimed to be inspired by Apocalypse Now and that reverence is clearly on display.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has only made one film prior to this; yet, here, he shows off like a seasoned professional (and I mean that in only the most positive of ways). Every frame exudes a sense of confidence and gleeful audacity so rarely seen in the world of modern popcorn flicks, at least not in the usual manner. Some of this can also be seen in the film's editing (seriously, there's a part where Kong is about to eat a few army guys and it cuts to someone eating a sandwich). Delightful quirks like that pleasantly reminded me of what Peter Jackson in his ambitious 2005 remake.

Aside from the visuals, boy, does this picture sound marvelous. Every roar and every gunshot consumes the theater, enhancing the viewer's immersion. This doesn't even apply to only the sound design. Apart from the undeniable satisfying needle drops, Henry Jackman's score is also quite exceptional. His compositions give the proceedings an extra triumphant boost, a suspenseful cue or whatever the story needs at that time.

Also, while most of the characters are your typical B-movie archetypes, the cast brings the goods. Tom Hiddleston does fine as a pulpy protagonist. Brie Larson brings some really warmth and tenacity to a self-proclaimed "anti-war photographer". Sam Jackson is compelling as this movie's equivalent of Colonel Kurtz. John Goodman is also quite good as an enjoyable crazy government stooge, think a good version of his character from 10 Cloverfield Lane mixed with Carl Denham. Terry Notary also delivers some good mo-cap work as the titular ape. With all of that being said, the real standout in Kong: Skull Island is John C. Reilly. And, to anyone worried that his presence might be this movie's jump-the-shark moment, you can settle down. His character provides some much needed humanity to proceedings as well dishing out some of the film's biggest laughs.

Speaking of which, unlike 2014's adequate version of Godzilla, approaches its monsters with absolutely no pretense; although, its depiction of its creatures being more in common with animals reacting to interlopers rather than malicious beasts was quite refreshing. The clashes between these fantastic creatures are more than worth the price of admission (from Kong starting out by throwing down on a squad of helicopters while Black Sabbath blasts in the background to him struggling against a giant squid and then slurping up its remains like calamari).

All in all, this is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of popcorn flicks in recent years. For this review, I've decided to introduce a new rating to my criteria.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND gets a...
GOOD TIME out of 10

Also, be sure to say through the credits. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that this might be my favorite post-credits scene since Guardians of the Galaxy. Go see it! Have a good time!