Kong: Skull Island is an epic size apocalyptic creature feature
that relishes in its grand visual spectacle. Not since Peter Jackson’s remake
of the classic King Kong (2005) and Guillermo
del Toro’s Pacific Rim (2013) have we
seen such awesome digital monster clashes.
Set in 1973 Vietnam War era, the psychedelic music of the
70s drug culture sets the tone for an appropriate mythic adventure of destruction
and discovery. Swarms of Huey military helicopters heading into the eye of the
storm, a makeshift boat cruising down jungle rivers into the heart of darkness
all evoking a fond homage to Apocalypse Now (1979).
This is not a retelling of the classic King Kong beauty and the beast story but more a reimagining of and
continuation of the Kong legacy. The film gets off to a stunning start with a
W.W. II airplane battle between an American and Japanese pilot who crash on the
undiscovered island in 1944 that could be the start of a new Indiana Jones
movie.
Fast forward 29 years into the future where a government official
Bill Randa (John Goodman) is putting together a secret task force of soldiers,
mercenaries and scientists to find an as yet undiscovered mysterious island
thought to be a black hole into which many a plane have disappeared.
The expedition, under the guise of a geological survey team,
to locate and scout the uncharted island hidden from satellites by a perpetual
hurricane that surrounds it, starts out in spectacular fashion that brings
together a group of unusual international characters not unlike the animated
Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire
(2001).
Soon everyone is running through the jungle to Creedance Clearwater Revival and
helicopters are swooping down unloading their lethal ordinance in a ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ style Vietnam War
montage that explodes with operatic energy and is one of the films highlights.
A heady hybrid of jungle warfare and colossal monster films
colliding in stunning awesomeness, Kong
is visually glorious and a blast to watch even before we see the first Jurassic
glimpses of Skull Island creating an energy and momentum that will delight even
the most skeptical fan boys and girls. Even the poster is a mashup of Apocalypse Now’s sunset with Kong’s
silhouette standing in for Marlon Brando’s head.
Brie Larson is well cast here as brave strong-willed heroine
Mason Weaver, an independent anti-war photographer who discovers that Kong has
taken a shine to her and may not be the most dangerous creature on the island.
John C. Reilly’s comic performance as Hank Marlow, a
stranded W.W. II pilot who has survived by befriending the natives of the
Island almost steals the show in a role that’s equivalent to the one played by
Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now. Most
of the other characters are underdeveloped, serving mostly as fodder for Kong
who is definitely the stand out star of the show.
Made by the producers of Garth Edwards Godzilla (2014) and directed by newcomer Jordan Vogt-Roberts - Kings of Summer (2013), this film is
poised to start a new franchise of heroic large scale creature brawl films
where the new digital age of monster effects dominates the landscape.
Kong: Skull Island
gets the summer block buster season off to a great start if you’re looking for
nostalgia and escapist adventure on a grand scale.
JP
