King Kong is an iconic movie monster which you can also say is a misunderstood heroic beast who has been the subject of at least four movies.   The latest adaptation of KING KONG is KONG: SKULL ISLAND which is the second movie in the giant creature/ monster universe which started with GODZILLA.    It takes elements from some of the previous three KING KONG movies and blends APOCALYPSE NOW into it as it is set in 1973 as Monarch sets an expedition piggybacked on a LSAT mission to explore the legendary Skull Island.  The Monarch team is led by Bill Randa (John Goodman) who hires James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) to guide the expedition with the Sky Devils (a military helicopter squadron) to transport and protect the squadron. Tagging along is a pacifist photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson).  The expedition soon goes wrong as the dropping of explosive charges causes the giant ape Kong to attack the helicopters and causes worse creatures known as Skullcrawlers to be awakened again.   It is a race to get to the other side of the island with the help of a crazy World War 2 pilot (John C. Reilly) who has been stranded on Skull Island since 1944.  Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) wants revenge against Kong for killing so many of his men.

 

KONG: SKULL ISLAND is a fresh reboot of the King Kong character while using some loose elements to tie it into the GODZILLA movie that came out in 2014.  It is a popcorn movie where action scenes and visual effects are king (and so are the various creatures from Skullcrawlers to flying dinosaurs to Kong).   Character development is minimal, but I don’t think people come to see a movie like this to expect tons of character development anyway.   Make sure to stay around through all the credits for the bonus scene at the end.  It will be very rewarding to fans of the Godzilla movies.    You want to see big action scenes and enjoy the big blockbuster popcorn excitement.   Too bad that the cast from this one can’t show up in a future GODZILLA (which is set in present day) or KING KONG movie since they set KONG: SKULL ISLAND in 1973.   Go see it while it is on the big screen.

 

This review is ©3-12-2017 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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