Kong: Skull Island, the latest movie to feature the giant gorilla, sees a group of scientists driven to discover the untouched island of Primal Eden.
Escorted by badass tracker James Conrad (played by Tom Hiddleston) and “anti-war” photographer Mason Weaver (played by Brie Larson), the group wakes an ancient enemy… something fiercer than a big ape.
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When you first meet Kong you’re introduced to the primate’s incredible presence with a gorgeous overlooking shot of his kingdom. The movie does well to make you feel the immense difference in size between humans and him. Kong has come a long way from his 1933 debut, back when he was just 18 feet tall as opposed to today’s 100 feet.
So with such a large presence and immense power, you’d think people would know better than to ravage his home.
The antagonist Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (played by Samuel L. Jackson) decides that he and his men are enough to take on Kong after the giant wipes out a few of his soldiers. You can feel Jackson’s portrayal of the vengeful Colonel escalate to a point of ridiculousness, even if he is as hell-bent for revenge as he is.
And this is where the movie begins to show its weaknesses. The writing for some of these characters felt pretty bland, like they’ve been copy-pasted from a how-to-movie cheat sheet. Supporting characters however do boast some strong performances.
Kong as an overall product is lacking, but doesn’t fail to entertain in certain instances
The interaction between the Colonel’s men was one of the strongest binding forces of this movie, because their perceived chemistry roused sentiment for these men. Their dialogue and comedic moments helped Kong to overcome its tone of tragedy somewhat.
But by far the biggest presence in terms of the human cast I felt wasn’t that of Jackson’s, Larson’s or Hiddleston’s. It undoubtedly belonged to John Reilly’s character, Hank Marlow. Marlow provided more rounded character evolution than the others. Yes, at times his comedic delivery felt very much like his delivery in Step Brothers. This time however it was somewhat hit and miss.
(Spoiler alert of sorts) The action sequences in Kong were all crammed into the final sequences of the film, but made for a good ending. The final showdown was the most enjoyable and most dramatic action scene in the film.
Otherwise, the scenes involving Packard’s men fighting the enemies were pretty average. But the aforementioned showdown does make up for these scenes though.
Now, you’re probably wondering why I haven’t mentioned Hiddleston as much as his co-stars. His character was unnecessary, I felt. you could have re-shot the entire film, taking him out of any scene, and it wouldn’t change the film. This isn’t due to his acting chops, but due to the writers, if anything.
Verdict: I enjoyed moments of this film as opposed to its overall offering. If you haven’t got anything else to watch then this will definitely keep you satisfied.
Score: 6/10
