Kong: La Isla Calavera

Looking back at old movies, the effects date quickly and they become rather cheesy in their simple pleasures. Someday I will do that with this film, because essentially it is a creature feature, albeit one that happens to be being delivered with the biggest stars, biggest budget, and state-of-the-art effects. And the thing is, despite all this superficial polish, the film is essentially big monsters and spectacle.

On this front it is enjoyable though; it has plenty of action, lots to look at, and a reasonably successful mix of humor and drama. I say reasonably, because the plot isn't up to much, and different characters seem to be in different films depending on who they are. This is matched by the performances which range from the silly fun (Reilly) to the stupidly OTT (Jackson) to the starry but bland (Hiddleston, Larson); the film doesn't seem to have a handle on what it wants to do, and the mix that it produces is not always successful, and it relies on big moments of action and noise to try and cover it. Perhaps at some point there was some smart commentary about US foreign policy in there, but that is lost in the mix too.

Still, it works as a monster movie with great effects and lots of polish, so enjoy it for that even if there is not too much beyond that.

This is a really cool movie! It's not deep or complex, but it's visually great and a lot of fun.

Released in 2017 and directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, "Kong: Skull Island" takes place in 1973 where a military crew about to depart Vietnam is commissioned to guide an expedition to map out the eponymous island. Of course, the giant ape, Kong, is soon discovered, as well as several other deadly colossal creatures, including reptilian underground monsters dubbed "Skullcrawlers." Will anyone make it out alive?

Like my title blurb says, this delivers the goods for fantasy-adventure lovers. The opening act is great with its kinetic air and excellent late 60s/early 70's soundtrack. The rest of the movie more or less keeps up the entertainment value, highlighted by the racially diverse cast, led by Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and John C. Reilly; there are many others.

"Skull Island" has the high adventure demanded in a King Kong flick and is arguably on par with the original "King Kong" (1933), as well as the 1976 and 2005 versions, although it's superior to the latter because it lacks that one's pretentious over-length, cartoonish CGI-jungles and overkill action sequences (like the absurd brontosaurus stampede). Of course, it's criminal to compare a modern CGI-oriented flick with a classic like the 1933 film (or even the '76 version); I'm just saying that, if you favor those movies, you'll probably relish this one because it's cut from the same cloth and is effective for what it is, a colossal creature adventure flick. For further comparison, "Skull Island" is pretty much as good or, IMO, better than any of the Jurassic Park pictures.

Along with the thrilling jungle escapades, there are some interesting subtexts and gems to mine, like the quasi-Ahab subplot and the fact that dropping myriad bombs might not be the best answer. Early in the film the photographer (Brie) tells the the gung-ho Colonel (Jackson) that America lost the Vietnam War. Yet, this isn't really accurate since the USA won every battle of that infamous conflict. So the colonel rightly corrects her: "We didn't lose the war; we abandoned it."

The movie runs 118 minutes and was shot in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh, Vietnam; Oahu, Hawaii; and Queensland, Australia; with studio work done in Los Angeles.

GRADE: B+

Any movie, or anything, really, that keeps my attention is good. Although I didn't really like the orange tinge everything seems to have in the very beginning, the technical side improves dramatically as the film progresses.

It takes place in 1973, just after the Americans "abandoned" the Vietnam War (according to Samuel L Jackson's Preston Packard character). The 70's production design is good and brings me back to my childhood (the soundtrack was awesome with plenty of 70's hits), although you don't see much of the 70's vibe after the first 20 minutes or so. The CGI is very good and doesn't make me feel like I'm playing a video game. This movie is like Jurassic Park meets Godzilla and they had a baby called Platoon and it grew to become a mash-up of the three of them with its own uniqueness called Kong: Skull Island.

Just under two hours in length and "hold onto your butts" and watch the credits.

My favourite quote from the movie is, "A camera is more dangerous than a gun." Seems like SLJ get's all the good lines.

I usually don't comment on massively budgeted blockbusters, but "Kong: Skull Island" is such a joyfully tongue-in-cheek homage to giant monster B-movie cinema that I simply had to make an exception! This is a tremendously over-the-top and silly creature-feature, but the undemanding popcorn-entertainment value is just irresistible. The original King Kong, from 1933 already, is a monumental piece of cinema and still very powerful today. The more recent (2005) and expensive Peter Jackson remake was, at least in my humble opinion, a very boring and overlong romantic drama. "Kong: Skull Island" nicely falls right between these two extremes. By no means, it's great cinema, but at least it provides thrills, chuckles and adrenaline rushes from start to finish. The intro and scene-setting are already incredibly dumb, but oh so fun! We're supposed to believe that there exists a secret government agency (yes, another one) named Monarch, and their area of expertise is searching around the world for monsters and oversize animals. In 1973, The agency's CEO (an energetic John Goodman) benefices from the US-army's retreat out of Vietnam to recover soldiers and assets for a mission to the secretive Skull Island; a place where - and I quote - God left his creation unfinished.

"Kong: Skull Island" certainly doesn't waste any time! The helicopters have barely begun circling over the island, and there already emerges the humongous ape King Kong to slap them out of the sky like tiny ping-pong balls! The few remaining soldiers, led by the frustrated platoon leader Samuel L. Jackson, continue on foot and swear to destroy King Kong, but they soon learn that the island homes lots of other giant and unspeakably evil monstrous creations, and that Kong isn't even such a bad fella. It's a mission impossible to take this film seriously, but with the right mindset (and perhaps a few six-packs of beer) you'll have a great time. Seeing the story takes place in 1973 and has an abundantly clear Vietnam collection, it also somewhat feels like a long-feature "Tour of Duty" movie with a downright awesome 70s soundtrack. The special effects are cheesy and exaggerated, the dialogues are deliciously tacky ("hm, a mushroom...that means there must a river nearby!") and the casting is perfect. I already mentioned John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson, but there's also John C. Reilly as the bewildered WWII veteran who's been stuck on the island since 1942.