Kong: A Ilha da Caveira

THIS is the way a movie should be done.

Have you ever watched the scene from The Princess Bride where the grandfather tells the kid: It's got everything. "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love ...". Well, in a way, that's this version of KONG, and I am really happy and surprised at just how GOOD it was.

Take a bit of the original Kong, mix it with one part Private Ryan, a dash of The Deer Hunter, some Monty Python, lots of Jurassic Park, a pinch of A Space Oddity and mix well with some (insert your favorite lower-key funny movies HERE). The result is a pleasing fare one can really sink their teeth into and enjoy.

It has some familiar faces too, and what's best about it, is that not only do they live up to their so-called stardom, but even the unfamiliar or not-yet- "famous" actors with smaller roles, really do a great job and sell it. At no time while you are watching this movie do you feel it far-fetched or unbelievable that Kong actually exists, and isn't that, in a nutshell, what all movies should aspire to - the suspension of disbelief? Mission accomplished on this one, and good job to the creators.

A definite must-watch.

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.

Some people go to the movies to be wowed by the superb acting, heart wrenching and well written story, and overall solid production... THIS has good effects? The acting in this film isn't bad, but it definitely won't win any awards for it.

The story has characters Bill Randa (John Goodman) and Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) piggybacking on an expedition to an uncharted island to test their "hollow earth" theory. Tom Hiddleston plays a tracker, Brie Larson plays a photographer, and John C. Reilly plays a surprisingly funny WW2 vet marooned on Skull Island.

The film takes place in 1973 and loves to remind you with CCR and old technology as if it was a hundred years ago. Kong: Skull Island pays homage to Apocalypse Now quite frequently even though it seems a bit excessive at times.

Kong looked good, almost all the creatures looked cool and all the fights between them looked really good, especially in IMAX 3D. Some of the green screen effects, like backgrounds behind characters, were distractingly bad. Ultimately, you get some great stuff out of all the effects if you're not looking too closely.

The characters are more hollow than the earth (according to the film's characters themselves), the story is mediocre, but the effects reign king in this film adaptation.

My suggestion: See it! it's a blockbuster meant to fill seats, not win awards. Take it for what it is.

Seen at an advanced IMAX 3D screening in Minneapolis.

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.

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