Member review

Kong: Skull Island is a flawed film with a lot of problems, but it is also extremely entertaining and surprisingly original, and as a popcorn movie it's pretty great.

Jordan Vogt-Roberts maybe wasn't ready to direct such a massive film, but his exciting voice really breaks through here. Interesting camera work and great cinematography from Larry Fong aid the films awesome Vietnam war feel, as well as the insane action scenes. The huge monster fights are incredible - the effects on the creatures are amazing and watching them battle it out in lingering wide shots is amazing. It's surprisingly brutal too, pushing the PG-13 rating to it's limit, allowing for some intense violence. It also breezes along with a refreshing 118 minute run time, keeping the pace quick and and constantly entertaining.

One thing I did appreciate was the practical filming which makes the film seem more realistic, however when blue screen is used it can be very obvious and fake-looking. Also, although great for the bigger action scenes, the editing in smaller, more dialogue focused scenes (particularly near the beginning of the film) feels a bit off.

The films biggest weakness is the characters however, suffering from a problem a lot of films have. There are way to many of them, and most of them, although entertaining, seem to have just one discernible character trait (as in the tough-guy, the token women, the silent guy, the funny one etc.). You like them, but that's not down to the writing, but to the likable and talented actors, including a-listers like Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston and John Goodman; as well as up-and-comers like Thomas Mann, Corey Hawkins, and Jason Mitchell, all of whom can feel wasted. Toby Kebbell is the most under-served here, becoming what is essentially a predictable walking plot device, which he is much better than as he proved in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Warcraft.

There are a couple of exceptions, like Samuel Jackson's Colonel who's motivation is obvious enough, and John C. Reilly's stranded WW2 soldier who is easily the standout. He's a fun and well-rounded character who you actually care about. His oddball jokes do create a very weird tone, but this doesn't derail the film, it just adds to the unique feel.

The real standout though is Kong himself - he's huge, commanding and you're just in awe of him whenever he's on screen. Watching him fight Godzilla in 2020 is going to be formidable, although the film does well to tell it's own story rather than justs set up a sequel (which it solely leaves to a post credits scene) which is actually very refreshing in this day and age.

This is a flawed but really fun blockbuster, in the vein of recent films like Pacific Rim, which may be silly but are also aware of this, and use it to their advantage; leaving you with an original and entertaining movie with a clear vision - even if it has it's fair share of problems.