Spartan Rex
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Kong: Skull Island <<SPOILERS>>
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I got that beat...
Wor Gar - Did you purposefully quote Matt Hooper? If so I may forgive you.
In depth review coming, but for now, I loved it, from start to finish, might be my most favorite Kong movie of all time.
jye4ever
Broke and happy
Wor Gar - Did you purposefully quote Matt Hooper? If so I may forgive you.
Wow, you and I are in total agreement except one minor difference, I think it's my least favorite Kong movie of all time.
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Biojex
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The following review is contains both commentary on the film as well as some personal perspectives on meaning of aspects of the story as it relates to the MonsterVerse.
The Good
First and foremost, the depiction of the King himself was my most favorite version of him to date. For me, they managed to capture the essence of what Kong looked like in ‘33, took the enhanced technology that created the ‘76 suit, and the emotional capabilities explored in 2005 with CGI to create a Kong that has the best of all 3 predecessors. For me, this Kong had a lot of character, despite what other reviews have said. For one thing, my overall take of who Kong is in the MonsterVerse is the same as Godzilla, they are Earth’s protectors, keeping balance within an ecosystem hidden from mankind. This Kong has anger, intelligence, compassion, sadness, you name it, it was all there, just not put in a spotlight like Peter Jackson did, but that wasn’t the purpose of this movie, Jackson wanted men and women balling over Kong’s death by the end, which is fine, Kong wasn’t going to die here so they only need to show range without dwelling too much on all aspects.
Beyond Kong, one of my most favorites aspects was how they treated the movie overall like the countless period films we’ve seen, from Apocalypse now to Platoon to Forrest Gump and even the likes of Remember the Titans. The use of both visuals and music to transport you to another point in history were perfectly executed in my opinion and made the film that much more fun.
I also really enjoyed the cast. I didn’t go into this film expecting, nor wanting Oscar worthy performances, I went to watch Kong kick ass and hopefully be entertained by the journey, and everyone in the cast did their job, with certain members like John C. Reilly and Samuel L. Jackson rising above the rest, but even Hiddleston and Larson worked for me. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t keep track of all the extra characters, look back through the Kong franchise, there’s a consistency of only having 3-4 characters you really get to know and the rest, if you even hear their name, are just plot tools and red shirts for the journey.
The score and use of classic rock songs intermixed really well and I thought it all worked great. While nothing to the level of John Barry’s music or classic themes like JAWS or the Imperial March, there were clear themes for Kong and Samuel L. Jackson and they were used well.
I quite like the Skullcrawlers, I think their look is very interesting and I find their anatomy makes for interesting fights. They have long tails that make them almost like a snake, but also long, powerful arms that allow them to punch and strike and they have powerful and lethal mouths almost like a crocodile or alligator. I have no personal attachment to what Kong fights, in fact I’m actually not a big fan of him fighting or even living among dinosaurs. For me, it seems weird to have Skull Island be essentially Jurassic Park, and then among dinosaurs, here’s a giant monkey. In this film, all the creatures, for me, feel believable as existing within the same world and I prefer that. I don’t deny that the visuals of the Kong vs V-Rex film in PJs film weren’t awesome, it’s just the idea that throws me.
Speaking of fights, I loved them all in this movie. I loved seeing Kong show his dominance over the helicopters and the smaller Skullcrawlers, and I really enjoyed seeing his intelligence used to fight the final Skullcrawler. I’ve seen some say they felt using tools made him weaker compared to Jackson’s Kong, but for me, Jackson’s Kong was just a mindless brute when it comes to fighting, which is ok, but I enjoy the intelligent side here, using tools like rocks or trees or boat motors as fighting tools, he’s strong and smart, making him more dangerous. You could also say he mirrors the Hulk quite a bit in this regard and I love Hulk so of course I’d take to this trait.
The Bad
It’s not all praise. I do agree with many who felt certain of the background characters were waste of space, they were neither instrumental to the plot nor fodder for the monster mayhem.
I also felt like one key moment in the film was an editing mess, which is the transition from the main Skullcrawler emerging and starting to attack Kong to it just about to attack Conrad and the others. At least in Godzilla, when they cut away from a fight, you either saw the conclusion, even if via newscast, or when you rejoined it, it fit with where things left. Here, the Skullcrawler was ready to finish Kong and take dominance of the island, yet, it seems to lock onto the humans and consider them a more worthwhile pursuit, and something that large couldn’t catch up to them sooner than it did, or it fought Kong more, and if it immediately went after the humans, does that then mean Kong was too weak still from the napalm to keep up and why he arrived a bit later? I guess some might consider it good filmmaking to leave something like this open to the viewer, but I’d rather have a clear sense of what happened if you’re going to cut a fight early like that. As an example, in Godzilla 2014, we see Godzilla about to start fighting the flying MUTO and we cut away, next time we see them, they’re still fighting and now half the city is in flames, so clearly the fight carried on over time.
The Building of MonsterVerse
So, I don’t know how many people really paid much attention to what was going on with Monarch, Hawkins and Randa, but here’s what I came away with.
Monarch started back with the discovery of Godzilla, but then struggled to find evidence of any other creatures and reason to exists and this was a last ditch effort to prove their point.
That point being, within the depths of earth, deep below the surface enough for man to never discover, but somehow able to survive, lie unimaginable creatures that are either dormant, keeping to themselves or being held at bay by something.
Godzilla has been keeping to himself until a nuclear sub caught his attention.
The MUTOs were lying dormant until man’s digging exposed the cavern in which they lay and awoke them.
Now we have the Skullcrawlers who actively live underground but for whatever reason, only make their way to the surface via openings on Skull Island, but you have Kong and his ancestors keeping them from doing so.
I really like the way they’re approaching the MonsterVerse and this idea that a “Lost World” exists beneath our feet and if man is not careful, the monsters will rise and we’ll be screwed.
It does also lead me to believe Godzilla and Kong will definitely unite at some point to protect Earth, they’ll initially see one another as threats, never having met previously, but will eventually realize they’re both trying to accomplish the same thing.
I don’t feel it’s guaranteed Rodan will be an ally, Mothra surely, and I can easily see a Destroy All Monsters film with Godzilla, Mothra and Kong taking on MUTOs, Skullcrawlers, Rodan(s) and Ghidorah.
Comparison To Past Kong Films
While the overall plot here is far different from the previous films, there is a lot of similarity too.
They all feature a voyage to Skull Island. I’d equate this one best to the ‘76 Kong, both featuring a bit of story on the ship and getting to the voyage taking off, then wrapping up quickly through montage and not wasting much time getting to the island, where I feel ‘33 and especially 2005 spent too much storytelling on the voyage itself.
Then there’s the Skull Island natives, all 4 films having their take on who might live in this strange, isolated world. For me, the best overall depiction goes to the ‘76 film. The natives in the ‘33 almost feel like they could be taken as racist now. The ‘76 film did a good job of depicting what you might expect of a jungle tribe cut off from civilization with just enough of a twist to fit the fact they live on an island with giant animals. 2005 went too far trying to be scary that for me, they just didn’t feel like a people who carried on life on the island but laid dormant in the walls until strangers showed up, which doesn’t work for me. Skull Island, for me, went too realistic, I felt like I was watching a national geographic special about a lost tribe somewhere on earth, there was no real hostility about them, no bizarre rituals, they lacked cinematic character.
Then there’s Kong’s women. In every film, there’s a women who touches his heart. For me, the best portrayal of establishing a connection between them was in 2005. While Jackson indulged himself too much at times and dragged on the moments that built their bond, the affection between them was very clear and the pain of Kong’s tragedy was stronger for it. The ‘33 film built no bond between them, ‘76 was strong but at times almost comical, and the bond between Kong and Weaver felt more like one of understanding than attachment, she saw the good in him that Packard couldn’t, and he saw the good in humanity that didn’t come through the military, and they looked out for each other, but the lack of strong attachment didn’t make the scene of him rescuing her as powerful as it may have felt had they been more attached to each other, but it was still sweet.
Another common piece is the fighting. For me, Skull Island wins, the fights went on just long enough and didn’t feature any aspects that could take you out of the moment, they worked great, from the military attack to the kaiju fights. 2005 had some great fights as well, but the halt take during the V-Rex fight in the vines after a very fast paced attacked leading to that and after that just made the fight feel a bit dragged out, though it certainly packs some solid highlight moments. In this area, I’d actually say ‘76 was probably the weakest, he had a very short, barely involved fight with a snake and mostly just got shot by the military, though he got in a few good swings. Compared to the ‘76 thought, the ‘33 was much more a fighter.
Finally, there’s score. As I’ve said before, the ‘33 score has some gems, but also some tracks that feel ill fitting with what’s on screen. John Barry’s score is probably the best of the Kong films, with Jackman’s on it’s heels, even sounding like Barry’s work at times. The 2005 score comes in at 3rd, with some highlight moments, but a lot of the music, like the visuals, feels drawn out too long at times.
The Good
First and foremost, the depiction of the King himself was my most favorite version of him to date. For me, they managed to capture the essence of what Kong looked like in ‘33, took the enhanced technology that created the ‘76 suit, and the emotional capabilities explored in 2005 with CGI to create a Kong that has the best of all 3 predecessors. For me, this Kong had a lot of character, despite what other reviews have said. For one thing, my overall take of who Kong is in the MonsterVerse is the same as Godzilla, they are Earth’s protectors, keeping balance within an ecosystem hidden from mankind. This Kong has anger, intelligence, compassion, sadness, you name it, it was all there, just not put in a spotlight like Peter Jackson did, but that wasn’t the purpose of this movie, Jackson wanted men and women balling over Kong’s death by the end, which is fine, Kong wasn’t going to die here so they only need to show range without dwelling too much on all aspects.
Beyond Kong, one of my most favorites aspects was how they treated the movie overall like the countless period films we’ve seen, from Apocalypse now to Platoon to Forrest Gump and even the likes of Remember the Titans. The use of both visuals and music to transport you to another point in history were perfectly executed in my opinion and made the film that much more fun.
I also really enjoyed the cast. I didn’t go into this film expecting, nor wanting Oscar worthy performances, I went to watch Kong kick ass and hopefully be entertained by the journey, and everyone in the cast did their job, with certain members like John C. Reilly and Samuel L. Jackson rising above the rest, but even Hiddleston and Larson worked for me. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t keep track of all the extra characters, look back through the Kong franchise, there’s a consistency of only having 3-4 characters you really get to know and the rest, if you even hear their name, are just plot tools and red shirts for the journey.
The score and use of classic rock songs intermixed really well and I thought it all worked great. While nothing to the level of John Barry’s music or classic themes like JAWS or the Imperial March, there were clear themes for Kong and Samuel L. Jackson and they were used well.
I quite like the Skullcrawlers, I think their look is very interesting and I find their anatomy makes for interesting fights. They have long tails that make them almost like a snake, but also long, powerful arms that allow them to punch and strike and they have powerful and lethal mouths almost like a crocodile or alligator. I have no personal attachment to what Kong fights, in fact I’m actually not a big fan of him fighting or even living among dinosaurs. For me, it seems weird to have Skull Island be essentially Jurassic Park, and then among dinosaurs, here’s a giant monkey. In this film, all the creatures, for me, feel believable as existing within the same world and I prefer that. I don’t deny that the visuals of the Kong vs V-Rex film in PJs film weren’t awesome, it’s just the idea that throws me.
Speaking of fights, I loved them all in this movie. I loved seeing Kong show his dominance over the helicopters and the smaller Skullcrawlers, and I really enjoyed seeing his intelligence used to fight the final Skullcrawler. I’ve seen some say they felt using tools made him weaker compared to Jackson’s Kong, but for me, Jackson’s Kong was just a mindless brute when it comes to fighting, which is ok, but I enjoy the intelligent side here, using tools like rocks or trees or boat motors as fighting tools, he’s strong and smart, making him more dangerous. You could also say he mirrors the Hulk quite a bit in this regard and I love Hulk so of course I’d take to this trait.
The Bad
It’s not all praise. I do agree with many who felt certain of the background characters were waste of space, they were neither instrumental to the plot nor fodder for the monster mayhem.
I also felt like one key moment in the film was an editing mess, which is the transition from the main Skullcrawler emerging and starting to attack Kong to it just about to attack Conrad and the others. At least in Godzilla, when they cut away from a fight, you either saw the conclusion, even if via newscast, or when you rejoined it, it fit with where things left. Here, the Skullcrawler was ready to finish Kong and take dominance of the island, yet, it seems to lock onto the humans and consider them a more worthwhile pursuit, and something that large couldn’t catch up to them sooner than it did, or it fought Kong more, and if it immediately went after the humans, does that then mean Kong was too weak still from the napalm to keep up and why he arrived a bit later? I guess some might consider it good filmmaking to leave something like this open to the viewer, but I’d rather have a clear sense of what happened if you’re going to cut a fight early like that. As an example, in Godzilla 2014, we see Godzilla about to start fighting the flying MUTO and we cut away, next time we see them, they’re still fighting and now half the city is in flames, so clearly the fight carried on over time.
The Building of MonsterVerse
So, I don’t know how many people really paid much attention to what was going on with Monarch, Hawkins and Randa, but here’s what I came away with.
Monarch started back with the discovery of Godzilla, but then struggled to find evidence of any other creatures and reason to exists and this was a last ditch effort to prove their point.
That point being, within the depths of earth, deep below the surface enough for man to never discover, but somehow able to survive, lie unimaginable creatures that are either dormant, keeping to themselves or being held at bay by something.
Godzilla has been keeping to himself until a nuclear sub caught his attention.
The MUTOs were lying dormant until man’s digging exposed the cavern in which they lay and awoke them.
Now we have the Skullcrawlers who actively live underground but for whatever reason, only make their way to the surface via openings on Skull Island, but you have Kong and his ancestors keeping them from doing so.
I really like the way they’re approaching the MonsterVerse and this idea that a “Lost World” exists beneath our feet and if man is not careful, the monsters will rise and we’ll be screwed.
It does also lead me to believe Godzilla and Kong will definitely unite at some point to protect Earth, they’ll initially see one another as threats, never having met previously, but will eventually realize they’re both trying to accomplish the same thing.
I don’t feel it’s guaranteed Rodan will be an ally, Mothra surely, and I can easily see a Destroy All Monsters film with Godzilla, Mothra and Kong taking on MUTOs, Skullcrawlers, Rodan(s) and Ghidorah.
Comparison To Past Kong Films
While the overall plot here is far different from the previous films, there is a lot of similarity too.
They all feature a voyage to Skull Island. I’d equate this one best to the ‘76 Kong, both featuring a bit of story on the ship and getting to the voyage taking off, then wrapping up quickly through montage and not wasting much time getting to the island, where I feel ‘33 and especially 2005 spent too much storytelling on the voyage itself.
Then there’s the Skull Island natives, all 4 films having their take on who might live in this strange, isolated world. For me, the best overall depiction goes to the ‘76 film. The natives in the ‘33 almost feel like they could be taken as racist now. The ‘76 film did a good job of depicting what you might expect of a jungle tribe cut off from civilization with just enough of a twist to fit the fact they live on an island with giant animals. 2005 went too far trying to be scary that for me, they just didn’t feel like a people who carried on life on the island but laid dormant in the walls until strangers showed up, which doesn’t work for me. Skull Island, for me, went too realistic, I felt like I was watching a national geographic special about a lost tribe somewhere on earth, there was no real hostility about them, no bizarre rituals, they lacked cinematic character.
Then there’s Kong’s women. In every film, there’s a women who touches his heart. For me, the best portrayal of establishing a connection between them was in 2005. While Jackson indulged himself too much at times and dragged on the moments that built their bond, the affection between them was very clear and the pain of Kong’s tragedy was stronger for it. The ‘33 film built no bond between them, ‘76 was strong but at times almost comical, and the bond between Kong and Weaver felt more like one of understanding than attachment, she saw the good in him that Packard couldn’t, and he saw the good in humanity that didn’t come through the military, and they looked out for each other, but the lack of strong attachment didn’t make the scene of him rescuing her as powerful as it may have felt had they been more attached to each other, but it was still sweet.
Another common piece is the fighting. For me, Skull Island wins, the fights went on just long enough and didn’t feature any aspects that could take you out of the moment, they worked great, from the military attack to the kaiju fights. 2005 had some great fights as well, but the halt take during the V-Rex fight in the vines after a very fast paced attacked leading to that and after that just made the fight feel a bit dragged out, though it certainly packs some solid highlight moments. In this area, I’d actually say ‘76 was probably the weakest, he had a very short, barely involved fight with a snake and mostly just got shot by the military, though he got in a few good swings. Compared to the ‘76 thought, the ‘33 was much more a fighter.
Finally, there’s score. As I’ve said before, the ‘33 score has some gems, but also some tracks that feel ill fitting with what’s on screen. John Barry’s score is probably the best of the Kong films, with Jackman’s on it’s heels, even sounding like Barry’s work at times. The 2005 score comes in at 3rd, with some highlight moments, but a lot of the music, like the visuals, feels drawn out too long at times.
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jye4ever
Broke and happy
Please bring the TOHO baddies because Legendary doesn't know how to create good monster villains.
MUTOS were ok.
Skull whatever sucked.
Pacific Rim kaiju sucked other than Knife Head who existed for what, 10 seconds.
The hero needs a good opponent.
MUTOS were ok.
Skull whatever sucked.
Pacific Rim kaiju sucked other than Knife Head who existed for what, 10 seconds.
The hero needs a good opponent.
I won't argue that Toho is overall better at monster design, but I like the Skullcrawlers and how they're a design from the original Kong taken further, and the MUTOs worked for me too.
Pacific Rim had some really cool Kaiju but where that movie went wrong is letting us see them, they either died to quick or were undershown, I've enjoyed them more via toys and statues than the movie itself.
Pacific Rim had some really cool Kaiju but where that movie went wrong is letting us see them, they either died to quick or were undershown, I've enjoyed them more via toys and statues than the movie itself.
Saw it again today. I was tired. But today I saw the film Khev and jye saw...... I still enjoyed the monsters (much more then jye) but the characters were much more annoying in their uselessness. You could have taken Hiddlson and Larson out of the film and it would not have impacted the plot at all. I still liked JC Reilly but since everyone around him was a horror was like he was in aone man show. SLJ was still good but the really should have given at least two more soldiers some more character and just let the rest be monster food and give them no speaking parts. Just too many one note soldiers. I also laughed at the fact that the Asian girl survived. I almost forgot she was in the film. Yet another character who just took up screen time from the others. Granted I was tired but I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. PJ' s Kong is better. I would say G14 is better made but equally boring. But who knows ? Perhaps when I see this on Bluray andI am wide awake I will find this much better again like my first viewing.
jye4ever
Broke and happy
Well that does take courage to admit that (not really it's just the stupid internet with strangers lol).
Look i'm no stuffy pretentious know it all film scholar I wanted to love the giant monkey movie as much as anyone else but honestly this movie really served no purpose other than to say that monsters protect the earth from other monsters.
But G14 already told us that in a more eloquent manner.
Why the hell did Kong walk up to Larson again.
I know a movie sucks when I can't even remember the primary characters name.
Primary!
Sure some of the fights were cool so maybe suck is too hard a term.
More like unfortunately pointless.
Look i'm no stuffy pretentious know it all film scholar I wanted to love the giant monkey movie as much as anyone else but honestly this movie really served no purpose other than to say that monsters protect the earth from other monsters.
But G14 already told us that in a more eloquent manner.
Why the hell did Kong walk up to Larson again.
I know a movie sucks when I can't even remember the primary characters name.
Primary!
Sure some of the fights were cool so maybe suck is too hard a term.
More like unfortunately pointless.
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Glad you got your wish, Maulfan. You're not the type to change your mind so its nice to know you have a movie you can enjoy for a lifetime.
Not laughing at you.
Not laughing at you.
That means, for me, almost every film sucks... There are very few films I watch where I can remember any character's names. It always takes repeat viewings or the name has to be Indiana for me to remember them.
jye4ever
Broke and happy
Really, wow.
I know the name of the primary 1-3 characters of every movie I own.
Not saying i'm proud of it.
I know the name of the primary 1-3 characters of every movie I own.
Not saying i'm proud of it.
GodzillaSpawn
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Saw kong again as well but still loved it.
Didn't Kong walk up to Larson after he probably saw her trying to lift a helicopter tail off of the creature?
I think he was just curious. Maybe even respected her.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
Didn't Kong walk up to Larson after he probably saw her trying to lift a helicopter tail off of the creature?
I think he was just curious. Maybe even respected her.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
jye4ever
Broke and happy
You mean when he stealthed his way over in tip toes lol.
I meant later on at night when she was with Loki he walked over.
I meant later on at night when she was with Loki he walked over.
KitFisto
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Well that does take courage to admit that (not really it's just the stupid internet with strangers lol).
Look i'm no stuffy pretentious know it all film scholar I wanted to love the giant monkey movie as much as anyone else but honestly this movie really served no purpose other than to say that monsters protect the earth from other monsters.
But G14 already told us that in a more eloquent manner.
Why the hell did Kong walk up to Larson again.
I know a movie sucks when I can't even remember the primary characters name.
Primary!
Sure some of the fights were cool so maybe suck is too hard a term.
More like unfortunately pointless.
You do remember and you said it......Kong
jye4ever
Broke and happy
The movie must be good then.
Ok fine I meant the human characters, not even one, sheesh!
Ok fine I meant the human characters, not even one, sheesh!
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