A few quick words on "Kong: Skull Island" (2017).

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2017)

"Kong: Skull Island" doesn't have the charm and sense of fun of Peter Jackson's version, but it's still a first-rate monster movie that I highly recommend. It's got a good script, likable characters and terrific special effects.
Parts of it were actually scary. The first action set-piece is unexpectedly brutal, and there's a sequence with a giant spider that was a little unnerving, too. I was surprised at how the filmmakers here so heavily emphasized the story's action-horror elements.
I had a blast with this, and I'd give it a 9 out of 10.
I have a question -- did anyone else notice a reference to "Jurassic Park" (1993)? At one point, Samuel Jackson's character tells his companions to "Hang on to your butts." Isn't that his character's line in "Jurassic Park" when he restores power to the facility, shortly before he gets killed?