Best advice: have no expectations

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2017)

This movie was excellently shot, well acted, brilliantly directed, and surprisingly well executed. I walked into it thinking, "Seriously?!" I mean, come on, it's King Kong, the sequel. How good can it be? Well apparently, actually pretty f'ing enjoyable. I am not giving it high marks because it was an Oscar Winner by any stretch, except maybe on the graphics, but I mean, that can be said for most movies these days. No, I am giving it props because I actually enjoyed this movie and would highly recommend it. It grabs you from the beginning and keeps hold through out. No joke, incredibly shot. Incredible respect for the director, who has apparently not done anything to this scale before far as I can tell. And Tom Hiddleston, if you haven't seen Night Manager, it will change your mind about him as an actor. Yeah, I mean he's got Loki going on, but this and that short Hulu/BBC/AMC collabo truly shows his range beyond the megalomaniac Asgardian. Really, this movie reminds me of Pacific Rim: another movie I went in with NO expectations except monster film, so no dialogue, less plot, worse acting, and somehow less direction, and like that one, I was thoroughly delighted. Maybe low expectations are best in films like this, but that's OK. I am tired of the super hyped CGI fest that promises everything and delivers nothing. Sometimes, a pleasant surprise is just what the doctor ordered, and while some of plot may be predictable, that still does not take away from you caring about the characters and hoping that they manage to survive what should be a no-win scenario, and getting your kicks from a few well placed jump scares, tremendous photography, and, I feel, poignant commentary on the human condition. If you're not into monster films though, this may not be for you. But if you have an inkling for giant impossible beings kicking the crap out of each other and puny humans caught in the middle, you just may want to give this a chance....