Size Matters - Epic KONG Conquers

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2017)

KONG : SKULL ISLAND (2017) *** 1/2 Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, John Ortiz, Tian Jing, Toby Kebell, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Richard Jenkins. CGI rules in this interesting take on King Kong with a group of explorers given a military escort to an uncharted South Pacific island circa 1973 only to find they are trespassing on the home of the gigantic ape and a horde of other monstrous beasties. While the aforementioned visual effects are the key ingredient to the monster mash, the blue chip cast manages to find solid footing in making the unreal real thanks to a decent screenplay by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly and John Gatins giving some pulse-pounding set pieces - to wit an impressive display of Kong taking on a platoon of helicopters and various other encounters with ginormous insects, prehistoric oddities and nightmare inducing creatures.