A 7/10 film that revels in being a 7/10 film. However, I give it an 8.

Rating: 8/10 (1 November 2017)

I saw this film on the same day as Logan, and while that film was great it didn't leave as much of an impression on me as it seems to have done for other people.
Kong Skull Island - however - gets me excited thinking about it.
Let me clarify. For me there's nothing better than a film that knowingly commits to genre schlock and style. Something which Skull Island does in spades. The film wastes very little time getting to the action, which puts many people off this take but for me was an enormous breath of fresh air. We all know what King Kong looks like, we all know his M.O and we all know how these films go: first a foot, then a hand, then a glimpse here and there before there's a big scene with some screaming woman tied to a post before the monster can be seen in all its glory. Not here. Here we get straight to it, and I appreciate the film for not taking us down the same old path.
This film belongs to a new wave of film-making which is using pulp and new technology to carve its own film language. The influences here don't come from the oft dug classic directors and films - the influence here is pop-culture, pulp and anime. It sounds like a recipe for the most juvenile and dumb crap ever - but in choosing which elements to lift from each of these carefully, the film manages to create something really interesting. There's spots here of 50's B sci-fi, Vietnam movies and studio Ghibli films and it creates a very textured and rich set of visual moments.
On that note, this is a very visual and visceral film. The characters are pretty stock here - though enjoyable enough to watch, especially John C Reilly and Samuel L Jackson, who chew through the jungle with aplomb - their motivations are about as straightforward as you can get. The majority of the cast just want to get off the island except for Jackson, who wants to blow the hell out of a giant monkey and then get off the island (largely because he's salty about the U.S pulling out of 'Nam and wants to have a victory).
The straightforward narrative is pretty perfect for this sort of film, as there's nothing worse than a B-movie trying and failing to do complex character motivation (well there is, a serious film trying and failing, because then you don't even have the popcorn factor to fall back on). The objectives are all clear and nothing gets in the way of the action.
Which is amazing. Everything you want from this sort of creature feature is here. Giant spiders, weird dinosaurs giant octopuses all make an appearance and are combated in a variety of crazy and inventive ways. If you don't get a little quiver of excitement as Kong smashes a snake monster with a rusty anchor from a shipwreck then you are not wired for this sort of film.
Anyway, it's great fun