A fun monster movie but lacks compelling characters.

Rating: 6/10 (22 September 2017)

Kong: Skull Island is basically exactly what you'd expect it to be, as long as you're not expecting Apocalypse Now 2. Which, ironically, is often what this film is trying to go for. If I walked into the theater for this movie not knowing at all what it was, the first act (very first scene excluded) would make me think that it was a crappy Vietnam war film with way too many A-list actors. In reality, it is an OK monster movie with way too many A-list actors and absolutely no character development.
This film started off pretty badly in all respects, but improved significantly after the actual monster came into the plot. Honestly, the monster and John C. Reilly's character are the only characters that get any real development, which is this movie's biggest problem. There are so many characters in this film, and they are all reduced to stereotypes. Tom Hiddleston is in this film just to be the handsome action hero and Brie Larson is there just to be the sexy main female lead. Larson gets no backstory whatsoever, and Hiddleston is reduced to one line that sounds like it was shoehorned in at the very last second. John Goodman's character has some backstory but he's so annoying it doesn't matter.
All of the acting is mediocre, which is a shame because of the quality of actors put in this film. The only good performances are Samuel L. Jackson because he's Samuel L. Jackson, and John C. Reilly because he's occasionally funny. Other than that, good actors can be reduced to rubbish because of the bad script.
Of course, this movie isn't complete garbage, and that is mostly because of the all the various monsters and explosions. Say what you will about Kong: Skull Island, but it is entertaining as hell. The monster fights are big and mindless, and that's honestly all anybody asked for when going into this film.
If you go into Kong: Skull Island expecting mindless action, then you will most likely love it. However, if you watch it for literally any other reason, then you will find a mediocre monster movie that has been done a million times before.
I give Kong: Skull Island a C+.