The King reigns again

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2017)

He's big, he's loud, hairy and proud. He is King Kong! This giant ape is to Hollywood what Godzilla is to Japan, having undergone multiple remakes ever since the classic movie from 1933. From the cheesy but fun 1976 version to the fairy tale-like period piece by Peter Jackson of LORD OF THE RINGS fame, to being borrowed by Japan for a couple of movies and facing off against Godzilla himself. Not to mention the deluge of imitators cashing in on the giant ape Monster concept.
Unlike previous attempts by Hollywood, KONG: SKULL ISLAND is not a remake of the classic tragedy. The original movie and its remakes were centred around a tragic "damsel and Monster" pseudo romance: people go to a mysterious island, Kong saves damsel in distress, falls for her, gets brought back to America, runs amok, captures damsel, gets killed by aeroplanes. This 2017 movie eschews that tired storyline for an original one set during the closing chapters of the Vietnam war.
Out to prove the existence of ancient mega-sized monsters, Bill Randa and Houston Brooks of the MONARCH organisation tag along with an expedition to a recently discovered island shrouded in storm clouds. With them are photojournalist Mason Weaver, biologist San Li, survivalist Conrad as their guide, Scientists from LANDSAT on a geological survey and a team of soldiers as escort. I loved the pacing of the set up and the plot evokes a sense of nostalgia. It is an exploration into the unknown, a little like Jurassic park with a team of unlikely heroes sent to a mysterious island, tragedy happens and they pull together to survive. The strange colossal creatures are revealed and portrayed in a way similar to the appearance of the first dinosaur in the classic Steven Spielberg movie, with that sense of awe and majesty.
Unlike Jurassic Park however, Kong is not a peaceful herbivore but a fierce protector guarding a dark secret beneath the island. The awe turns to horror as The humans' actions have awoken an ancient menace, angering Kong who decimates the helicopters and scatters the group. Conrad leads half of the group toward an evacuation site while Colonel Packard gathers what remains of men to strike back at Kong for killing his comrades. But the island holds many fearsome secrets and their only hope for defeating a blood thirsty race of predators is Kong.
Right from the get go, the all star cast nails it! Spot on delivery and portrayal of every character, their motivations and quirks completely fleshed out. They are not particularly complex, many of the soldiers fall into the "typical squad" mold that we have seen in many other movies featuring squads of soldiers, but the main characters are great. Tom Hiddleston's Conrad oozes badass charm and undergoes an arc that brings him from aloof loner out for himself to someone who puts the date of his teammates before himself. Samuel L Jackson's Packard is my favourite character. His quest for revenge against Kong and his slow descent into madness feels like something out of Apocalypse Now. It is a natural progression of his arc and the best part is that it does not feel contrived. His reasons are noble, having failed his men before and not wanting to fail them again. His relationship wit Kong becomes a sort of Ahab/Moby Dick dynamic which leads to a powerful pro-environmental message about humanity's tendency to destroy what they do not understand or cannot control.
The main attraction however are the giant monsters rendered in CGI using motion capture. The effects are magnificent, rendered primarily by Industrial Lights and Magic (ILM) the studio behind the effects of Transformers and Star Wars. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts brings clear camera-work with wide angles and sweeping shots allowing the action to be beheld in full. The cinematography by Larry Fong is astounding in itself, imbuing Skull Island with a rich atmosphere of unrestrained beauty. The shot near the opening of Kong rising against a setting sun is just one example of the many breathtaking sequences. My only gripe was how Kong's fur was rendered. There seems to be an unexplainable stiffness to the fur which at times looks less natural than 2005's rendition by Weta Digital.
By all counts, KONG: SKULL ISLAND is a rip roaring adventure with a sense of nostalgia accompanied by magnificent visuals, and clear action scenes pushing the boundaries of the giant Monster movie genre. It gives equal focus to both human characters and its titular titan, never getting bogged down in either element. The icing on the cake? KONG: SKULL ISLAND sets up a shared Monster universe, a "Monsterverse", and a sequel where the King will face off against a God.