A film of stunning scenery and shallow thrills

Rating: 6/10 (12 July 2017)

Some of the superficial elements that make up Kong: Skull Island, almost make the film worth watching, almost. An exotically stunning picture where the rain forests are so bright and golden as if sunlight was radiating from in between the trees. Kong emerges under the fiery halo of a setting telephoto sun that takes up half the screen. But it was that that moment when I began to have this feeling that I've had too often before, the movie is spectacle and little substance.
We begin with John Goodman convincing a senator to fund an expedition to a newly discovered island (captured by satellite camera). He also gets the luxury of a military escort. Enter Samuel L. Jackson as the commander, perfectly type cast with his bravado Schick that is no longer entertaining. The film also succeeds in wasting Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson. The highlight of the cast, is John C. Riley. Stranded on the island for two decades, he has befriended the local indigenous people and knows all the Islands secrets. His humour and energy, are a relief from watching everyone else perform with zero enthusiasm.
As for King Kong, He is the biggest we have seen yet in a major motion picture. Unfortunately he is stuck in a movie that is not 'King Kong'; a movie that about a monster finding his humanity. This Kong is all about attitude and not soul. The idea is that he is the guardian protector of the island, who fights to keep nature in balance, by controlling the numbers of the other big inhabitants. He is the last of his kind, and his family was killed by a species that looks like an amphibious version of the distinctive skulled ape in Temple Run.
The climax pits Kong against the big daddy of these beasts, a riveting fight scene but with an inevitable outcome. Other highlights include a daddy 'super' long and another giant insect that can disguise itself as a decrepit fallen tree. The jarheads in the movie are virtually nothing more than bodies to feed to creatures like these. In fact the movie often feels like a realized version of the games we used to play with dinosaurs and little toy soldiers.
Director Jordan Vogt Roberts seems to be mimicking Michael Bay films. You can see it in his use of slow motion, his stagy camera angles, and framing, and in his comic book color palette. He handles his action scenes with a greater sense of orientation, but like Bay, he fails to summon any suspense, thrill or anticipation. The film always seems too eager to get to the action oriented punchline of every scene.
The finished product, is a sexy looking, 50's throwback monster movie, with lots of crazy beasts, stunning scenery and nothing in the way of character development or intelligent dialog. Samuel L. Jacksson points a gun and says, "unless you tell me what I don't know, I will blow your head off." You can't get much cheesier than that right?