Enjoyable

Rating: Null/10 (12 March 2017)

Definitely one of the better blockbusters in recent times, with lots of recognizable actors that you'll find yourself hoping their characters won't die, which adds to the thrill. Samuel Jackson is of course solid, and infuriating near the end. Brie Larson was nice and believable. Tom Hiddleston doesn't really have the kind of presence that an actor in this type of movie should be having (he tries and he fails IMO). Straight Outta Compton actors Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell are good to see here. Corey Hawkins as a nerdy scientist alongside Jing Tian was a pleasure to see. John C. Reilly's character propels most of the movie. There was a lot of use of colored smoke which made for gorgeous shots, so I'm not really complaining. I appreciated the fact that the actors of color weren't just merely hired so they can claim "diversity", but gave them good roles, lines, and didn't kill them off. I also appreciated that the people in the island weren't painted as uncivilized or 'savages', the way these type of films usually do. However, it feels off that they never even developed any form of language besides staring really long into each others' eyes and bowing. The villainous monster design was good, and was a great contrast to Kong. Kong as a character and a creature was definitely more regal, and is further on the evolutionary process (i.e. walks upright and uses and builds tools).