Kong Good Story Potential

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2017)

King Kong lives on. There is no forgetting the original which did its job to seal it in our hearts forever. What comes after that remains to be seen even though I thought Peter Jackson gave it a good go. In his version, the beginning dragged on and on and the movie doesn't really get its legs until we hit Skull Island. Same with this movie too. All the set-up prior is not needed to help take us to a mysterious island full of intrigue and adventure. If it was done properly, it would help to build suspense which just doesn't take place in this movie. Once there, Skull Island should occupy and overwhelm our senses 100% of the time something all writers tried to do except the 1976 version which didn't pay too much attention to the island details. They captured some of the mystique but didn't dwell long enough on it or explore it more in detail. Forgetting all that for the moment, I thought what they did show was decent as the creatures do help one focus on the screen. However, there were not enough of them, their background and habits and for that matter who are the people who live there and how do they survive? They farm? A hostile island that has farming? Hmmm. Then there is this battle between Kong and guys with guns. Now some of these guys got in some good shots so why isn't Kong reeling from this? At some point he is smarting and then it is forgotten. There is one scene that is troubling for believe-ability and that is the major fight scene between Kong and another creature. I thought the other creature got the best of Kong no problem so how is he going to eventually fight Godzilla? Jacksons Kong had more strength where this one is much larger. The characters in the movie are not memorable nor do we care about them and when they get eaten, well they got what they had coming. What is so hard about a good script? They had a good two years to float something and nail it. Any Kong fan could come up with a better story on the spot if forced to do so. There is no excuse for not wowing the audience especially when the subject matter is King Kong, Skull Island and creatures galore never before seen. If the director would have created more tension, spent more time on Kong and diversified the life forms more, it would be worth seeing again and again plus owning the Blue Ray would be a must. Not the case with one exception. If they have some deleted scenes such as the giant ants mentioned but not shown and more Skull Island details. If anyone is satisfied with this version of Kong then I don't know what to say except I am happy for you. However, for the ones that adore the concept, that have seen the original dozens and dozens of times, it lets down quite well. Wait for this to hit cable. BTW....I went to see this in 3 D expecting some really spectacular stuff. Save your money! King Kong will always be King but the storytellers, where have they gone? Popcorn and a tasty drink will help a lot. Enjoy this Kong (after all it is a King Kong movie) and hope that the ones that worked on this movie learn as they go. UPDATE: I was not aware that this was being used to launch the monsterama as I call it bringing back all my childhood monsters like Ghidra, Rodan, Mothra and of course Godzilla plus more I am sure. If that is the intent here, then they did a fare job of bringing this up to date to ready it for what is to come. Also, I didn't know about scenes after the credits either. Must watch and thank you