Weak-but-entertaining monster movie.

Rating: 5/10 (16 March 2017)

Since this movie was released last Friday, it has garnered a fairly positive reception. Seeing it being talked about so positively aroused an eager interest, mostly due to my love of the King Kong character, which led me to see it a few days ago. Do I think that it lived up to the hype? No. I do not.
Now, that does not mean to say that I did not derive any enjoyment from the picture, because I did, but boy, this movie has issues.
The movie begins by introducing us to the various characters who are brought together by John Goodman and Corey Hawkins' characters, two men who are leading an expedition to an uncharted island. Once there they inevitably run into the famous ape, as well as some other scary creatures.
This is an extremely formulaic plot present in every King Kong movie. However, the problem I had with this film wasn't necessarily over the simple structure, but more so the poor execution of said structure.
The human characters feel paper thin and lazily written. The dialogue they are given is even worse. Tom Hiddlestone and Brie Larsson are two particular characters who are given no development whatsoever, yet the movie puts them in situations where it feels like we are supposed to care for them. The only two characters that were given any kind of development were John C. Reilly and Samual L. Jackson. Everyone else felt like they were part of a B-movie.
Now, negative out of the way, I must say that Kong and the other creatures on the island are the high-points of the film for me. Everyone one of them feels realistic, with personality. Their movements flow and add weight, particularly with Kong himself. I found myself wanting the monsters on screen whenever they weren't, and I wasn't let down on that end.
It's a pity the weak characters take away from the greatness of the titular beast, but it's safe to say that anyone who wants to see King Kong beating the crap out of mysterious monsters will not be disappointed. Just don't expect to remember the movie two weeks down the line.