Very Fun Monster Movie

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2017)

I love me a good monster movie.
And, KONG: SKULL ISLAND is a very good, very entertaining monster movie.
Directed by relative newcomer Jordan Vogt-Roberts, KONG: SKULL ISLAND delivers pretty much what you expect - a group of explorers (with Military escorts) descend upon the mysterious Skull Island to find out what's there and what they find are monsters...plenty of monsters...with Kong as King of the Island.
I applaud the restraint that this film shows. Â The action is first rate, but not over the top, the CGI is very, very good and the laughs are plenty enough to keep you entertained. Â It is stylish, but not overly so. Â Adventurous, but not too daring. Â CGI fight- filled, but not overblown. Â The quick-cut, shaky cam that is so prevalent in other films is kept to a minimum here and the monsters are sizable enough for the average audience member to understand without getting overwhelmed by it.
But it is the use of the actors that really stands out.
Starting with the casting of John Goodman as the head of the group heading to the island and good ol' Samuel L. Jackson as the head of the Military team that goes in. Â Instantly, the audience recognizes and understands their generic characters - based on the history of characters that these two have played - and it is like eating comfort food. Â Add to this, Tom Hiddleston (Loki in the Marvel films) and Brie Larson (soon to be CAPTAIN MARVEL) as our hero and heroine, and we have a top 4 that are easy to watch and comforting in their presence.
Now...add onto these 4...solid supporting characters. Â From John Ortiz and Marc Evan Jackson as "Corporate Suits" caught in the fray to soldiers Shea Whigham, Jason Mitchell and Toby Kebbell (who also - magnificently - does the motion capture work as Kong) to Corey Hawkins and Tian Jing as young scientists, all do solid work, not a weak performance in the bunch.
But the real surprise to me is the Â wonderful, fun, turn by John C. Reilly as an Air Force pilot who has been stranded on the island for decades. Â I blow hot and cold with Mr. Reilly's antics. Â He can be very good and sympathetic (Boogey Nights, Chicago) or he can be bland when trying to be over-the-top zany (anything he does when he tries to match zany performance with Will Ferrell) but here he finds the right balance in fun, energy, pathos and grit. Â He is, truly, the character I ended up rooting for in this film
Clearly, the ProducersÂ (paired with the successful 2014 GODZILLA film), see a potential "Cinematic Universe" with these 2 characters. Â Make sure you stay for the important scene at the end of the end credits - not just the "home movies" that are shown during the credits, but the actual scene at the end - and you will see how this film fits into the previous film and how they will be connected going forward.
I, for one, am looking forward to more adventures in this Universe.
Letter Grade: a solid B+
8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)