It's hard to hate a movie that wants nothing more than to take you on a ride . . . Giant ride that is.

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2017)

Jordan Vogt-Roberts (of the Sundance breakout The Kings of Summer previously) delivered a fresh, new experience that honours the essential elements of the iconic character and provides big, monster movie matinée for an epic fun-time. Written by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Max Borenstein (2014's Godzilla), and Derek Connolly (Jurassic World), the movie follows a team of scientists, soldiers, and adventurers on a journey to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful.
If it was only spectacle and size that defined a great genre movie then 'Kong: Skull Island' would have had it all- unfortunately that's not the case. Size does matter, but not over and above aspects of story-telling and technicalities other than CGI, that help make a movie experience more real and involving. The representation of Kong as protector to the native tribesmen , other dwarfed inhabitants and aggressor to the bunched -up rest who puts his survival in peril, is also not clearly drawn. How does Kong differentiate between one human and the next, especially when they all come from the same group who invaded his island and made an attempt on his life? That's a question left unanswered.
Although none of that should bother you.
It's hard to hate on a movie that wants nothing more than to take you on a ride, and that's precisely what Kong: Skull Island does. With some truly jaw-dropping visuals from director of photography Larry Fong (of Watchmen, Lost, Super 8, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), a colourful cast of thin but endearing characters, and some of the most bad-ass Kong action committed to the screen, Kong: Skull Island is a solidly entertaining entry in the ape's ever-expanding lore. And be sure to stay after the credits for a little tease at what's to come next from the "MonsterVerse." My inner-child was grinning ear-to- ear.