A bit squeamish-inducing but plenty of bang for the buck

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2017)

Owing a bit more to the James Cameronesque horror of grotesquely-shaped beasts than to the simplistic awe of a majestic beast, Kong: Skull Island is an effective nail biter. It's not for the squeamish, however.
With the genuine shocks of adrenaline and the action geared towards 3-D viewing, Kong: Skull Island feels like a two-hour roller coaster ride but there's an honest attempt at characterization and story.
There's a loosely-established mythology that Kong is the last of his kind and protector to a tribe of very indigenous looking people and a necessary balance to the ecosystem from the dangers of a very ugly creature called the skull duggers and yada yada yada. The film's need for moral parable is precipitated by the fact that Samuel L Jackson (who normally plays such level-headed characters) plays a military commander who's attitudes towards animals are evil with a capital "E" which sets up the main narrative conflict of the film, prompting the need for the good guys to step in and rescue Kong from animal cruelty. Perhaps, it's because of the Vietnam setting that the film has an anti-military stance as Jackson's character represents militarism run amok.
Chief among the good guys is a castaway played by John C. Rielly who is both a throwback to 50's B-movies (other reviews liken him to "Apocalypse Now") and an endearing character in his own right as a castaway who has been stranded on Kong Island for nearly three decades. Brie Larson makes her first big post-Oscar move in style as a Ripley-esque action heroine and Thomas Hiddlestone proves that this guy has a future as a leading man (piggybacking on his great performance in the in "Night Manager").
"Kong: Skull Island" is beautifully shot and highly entertaining provided you can stomach it.