Rousing and fun reboot of the Kong franchise

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2017)

"Kong: Skull Island" (2017 release; 118 min.) starts a new chapter in the King Kong universe. As the movie opens, we are told it's "South Pacific, 1943", and a US pilot and Japanese pilot crash land on a beach, and while they are fighting each other, Kong appears out of the blue. Cue forward and now we are "1973" (as we see Nixon announce the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam). Bill Randa is able to get a US Senator to approve a 'mapping mission' of an unchartered island somewhere in the South Pacific. After some quick preparations, including getting a military escort, off we go to that mysterious island... To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest reboot of the King Kong franchise, more than a decade since the last one (by Peter Jackson). This time, Kong is bigger and better and 'badder' than ever before, and with lots of other monsters on the island, much to our viewing pleasure. The movie has a distinct "Apocalypse Now" vibe going in the first part, even more so as the herd of helicopters approaches the island and is met by Kong. Once the action shifts to the island, there is a distinct "Jurassic Park" vibe to it. We all know fully well that there is a lot of CGI in the movie, yet it never bothered me, and in fact I'll see that the movie feels very authentic from that perspective. The support cast is okay, with John C. Reilly (as the stranded US pilot now 30 years later) absolutely stealing the show (sorry John Goodman, Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, et al.). There is a terrific score to the movie, courtesy of veteran composer Henry Jackman, and there are also a ton of song placements (Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", CCR's "Run Through the Jungle", etc.). BEWARE: this movie is rated PG-13 for a reason, as there are some frightening scenes that I believe are inappropriate for kids under the age of 10 or thereabouts.
"Kong: Skull Island" opened wide this past weekend. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was sold out to the very last seat. The audience LOVED this movie, and gave it an applause when the end titles started rolling. "Kong: Skull Island" is nothing short of a rounding and fun reboot of the Kong franchise. I can't wait to see the next installment (reportedly due for 2019). "Kong: Skull Island" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!