Kong is back

Rating: 6/10 (24 March 2018)

By the setting Kong : Skull island in the 1973 the film gets to dovetail the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict onto the plot.
The film begins with William Randa (John Goodman) and Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) trying to get government funding for an expedition to the unknown Skull Island who they have satellite images of for the first time. They recruit a former British special ops James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) as a guide and photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) for the expedition.
Lt Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and his team of soldiers are the military escort. Packard is upset with the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam leading what the fighting was for and what to do afterwards. This mission gives him purpose but as they arrive in their helicopters to Skull Island and start dropping bombs as part of scientific tests, they are attacked by the giant Kong who destroys the choppers and kills most of the men. Packard wants vengeance against Kong.
Meanwhile Conrad and Weaver discover Hank Marlow (John C Reilly) a soldier from World War 2 who crash landed and resides with the natives in the island. Marlow explains that Kong is regarded as a god by the natives and he is their protector as the island has other monsters especially those underground that only Kong can take on.
Kong: Skull Island neatly reworks elements of the King Kong story. We have the helicopter attack at the early part of the story leading to Packard becoming a sworn enemy of Kong. Of course Packard is crazy whose motivations are nonsense. It was he and his men who have invaded Kong's turf and started bombing it which has awaken the underground monsters. You get some mumbo jumbo about superiority of men while they are being killed by giant spiders and lizard creatures.
It is an entertaining action adventure with a ludicrous story. At least you root for Kong and he does keep the story going. The special effects are very good and you gets all sorts of nasty creatures in the island which again is a call back to the original King Kong.
The film really is unsure what to do with some of the leads. Larson is only there to be the tentative love interest to Hiddleston and bring out Kong's tender side. At least she fares better than the Chinese actress Tian Jing who as the other female is there just to keep the Chinese co-producers happy, she certainly has little to do in this film. Even Hiddleston's action man role is curtailed somewhat.