Good Fun if you Don't Engage your Brain too much

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2017)

Kong vs Godzilla is a classic B-movie team-up, and in a bid to compete with Marvel and DC's cinematic universes, and with a reasonably successful Godzilla reboot under the belt, Legendary decided to recreate that iconic clash. Kong is the second movie in Legendary's Monsterverse, although it's the first one to really embrace the idea of a shared continuity with Godzilla.
It's the early days of Monarch, the organisation that lead the investigations in Godzilla, and they're a laughing stock. There's no proof that any of their crackpot theories are true, so in a desperate bid they tack on to a survey team at the tail end of the Vietnam war. There's Monarch, made up of Bill Randa and Houston Brooks, a group of scientists headed up by Victor Nieves, a military arm lead by Colonel Packard, a tracker-for-hire, and a war photographer. They're instantly met with the sight of an angry Kong, separated, and spend the majority of the movie attempting to re-connect with each other, exploring the island as they go and uncovering the darker secrets it holds.
As plots go, Kong is nothing particularly new or, unfortunately, interesting. They embark on the expedition, are immediately separated, spend the entire movie finding each other, and then they attempt to get off the island. That's literally it. The little niggles of story are sourced from character's various motivations, which range from stereotypical to just plain absurd. It doesn't help that character development is pretty much non-existent. There's no lead protagonist, with the film instead going for an ensemble of equal opportunity, which results in a lack of focus.
But you know what, none of that really mattered much. Kong is absolutely a movie that chooses style over substance, and it's style is so superbly executed that nothing else really matters. I mean, it's a monster movie after all, and it takes that license seriously. It's all about monsters and big critters and explosive action between them. Kong fights helicopters, he fights an octopus, he fights weird lizard creatures from beneath, and he fights Samuel L Jackson. It's all a monster movie could need to stay entertaining.
Of course it helps that the CGI is spectacular. I feel like I say this every time, and maybe that's just because that's where we are with CGI these days, but all the visual effects work is so detailed and realistic. Kong himself is a breathtaking piece of work, full of expression and natural movements (thank you motion capture), and every other monster featured enjoys the same devotion, from the swamp-covered oxen to the towering spiders with bamboo for legs. Hell, even the storm surrounding the island looks imposing and otherworldly, with streaks of red lightning providing a very real threat to the crew of the expedition.
It's not just the CGI though. The cinematography gives the film such a unique appearance. It's the 70s in the Pacific, of course the natural colour pallet to take is one vibrant and full of greens, blues, and oranges. Visually it looks like a Vietnam war movie, with it's most obvious inspiration being Apocalypse Now. The choice of locations helps a lot as well, with wide, lush plains framed by towering rock-faces and hills covered in palm trees. I admit, one of my worries with Kong, before any footage premiered, was whether it would look even half as good as Godzilla. Thankfully, with Larry Fong responsible for the movie's appearance, I should never have worried. The long time Zack Snyder collaborator is responsible for making Snyder's movie's look unlike anything else, and he brings the same eye to Kong.
In short, Kong: Skull Island is an adrenaline pumping action movie full of explosions, big monsters, and incredible visuals. It lacks substance, both in characters and story, but it's technically a very well-made movie and perfect for just idly chucking on for a bit of mindless fun. Let's be honest, it was never going to be a deep or profound experience full of twists and turns, although I would've liked to have cared for the characters a little more. I give Kong: Skull Island a superficially enjoyable 7/10.