I went to see this movie twice in a row. Just for the sneaky epilogue!

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2017)

As a rule, most movies rarely feel as good when you see them a second time. This film, however, is an exception to that rule. It's like the writers at Warner Brothers and Legendary decided: "What if we did a sequel to the Jack Black/Naomi Watts remake set during the Vietnam War a la APOCALYPSE NOW?"
Well, it looks like they did. And with the box office take, from Opening Weekend approaching the $73 million mark, I think it's safe to assume that the answer is a resounding "Yes!"
First off, there's the brilliantly subtle nod to Joseph Conrad, the author of the jungle adventure novel on which APOCALYPSE NOW was loosely based. That happens to be the surname of Tom Hiddleston's character; an ex-captain of the British Special Air Service burnt out from all his military service. Yet, he still resides in Southeast Asia, putting his military expertise to what he'd like to believe is good civilized humanitarian use. Hence, his first name "Jack" (derived, I think, from "Union Jack," symbol of steadfast British resolve).
Then, there's the relative newcomer Brie Larson playing Mason Weaver; a tomboyish photojournalist whose coverage of the Vietnam War, on the front lines, did not sway her pacifist beliefs against America's involvement in it, one bit. No moral U-turn for her (unlike, say, David Jansen's journalistic character in THE GREEN BERETS)! And that's why I think, even though I've never heard of her before, Ms. Larson is going to make as big a name for herself, in the near-future, the same way Sigourney Weaver did from 1978 onward.
John C. Reilly, as Lt. Hank Marlow (a U.S. Army Air Forces fighter pilot, stranded on the island since 1944), provides both comedy relief and poignancy at the same time. I mean, one minute you can be laughing at his debate with Lt. Slivko, of the First Air Cavalry, about which music style is superior; Depression-era swing or 1960's rock-and-roll. The next moment, you're almost brought to tears by how much he was able to put aside his initial wartime hatred of fellow cast-away Gunpei Ikari (formerly of the Imperial Japanese Air Force) whom he tragically outlived on the island.
But, Samuel L. Jackson practically steals the show as Colonel Preston Packard.* A decorated hero of the Vietnam War, who even got to shake hands with Lyndon B. Johnson, you get the sense that he probably got his start as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Hence, his bitterness about returning to the States from Saigon (remember: the film is set in 1973) without the same kind of clear-cut victory. That, in turn, is why he becomes Captain Ahab to King Kong's Moby Dick.
Now, I've heard that this movie is going to do for Toho Studios' venerable monsters what Marvel Films did for the superheroes of the Avengers. Which is to say...bring them together. Hence, the sneaky epilogue!
Combine that with the vintage music sound track (my favorites were the two Creedence Clearwater classics); and you have one sci-fi action/adventure flick that you just should not miss.
*I can't help feeling that his character's name is an automotive pun on his Marvel Films character. As in, Col. Nick Fury being reminiscent of the Plymouth Fury which came out the same year the quality of Packard cars started going downhill (circa 1955)?