Does Everything It Needs to Do

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2017)

Kong: Skull Island isn't getting a 10/10 from me because it's a terrific movie but because it does everything it needs to do. I've been rather disappointed in action blockbusters for quite a while now. They're all just bland thrillers (like Bourne 5 and Spectre - I like the Bond series a lot, but, my goodness, they weren't even trying with Spectre) or vacuous superhero movies (I won't even name any in particular since I pretty much dislike the entire genre, with a handful of exceptions).
Anyway, some people say to watch movies in other genres, that many good movies come out each year that aren't in either of those categories, but that's besides that point. I want to see competently made $200 million spectacles. I'm fine with (and I want) stupid fun, but make it good stupid fun. I want explosions and gunfights, giant monsters and alien invasions, but not at the expense of a lack of discipline. No, I don't need characters of Shakespearean depth in these movies, but I want to at least feel some concern for them. I don't need the world-building to rival The Lord of the Rings, but I don't want writers to get lazy with background information either. You get the point. For all these reasons, I was ecstatic when watching Kong: Skull Island. (And I wasn't even planning on seeing this movie when I first heard about it. I just happened to see a trailer online a few days ago and thought it might be nice.)
The movie gets to the action quickly, but makes sure to give us a proper setup. I liked how the creatures' existence was explained with the Hollow Earth theory. We also understand the different characters' motivations. They aren't complex characters and they don't get a lot of development, but I cared for them. You know that most of them are going to die, of course, but when they were in danger, I wanted them to make it out safely. John C. Reilly, Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman, and Brie Larson (who's quite beautiful here) give good performances.
One problem that I have with so many action movies these days is that it seems writers don't know how to properly incorporate humor into their scripts. So many times in other movies, a character's wisecracking has prevented me from feeling suspense. That isn't a problem here. The humor doesn't get in the way of the thrills.
Kong: Skull Island also looks great. I loved the way the jungle and the sunsets were shot. And the creatures are awesome. In addition to Kong, there are the Skullcrawlers you've probably seen in the trailers, pterosaurs, and giant spiders, and the scenes involving these are fun.
There really is only one (minor) problem I had with the film, and that would be Samuel L. Jackson's character. His performance is just fine. It's just that the character's motivation, while understandable, is a little insufficient considering the situation they're all in. It felt a little like he only acted the way he did because the writers thought the film needed a human antagonist. I think this could have been fixed if part of his motivation was guilt for being so eager to accept the proposal to go to the island.
I might be being a bit excessive with my praise and I'm sure on a second viewing I'll see more problems, but it's been a very long time since I saw a movie like this in theaters and enjoyed it this much. I'll be looking forward to Godzilla vs. King Kong. Such a shame it's scheduled for 2020.