If this movie was a pizza...

Rating: 6/10 (14 March 2017)

...there wouldn't be nearly enough room for all the toppings. And when I say toppings, I mean cap-tips, nods, winks, clichés, hackneyed and formulaic sequences - the number of movies I could cite here as 'inspiration' for Kong: Skull Island would easily exceed the maximum number of words allowed in a review. Sounds doomed to fail, right?
Not quite. The team behind this movie don't at any point pretend to bring anything new to the table - in fact, they are seemingly revelling in being able to do just the opposite. It's hammy, it's cheesy, it's predictable, it's trite - but for the best part, it's a lot of fun, albeit about 20 minutes too long.
The visual effects by ILM are as per exceptional, and this is the really what you're paying the ticket price for (the final sequence being the 'money shot'); it's a firework display in that you know what will happen, you've seen it before but yet you gladly hand over your money for that fleeting, dazzling light show - and this is no exception.
Sure, there are some vague references to the horror of war and the importance of humanity leaving the planet alone - but in reality, this flick is about leaving your brain at the door, taking the kids (who will love it), and forgetting about the serious stuff for a couple of hours. This is a 6/10 - but a good 6, and you'll not feel short-changed. I think I sort of liked it. Sort of.