The "Monsterverse" is Here and the "King" Holds Court

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2017)

Fans and Devotees of the Original "King Kong" (1933), and there are Legions, will have to Swallow Their Pride and Accept that was then and this is Now. And Now it Certainly is.
Now is the Time for Multiverses, Sequels, Prequels, Tie-Ins, and other Box-Office Fodder for the New Millennium. The Success of this Formatting is so Dollar Friendly that there is Money to be made, Oodles and Oodles of Money.
Divorced from the "Girl in the Hairy Paw" Centralization of the "Kong" Story, this "Kong" is no doubt "King" on His Skull Island, Protecting the Natives from Monsters from the "Hollow Earth" and generally Holding Court to Anyone and Everyone who Invades the Island, including a Fleet of Helicopters dropping Bombs on His Home Turf.
The Movie is Exciting, Gruesome, Horrific, and Pulse Pounding. The Enormous Number of CGI Artist and Their Crew of Fellow Tweakers have Embellished the Modernization Motif of Monsters and Mayhem and Deliver an Entertaining, Big, Dumb, Numbing Number of Battles and Behemoths that Strive for the Breathtaking that has become Routine of Late and is getting Harder and Harder to Top.
But Try They do and with some Gusto. Clichés Abound during the Running Time with another "Top of the Pops" Soundtrack that Punctuate Scene after Scene. The Characters are mostly Disposable and Disposed They are with Regularity.
Only One Character is Memorable and that is John C. Reilly's Show Stealer. Sam Jackson is Central as a Vietnam Colonel that has Snapped with the Disappointment of Withdrawal and has Lost His Mind. A Fitting Metaphor for the Veterans but is so Heavy Handed it Loses some of its Impact and Relevance.
Overall, it's a "No Brainer" and can be Enjoyed as it Stands. But Stand Alone it does not. There is this Thing called the "Monsterverse" and this is one of the Movies that will Perpetuate the Pictures that are Coming to a Multiplex Near You. Join the Club or Not. Your Participation is Objective and Optional.