A fun, undeniably entertaining film, but with prominent problems

Rating: 6/10 (17 March 2017)

I hadn't planned to see this until some friends invited me to go with them. After watching the movie, I still think that it's arguably skippable, but if you have plans to go, then by all means, go.
My biggest problem was the film's messily put together first act, which I disliked for virtually every reason possible. The cartoonish opening has two planes crashing on an unnamed island (wonder what its called?), the surviving pilots of which proceed to chase each other and engage in combat until they see a giant, furry hand, belonging to, well, you know. The problem here is that the movie expects us to not expect any of this, and to not know that they are on the titular island. I can already picture it on CinemaSins.
After showing us the title, the film cuts to D.C., where John Goodman's filmmaker is asking a senator to grant him a military escort to Skull Island, known for being the site of crashed planes, the pilots and passengers of which have so far never returned.
Every character is under the eye of a director (Jordan Vogt-Roberts) who has so many wannabe artsy shots that he doesn't seem to know what he's doing. The faults of the writer, the director, and the editor are best displayed in a scene where helicopters must pass through a hurricane, which they simply go through, with no exciting action; it is a scene so wasted that one wonders why it is even there.
Goodman is joined by a crew of characters, many of whom are underdeveloped. The ones we come to know the best are played by Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brie Larson. Don't worry about the underdeveloped characters, though. The film has a high body count, composed almost entirely of underdeveloped characters, including the only one who is genuinely funny. You may be wondering if the film has a singular main protagonist. I'm still not entirely sure, and neither is the film. The camera keeps on switching from person to person after the crew is met by Kong, who, in this film's version of the original's famous plane scene, swats at the helicopters, prompting characters to switch from strictly expositional dialogue to dialogue that is just plain weird.
This sequence, filled with rapid match-cuts that make it hard to keep track of what is happening to who, is less engaging than one might expect, but the action that follows is good stuff.
The first sequence involving Kong is underwhelming, but none of the following sequences are. On the contrary, they are quite entertaining and impressive. The crew's encounter with what is called a Skullcrawler makes the creature seem unstoppable, and that's only a pawn for something far bigger, and far worse. It is epic seeing Kong fight the biggest of the Skullcrawlers, in the grand - and seemingly endless - climax. A big part of this is how the filmmakers decided to portray Kong, who comes to life under great CGI at a towering 100 feet. He is incredibly intimidating, and a worthy match for the rest of the island's creatures, which include giant spiders and a giant octopus. He's also on his hind feet, as opposed to being on all fours, like in Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong.
The thing I liked the most about Kong: Skull Island was Brie Larson's character, a pacifist photographer determined to expose the whole operation, believing it to be a secret military operation with dark motives. As limiting as that might sound, Larson makes it work, even if all her character mainly does is take photos. She's a strong female lead, and she's the lady that Kong has a sweet spot for; yet she's no damsel in distress. When the character is truly broken down, there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. I have to give it to the filmmakers on this one: the portrayal isn't at all sexist, and the only displays of affection is an embrace.
Kong: Skull Island certainly has its problems, aside from its awful beginning. Its devoid of major clichés, but it can't escape a few minor ones. It also has a few too many conveniences, and at times doesn't seem to know what's good for itself, but that's okay, because the movie is still a good time. Its more thoroughly entertaining than 2014's Godzilla, and also feels more satisfying overall. In fact, if it weren't so rough around the edges, it could have been a solid 8/10. For right now, though, its on the cusp of a 7/10, which isn't the worst place to be.