Kong...with a personality!!!

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2017)

With the release of 2014's "Godzilla, instead of costumed superheroes, there was a building-sized creatures unsure if it wanted to tolerate or decimate humankind. From a moneymaking standpoint, it's a tired idea, with seemingly everything open for franchise material these days, and with enthusiasm for monsters, the director has built on best parts of "Godzilla" to inspire "Kong: Skull Island," which turns the tragic super-ape into a ferocious defender of his jungle territory. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts keeps up the pace, but also spends time on his "Apocalypse Now" and "Jurassic Park" fandom, pouring his energy into a lively picture that brings out a fresh side of the titular menace, making the effort less about broken hearts and stunning beauty, and more about pummelling puny invaders.
With the Vietnam War coming to a close, Monarch employee Randa (John Goodman) is itching to check out Skull Island, an uncharted land mass in the South Pacific. Accompanied by scientist Brooks (Corey Hawkins), Randa picks up tracker Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) and photojournalist Weaver (Brie Larson) to complete their team, soon joining Army commander Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and his soldiers, including Chapman (Tony Kebble), Mills (Jason Mitchell), Slivko (Thomas Mann), and Cole (Shea Whigham), who take to the sky to penetrate Skull Island's storm defense. Entering the wondrous area, the outsiders are immediately confronted by Kong, a monster ape who doesn't take kindly to strangers bombing his area, making a mess out of Packard's men, separating them in the process. As teams of survivors assess their situation, they encounter the strange inhabitants of Skull Island, including Marlow (John C. Reilly), a stranded WWII soldier thrilled to see Americans again, and vicious subterranean beasts waiting for their chance to kill Kong and claim the island.
Nothing tops the first act of "Kong: Skull Island." Vogt-Roberts has a defined vision for his take on monster madness, dialing back the clock to 1973, entering into an era stained by the Vietnam War, with the military machine just beginning the process of winding down. Most of the soldiers are anticipating a return home, eager to get out of combat and restart their lives in America, but there's a final, last-minute mission that needs attention. It's Randa who inspires the trip to Skull Island, manufacturing a geological survey to help secure funding and manpower, finally receiving a chance to step foot on the seemingly forbidden land. Vogt-Roberts energetically builds a team atmosphere in the early going, economically handling characterization and maintaining style (rich, colorful cinematography is provided by the mighty Larry Fong), generating a men-on-a-mission vibe that's goosed by classic rock cuts on the soundtrack and an almost nostalgic view of military procedure, detailing the assembly of helicopters, cynical men, and heavy weaponry.
"Kong: Skull Island" doesn't waste time meeting the titular threat (he shows up in brief prologue that establishes Marlow's residency on the island), but the great ape really jumps into the fray 30 minutes into the movie, welcoming the invading choppers in battle mode, crunching metal and feasting on Army men. Chaos erupts, but Vogt-Roberts keeps everything clear and intense, allowing the audience to study Kong's defensive measures while the screenplay separates the characters into different groups spread out over the island, giving the effort a little more variation when it comes time to tour the alien land. While "Kong: Skull Island" has several subplots to juggle, the most defined is Packard's lust for revenge, taking the loss of life personally, transforming the depressed leader into an Ahab-like hunter who takes on greater danger just for the opportunity to kill Kong.
Marlow eventually re-enters the story, introducing a native civilization the picture does surprisingly little with, and "Kong: Skull Island" settles down, becoming more of an episodic event movie, with the intruders getting a full taste of life on the strange land, which is populated with giant everything, including spiders, water buffalo, and an octopus. Threats are external and internal, but the film slackens some as it rolls to a third act battle, requiring a slightly tighter edit as character bits become superfluous and suspense weakens due to action overkill. It's understandable that Vogt-Roberts doesn't want to leave "Kong: Skull Island" without a full sense of accomplishment, but as the feature works through a two hour run time, storytelling efficiency becomes more prized than another extreme close- up of Kong roaring and beating his chest.
It remains to be seen where the MonsterVerse will end up, but "Kong: Skull Island" is a fine addition to the newfound franchise as a big screen force of nature. It's entertaining escapism with a giddy appreciation for creature violence and thickly sliced human motivation, delivering an idiosyncratic King Kong extravaganza that's different in many ways, while still exploiting traditional monster mayhem.