The monster films of the new Millennium continue on the same path

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2017)

Set in the same Universe as 2014's Godzilla, it's really interesting to compare the two because they have almost the exact same faults as they do successes. I really wanted Kong: Skull Island to be a near perfectly crafted disaster/Monster film where they gave you characters with backstory that you cared about, a terrific story of survival and incredible special effects. I wanted this to be at least close to what Jurassic Park was. Kong: Skull Island is entertaining enough but it doesn't even deserve to call Jurassic Park a near relative. The concept is great, the special effects are good but the characters are downright drab. You have these fantastic actors with little to no backstory at all and such incredibly low personality. It leaves you feeling definitely empty.
Tom Hiddleston takes the lead and I was skeptical of that but he actually looks great and breaks the Loki mould and even his character had potential but again was written with such little pizazz. He's trying to be broody but without any back story, it comes across as very empty. Brie Larson is an Academy Award winning actress and this has to be one of the worst performances I've ever seen. The romance between her Hiddleston is ludicrous with no build up. She constantly looked confused and stares longingly at Hiddleston. It's really a bad performance for a poorly written character. John Goodman, an incredible actor, is given virtually nothing to work with. His character and performance reminded me so much of Bryan Cranston in Godzilla. He is underused and could have carried the film. The single saving grace is John C Reilly who at least gets a back story and has some personality. He might literally be the reason to watch this. He makes a bad script only slightly less bad. The chemistry with the cast isn't terrible but you never to experience any of it. Even Samuel L Jackson seems subdued by the low quality characters.
Are they really aiming for nothing more than CGI effects and the monster? Kong looks amazing although Peter Jackson's King Kong was astonishing. Jordan Vogt-Roberts has been plucked from virtual obscurity with only a handful of very indie type projects and now is handed this massive budget. All things considered, the direction and the cinematography isn't the problem here. The film could have been amazing. Instead it is entertaining enough and a decent popcorn flick but there is such little depth to anything. Gareth Edwards who directed Godzilla was fairly fresh faced too. I expect this monster fad will continue and look pretty but never meet the likes of similar epics in days gone by. 7/10