The monster movie you've been waiting for!

Rating: 9/10 (10 March 2017)

First, I have to admit, that despite this feature, I only saw Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) in movie history's largest monster's franchise, although I read many articles about the famous original film released in 1933. I heard mixed reviews about Kong: Skull Island, but mainly due to the first trailer I was pretty eager to watch it. Particularly the visuals made me curious; that scene in the trailer when the giant ape stretches up with the shrinking sun in the background is just astonishing (of course the hole sequence is even more fascinating in the movie). I also heard about Warner Brothers' and Legendary's plans about the so called MonsterVerse, and I really wanted it to have a proper second installment (I think we shouldn't consider Gareth Edwards's Godzilla a headstart for the cinematic universe) after the massive failure of the latest two films in the DCU.
So I set in the cinema with relatively high expectations... and I got what I wanted and even more. Probably the main reason why the movie is working is because that it isn't take itself too seriously at all and don't want to be anything more than an entertaining monster movie. Unfortunately, many films fell because they either want to be too dark (trying to reach the greatness of Christopher Nolan or Guillermo del Toro) and too stylish (copying Zack Snyder, Robert Rodriguez or even some works of Ridley Scott or Tony Scott, such as Black Hawk Down and Man on Fire). So, as I hoped and expected the visuals are just simply breathtaking. Peter Jackson can literally hide with the enormous battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings. This is really the movie why IMAX 3D was invented. Also, the astonishing cinematography and editing are crucial for the movie's success. The last movie, I saw in the cinema with better camera work than in Kong: Skull Island was Denis Villenuve's Arrival... and it was in last year's November. Kong: Skull Island is also pretty stylish and full of slow-motions, stop-motions and hero-shots, but doing it in an extremely good way. I think Michael Bay should definitely learn from these guys who made this flick. I cannot describe the visuals more precisely, you have to go and see it for yourself.
Of course, there aren't any Oscar-winning roles, but the performances are just simply fine. We know that Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson can act in serious movies, John Goodman's eyebrow lifts are nearly as entertaining as in the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski, and we won't expect much more from Tom Hiddlestone (though maybe his Globe win may confute this). The soundtrack is just amazing. Both the remarkable songs and some catchy new tunes pleasure your ears while watching. Kong: Skull Island is the perfect example for that the movie is an audiovisual experience.
Every film lover should definitely watch Kong: Skull Island. Though I consider myself as a harsh certificate on IMDb (my ratings are usually below the average), I gave it a 9.