Kong: Skull Island

Plot synopsis:
In the year 1944, somewhere over the South Pacific, Lieutenant Hank Marlow (Will Brittain) lands with his parachute on an island after his plane crashes. Another soldier, Gunpei Ikari (Miyavi), lands. Marlow draws his gun on Ikari and shoots but misses. Ikari takes out his gun and chases after Marlow. They run into the forest and fight when they go by a cliff. Ikari nearly impales Marlow with his sword, but Marlow pulls it away. Ikari then has Marlow on the ground and nearly kills him before a gigantic ape hand appears. The two men then see the ape (Terry Notary) rise above them.In 1973, in Washington D.C., government official Bill Randa (John Goodman) and geologist Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) arrive to meet with Senator Willis (Richard Jenkins) to receive funding for an expedition to a recently discovered location called Skull Island. Willis isn't too keen on the idea, but Randa goads him into relenting. Before leaving, Randa tells Willis he also would like a military escort.The Sky Devils squadron are gathered on their last day before they can finally go home. Led by Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), they include Captain Earl Cole (Shea Whigham), Slivko (Thomas Mann), Reles (Eugene Cordero), Glenn Mills (Jason Mitchell), and Jack Chapman (Toby Kebell), who is Packard's right hand man. Packard receives the call for the expedition and gladly accepts the job.Randa and Brooks go to a bar and find a former British Special Air Service captain named James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) to be their tracker. Conrad is confronted by two bar patrons who believe he cheated in a game of pool, but he easily subdues the men. He sits with Randa and Brooks to hear their plan. Conrad demands more money than what he's offered and points out that there's a good chance that the trip will get them killed for reasons involving severe weather conditions or predatory creatures.Inside a darkroom, anti-war photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) is developing some photos she took of the conflict in Vietnam. She gets a call to join the expedition and she arrives at the base to meet with Packard and his men, plus a team of scientists from the company Landsat, including Brooks' fellow geologist San Lin (Jing Tian) and Landsat employees Victor Nieves (John Ortiz) and Steve (Marc Evan Jackson). Weaver has reservations about the mission and thinks the military is planning something bad. Brooks goes over the mission and what they hope to find on Skull Island.The team rides a ship into the ocean before taking choppers to the island. They must pass through clouds that produce hurricane-like conditions that surround the island. After a turbulent ride through the storm, the choppers fly across the area. Weaver takes some pictures while the soldiers begin dropping seismic charges into the ground, setting off explosions. Almost immediately, a tree is thrown through one of the choppers, sending it crashing to the ground. The team then sees Kong towering over them. He sends another tree through a chopper before grabbing a few more and smashing them into the ground. The surviving team members are separated once they hit the ground. Amidst the flames burning from the remains of the choppers, Packard stares up at Kong, who looks down back at him.Packard confronts Randa at gunpoint and demands to know what really brought them there. Randa admits that he had known about the existence of monsters like Kong for a while, and he had been trying to seek proof for his organization, Monarch.Conrad, Weaver, Brooks, Lin, Slivko, and Nieves are grouped together while Randa, Packard, Mills, Cole, and other soldiers set out to look for Chapman, as he is equipped with enough ammunition that Packard intends to use against Kong. As the soldiers walk through the forest, one soldier has a giant spider leg go down his throat. Above them is a giant spider that starts attacking them. Mills is pulled up by the webbing, and the rest of the soldiers start cutting its legs off. Mills cuts himself loose, and Packard shoots the spider to death.Chapman is by himself near a river. He sees Kong walking through the river to tend to a wound he sustained from the choppers' gunfire. Kong drinks from the river and then finds a giant octopus. He tangles with it as he grapples with its legs before he starts to eat it. He then drags the octopus carcass away.Conrad's group is cornered by a tribe of natives. As they try to defend themselves, out comes an older Marlow (now played by John C. Reilly). He assures both groups that they are not harmful to each other and then invites the group past the wall. Marlow explains to the group that he's been there for the last 28 years and has learned a lot about the natives and the island itself. Kong is like a god to them, as he has been protecting them from the creatures that dwell beneath the earth and have been killing off the natives for centuries, as well as Kong's own family. Marlow calls them "Skull Crawlers". They stayed underground until the explosions from the seismic charges woke them up. If anything happens to Kong, the Skull Crawlers will dominate the island. He also suggests that the Skull Crawlers that have come to the surface are just juveniles and that a much larger one exists.Chapman walks through the forest and sits on a log. The log turns out to be a creature. Chapman shoots at it, but the creature does not retaliate. As the creature leaves, Chapman is killed by a Skull Crawler.Conrad tells Marlow that they plan to make it to the north side of the island within three days so that they may be rescued. Marlow says that it cannot be done in three days on foot, so he agrees to guide them the right way. He bids the natives farewell and takes the crew on a boat. Shortly after riding away, Nieves is snatched up by carnivorous birds and is torn apart midair.Along the way, Weaver sees a huge water buffalo stuck under a crashed chopper. She tries lifting it up to free the buffalo, only for Kong to show up and pull the chopper off. He stares down at Weaver briefly and leaves. She appears more awed by him than terrified.Marlow leads the group into The Forbidden Zone, which is a former battleground between Kong's ancestors and the Skull Crawlers. The enormous remains of Kong's family lie among the field. A Skull Crawler comes around, forcing the group to hide. The Skull Crawler then spits out Chapman's skull and dog tags, which Conrad notices. Packard and his men come around the same area. Randa is taking pictures and is then snatched up and eaten by a Skull Crawler. Another beast shows up and starts to attack and pull victims in with its tongue. The groups continue their battle with the Skull Crawlers plus a wave of the carnivorous birds. Marlow takes out the sword that belonged to Ikari and slashes through several of the birds before handing it over to Conrad. Weaver kills one by tossing a lighter into a hole that produces fumes, which is ignited and sets the creature on fire.After the fight, they regroup. Packard is still set on looking for Chapman. Conrad shows Packard Chapman's dog tags to confirm his demise. Still, Packard wants to look for Chapman's ammunition stash so that they can kill Kong; he is hellbent on revenge for the deaths of his men, despite the objections of Marlow, Conrad, and Weaver.That night, Packard gathers explosives and lays out a trap for Kong. Meanwhile, Conrad and Weaver encounter the beast, but Weaver approaches him cautiously. She places her hand on his face and he is gentle. However, Packard lures Kong toward him and ignites the fuel along the water, causing Kong to catch fire. Kong stomps on Steve and kills another man in the chaos before collapsing. Packard then gets ready to set off some explosives, but Conrad and Weaver try to stop him. They convince the other soldiers that they need Kong to keep the Skull Crawlers out. The soldiers turn on Packard, who remains defiant. Just then, the biggest Skull Crawler bursts out of the ground, forcing the group to run. Packard stays behind to detonate the explosives, but Kong crushes him under his fist.The survivors then head toward the shore as the main Skull Crawler pursues them. Cole stays behind to sacrifice himself with the explosive devices he has strapped to himself. However, the monster tail-whips Cole into a wall and he blows up anyway. The Skull Crawler heads toward the group until Kong returns and smashes into the beast. Weaver takes a flare gun and hits the Skull Crawler in the face with it. Kong grabs the Skull Crawler and hurls him into the wall, accidentally knocking Weaver into the river. Kong pulls Weaver out and still fights the Skull Crawler. He rams his fist down the monster's throat and pulls out its guts. Kong then places Weaver down next to Conrad before leaving.Shortly after, the survivors (Conrad, Weaver, Marlow, Brooks, Lin, Mills, Slivko, and Reles) depart on the boat, and three choppers show up to get them. In the distance, Kong keeps a lookout to continue protecting his territory. He pounds his fist and lets out a roar.As the credits begin, we see video footage of Marlow finally returning home to Chicago where he sees his wife again and finally meets his adult son. He then sits down to watch a Cubs game.After the credits, Conrad and Weaver are being held in an interrogation room by Monarch. Entering the room are Brooks and Lin, who tell the two that Kong was never the only monster out there and that this world did not belong to mankind. Brooks pulls out some files, including a map of Tokyo, before putting on a slideshow. The slides show another crew coming across cave drawings of other monsters - Mothra, King Ghidorah, Rodan and Godzilla himself. The last thing we hear are the combined roars of Kong and Godzilla.

Tags: violence

Review:
Although I didn't really like the orange tinge everything seems to have in the very beginning, the technical side improves dramatically as the film progresses.It takes place in 1973, just after the Americans "abandoned" the Vietnam War (according to Samuel L Jackson's Preston Packard character).
This movie is like Jurassic Park meets Godzilla and they had a baby called Platoon and it grew to become a mash-up of the three of them with its own uniqueness called Kong: Skull Island.Just under two hours in length and "hold onto your butts" and watch the credits.My favourite quote from the movie is, "A camera is more dangerous than a gun." Seems like SLJ get's all the good lines..
This is an all out creature feature...It is called Skull Island because that's where the action takes place with all the neat creatures.There is a LOT of screen time devoted to Kong and the monsters.
Unlike Perter Jackson's retelling of the original Black and White film, "Kong: Skull Island" eschews the old for the new and in doing so breathes a much needed new life and vitality into the franchise.The film is set in 1973 when William Randa (John Goodman), informs the government that they have detected a previously unknown island and need to investigate it before the Soviets learn of it and beat them to whatever the island my hold.William recruits a team which includes a former British officer named James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), and Photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), to assist his team lead by Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins), in mapping the island.William also asks for a military escort and the government enlists Lt. Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L.
Reilly), a downed WWII pilot who has been stranded on the island for 23 years and warns of dangers far greater than Kong that are ahead of the team.The film combines a solid cast with state of the art special effects to take a new twist on the standard adventure fare.
In this new film, Kong leaves the territory of quality and embarks on a trip to the territory of blockbusters, in other words, special effects and jokes (just watch the retarded and unnecessary joke scene about the Skullcrawlers name with Hiddleston, Larson and John C.
The filmmakers have their hands tied, because they can not put their best on this film, however they have to think how this movie will work with another movie from another guy, three long years into the future.I went into the movie hoping to see a good and fun Kong movie, and I ended up seeing a crap and bad one, because of the ambition of the studio that compromised the quality of the movie, for the money.
Even as an action movie and blockbuster, this movie fails in a big way.But if you were disappointed, and if you were sad that you had lost money unfairly, you can wait until 2020 to see the rest of the film in Godzilla VS King Kong.My God, that's why commercial filmmaking is in the mud.
I have the remedy for what ails Hollywood though: Go to Unoriginality Anonymous meetings and force yourself to try to write an original script People should boycott all these nefarious cash-ins Ban JJ Abrams from anywhere near Los Angeles (and his ilk) No more Morgan Freeman either Give Samuel Jackson an integrity infusion etcAs for this film: A group of cash whore actors gather in a film studio to parody the original dignified metaphor that was King Kong.
Its action set- pieces are utterly spectacular, the CGI is fantastic, and there's even a story that's genuinely interesting throughout, something that I definitely didn't expect going in.But by far the greatest achievement of this film is the presence of Kong himself.
Fortunately, Skull Island rectifies that exact problem, and makes Kong as big a character in the film as any of the humans, appearing on screen at regular intervals, and actually playing a genuine role in the story.And that story is probably the thing that surprised me most of all.
Kong: Skull Island, on the other hand, is a fast- paced and absolutely jam-packed action movie that actually gets better and better as it moves along.Of course, there's a part of me that's a little sad that we're not getting the classic story of King Kong that made both the 1933 and 2005 films so beautiful.
However, Skull Island does do a fantastic job at bringing the character to a different time period and making a new, riveting story.Above all, the film's ingenious parallels with the Vietnam War make for fascinating viewing.
Bringing a different dynamic to the relationship between the humans and Kong, the way that Skull Island looks at the story through the lens of the anti-Vietnam War sentiment of the 1970s adds an impressive layer of depth to the story, keeping Kong an interesting and emotionally resonant character despite removing his love with Ann Darrow.What's more is that some of the film's characters have some very layered and interesting backstories.
At times mimicking the role of film director Carl Denham from the original, at others adding a far darker and more serious edge to the story of the invasion of Skull Island, he's absolutely fascinating to follow from start to finish.There are a whole host of other characters that bring some impressive depth to the story, depth that I certainly didn't expect after the two-dimensional heroes of Godzilla, and make the film's large ensemble cast work amazingly well.One more positive from the film is undoubtedly the action.
Both because of the amazing visual parallels drawn with Vietnam War films like Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, but also thanks to the stunning CGI that allows Kong to tower over the screen in comparison to the humans, but also puts a formidable and genuinely terrifying enemy on a very level playing field.As far as blockbusters go, Skull Island is top-quality, but it still isn't entirely perfect.
Particularly in the first act, there comes a point where the film really hits you over the head with how similar it is to Apocalypse Now, and although that does die down to a better level later on, it's a little frustrating at times.Simply put, Skull Island is an impressively brainy and innovative blockbuster, but it goes a little too far with everything it does.
That's far better than a completely empty film like Godzilla, but with an enormous main cast and a story that's so jam-packed, I felt like things could have been carried out a little smoother than the finished product.Still, I had a really good time with Kong: Skull Island.
Kong: Skull Island is a monster film starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L.
Packed with all the giant monster movie clichés and fun action scenes one would hope to see, it serves as a sufficient reboot of the King Kong franchise.In 1973, a group of explorers led by a band of soldiers journey to a mysterious uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean.
But if you enjoy the movies of Mr. Emmerich you will like this one also - lots of explosions, here and there some humorous scenes, some (cgi-)monsters and ofc King Kong and last but not least, tons of inconsistencies and forgettable 2-dimensional characters.
Instead, this origin story largely set in the 1970s when America was pulling itself out from the quagmire of the Vietnam War inspires to be no more and no less than a monster-mash adventure of epic-sized proportions, pitting not just Man-against-Kong but Man-against- nature-itself, the latter represented by supersized species the likes of towering spiders, blue-blooded pterodactyls and giant saw- toothed lizards referred to as Skullcrawlers that are all too eager to get a literal taste of human flesh.
Oh yes, this is a CGI showstopper in many, many more ways than one, with state-of-the-art Industrial Light and Magic technology complemented with inventive creature design by Carlos Huante to create a fitting modern-day throwback to the B-movie action-driven creature features of the past.Dispensing with any hint of nuance, the straightforward and utterly functional plot has John Goodman's scientist cum bureaucrat Bill Randa assemble a team under his top-secret government-funded Monarch project to explore the hitherto uncharted Skull Island, a long- hidden landmass in the South Pacific hidden by constant electrical storms and magnetic interference which has been only recently uncovered by the first Earth-mapping satellites sent up into space by the US.
There are about a half dozen other characters too difficult to keep track once the film gets underway, such as Jing Tian and Corey Hawkins' pair of token-minority scientists who get a couple of pointless lines and no real purpose.Withholding knowledge of the real intent of the expedition to "document the existence of massive unidentified terrestrial organisms', Randa instructs Colonel Packard's men to start dropping bombs from their helicopters under the guise of mapping the island seismographically, which naturally irritates the hell out of its eponymous chief resident.
It bears noting that the monsters which emerge to challenge Kong or which simply make an appearance as part of the fauna of the titular island are also just as stunning, especially a confrontation in a foggy graveyard between the remaining survivors and a Skullcrawler and the climactic Kong- versus-giant-Skullcrawler smackdown that is impressive even by modern-day CGI standards.Despite being a visual effects novice, indie director Jordan Vogt- Roberts proves right at home in a big-budget motion picture.
As much as it is Kong's movie, there are also stretches in between where he is nowhere to be seen, and the other nasty dino-like creatures on Skull Island take center stage to exert terror on the human intruders.
Ultimately, this is a movie fashioned on pure action spectacle, using state-of-the-art CGI to breathe new life into the old-school monster movie mash genre (you would do well to note that this is meant to be an origin story in Legendary/ Warner's MonsterVerse franchise, setting up the beast for a planned showdown against Godzilla in 2020).
Though not without a few WTF moments - and not in the way that is fun but more head-scratching, like a couple of characters dying out of nowhere - this is the most entertaining monster movie since The Host and possibly from Hollywood since...
Aside from what is in the movie in and of itself, which is plenty as an ironic and satirical blockbuster (at least up to a point, in small but enough doses), as a world-building enterprise it's spectacular, and is a step up from the previous entry in this new WB/Legendary "Moster-Kaiiju-Verse", Godzilla.I think the difference between the two is simple but profound: Edwards was fascinated more with spectacle and the presence of Godzilla, but he wasn't so set on building human characters to connect with (except for Bryan Cranston, who was shamefully wasted after a promising start).
They're simply there and do what they can for the Reilly character over these many years; Reilly, by the way, scruffy and laughing often and happy even as he is totally terrified ("I've only been here 28 years," he says at one point up against military/US egotism personified by Samuel L Jackson) is what Bryan Cranston was to Godzilla, only here there is much more and he's possibly the best human presence in the movie.How about the satire, if it is there?
The iconography is compelling as well: all of those helicopters, blasting away Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" as these charges drop on the island - asking for it, in monster movie fashion (messing with nature, you fools!), but this time there's the added element of how soldiers and civilians act, and recognizing who is "King" in the end.This is a spectacular good time at the movies, in case I didn't make that clear.
If anything this would be a splendid double feature with Jurassic Park (aside from the eye-roll at Jackson repeating a "butts" line straight-faced, as if the movie would be in trouble unless he did it), as both involve charismatic, memorable actors and relatively decent supporting characters facing off against monsters that are from another time and place, with snappy dialog, and visual effects that are out of this world.
Better to rewatch Jackson's version as this new movie, Skull Island", has little to offer even in the way of entertainment.
If you love Kong and you love movies about monsters this a ticket you can't miss out on.The actors in this film were great especially John C.
For a non-American like me i don't really know much about King Kong or his influence on modern day monster movie but that not a problem to hold me back from watching this movie in theater and it was an absolute blast to finally knowing the King of monster movie in America:Kong.I actually did a research and find out the plot of this movie is kinda similar to the original movie in 1933,it both follow a group of people travel to a unknown island soon find themselves being hunt and chase by a giant ape called Kong for trespassing his territory and disturb the peace of the island.First time directing monster movie Jordan Vogt-Roberts did a fantastic job on shooting the island with beautiful cinematography that deliver the savage look of Kong and the rest of monster on island as well.The cast is very large and full of talented actors like Tom Hiddleston,Samuel L.
Reilly that brought many good and comedic moment so when there aren't any monster around the movie don't feel boring and dragging to watch.Of course everyone favorite parts is always the monster fight scene and this movie has plenty of it although for the most time is not all involved with Kong but trust me when the fight happen seeing Kong punching,kicking and throwing stuff is a very crowd pleasing moment(My favorite is the final fight).It maybe not all that great for some hardcore fan of the series but for new fan like me this is the best monster movie i saw since Pacific Rim.I strongly suggest audience going to see that movie please wait until the after credit.
What I loved about the movie was also the essence of King Kong story line like in previous movies were also captured, such as Kong's fight with major monsters, the intention of people to conquer him and even his fascination to the female character.
My wife also highlighted that she felt the movie was having a real 1970s sense which I think was due to the good make up (1970s hair style, suits) and equipments like the old choppers or Walkie Talkie you would usually see in movies with Vietnam wars.Another thing that I loved about this movie was that the introductions of the characters did not take too long and it was moving in quite fast pace to the main story in the island.
Brie Larson makes her first big post-Oscar move in style as a Ripley-esque action heroine and Thomas Hiddlestone proves that this guy has a future as a leading man (piggybacking on his great performance in the in "Night Manager")."Kong: Skull Island" is beautifully shot and highly entertaining provided you can stomach it..
Kong: Skull Island is a must watch for fans of monster movies & everyone who watched Godzilla(2014).
The quick-cut, shaky cam that is so prevalent in other films is kept to a minimum here and the monsters are sizable enough for the average audience member to understand without getting overwhelmed by it.But it is the use of the actors that really stands out.Starting with the casting of John Goodman as the head of the group heading to the island and good ol' Samuel L.
Going into Kong:Skull Island you would expect to see a film of giant legendary monsters causing havoc with the human cast and having a ruckus between themselves.
A special note for John C Reilly though who is the character and performance which lingers longest after the credits have rolled.The film isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination and if you think about it too much probably won't make a lot of sense, but its a two hour enjoyable monster movie and there's absolutely no harm in that.Oh and one last thing....being of a certain vintage absolutely loved the soundtrack.
Kong Skull Island doesn´t have the best of the scripts, or does it have developed characters.However it has good directing, visual effects, action sequences and cinematography.It´s a big monster movie, and is made simply to entertain.6.7/10.
Kong Skull Island is a monster of a movie.
Special effects are dazzling- the scene where the mercenaries first encounter King Kong is mesmerizing, and the actors know what to expect from a film like this and go along, especially John Goodman.
Half of the film is about the other animals on the island and a quarter about how crazy Sam Jackson's characters can get, so it's not even a movie in which Kong has a leading role.
Fortunately Kong: Skull Island manages to feel like its own movie.
Packed with epic action, monsters and adventure, this movie doesn't fail for the fans for Kong and Godzilla.The plot is basically straight forward and requires no brains for thinking and realism to be taken seriously; a group of Vietnam soldiers and explorers head out to the South Pacific to explore an island that may have signs of life and discovery.
Kong: skull island goes for 2 hours, which I thought was good because it didn't drag the movie on for to long, it went straight the point.
In Kong: Skull Island the great ape roars back onto the screen in this spectacular reboot of the classic monster movie.
The iconic Kong of all time now is the king of skull island and look great than ever.
Kong Skull Island is a highly recommend movie for everyone with just some negative argument for the plot and the character development.
Thankfully, I was wrong; Kong: Skull Island is a great time at the movies!It's kind of what I remember blockbusters were, when I was a kid.