‘Kong: Skull Island’ Is A Surprisingly Enjoyable If Brainless Romp

I entered Kong: Skull Island with the lowest of expectations.

I’d never warmed to the cultural icon and never really understood his longevity. When The Lord Of The Rings’ Peter Jackson released his dull remake in 2005 my feelings on the matter seemed confirmed.

What’s more, this film is simply one entry in the MonsterVerse franchise, where individual monsters, like Godzilla, are getting standalone movies to set up an eventual cinematic showdown. 

Spoiler alert: each and every film will be about giant beasties brawling with each other.

Yet, despite expecting to dislike it, I actually enjoyed Kong: Skull Island, as the oft-repeated story gets reinvigorated by drawing inspiration from Apocalypse Now and the novel it was based on, Heart Of Darkness. 

It’s an old-fashioned man versus nature adventure, and there are moments where you’ll pick up on distinct Jurassic Park and Predator vibes.

The story begins rather sloppily, with the opening scene taking place during World War II before we fast-forward to 1975 and the assembly of our team of would-be explorers, including John Goodman’s crackpot scientist, war-hungry commanding officer Samuel L Jackson and his troops, Tom Hiddleston’s superfluous ex-SAS tracker, and Brie Larson’s snoopy photojournalist (for some reason). 

You feel like if it all began with the team en route to the island, where we could see their relationships play out, then there might have been more impact when upon their immediate arrival Kong kills a bunch of ’em.

Samuel L Jackson’s in good form here, looking like he’s going to burst a blood vessel as a cracked commanding officer who wants lay his vengeance upon the Eighth Wonder Of The World. Hiddleston and Larson are supposedly our heroes, but they’re incredibly boring characters.

The surprising heart (and comic relief) of the movie comes from John C Reilly’s castaway Marlow, who crash-landed on the island during World War II and acts as a guide for the visitors.

It’s quite on the nose at times, two of the main characters are named Conrad and Marlow, references to the author and main character of Heart Of Darkness respectively. Not to mention the fact that Kong is clearly being compared to the Viet Cong.

But then, a movie about a giant ape beating up lizard monsters isn’t exactly going for subtlety in the first place.

You may not think it from the trailers, but Kong is actually a benevolent beast — the hero, not the villain of the piece, though we’re not exactly sure why he’s protecting the island’s human inhabitants.

There’s a single moment where it seems a bond is established between the ape and Larson’s photographer, but it’s unclear why or how this occurs (other than Kong’s well-known fondness for the ladies).

The ape himself is a visual triumph and the imaginative monsters we meet along the way are similarly impressive (a stick insect the size of a fallen tree is our particular favourite).

Being part of the larger ongoing franchise, you can expect an after credits scene. You don’t really learn a whole lot from it, however, simply that you can expect more sequels and more monsters.

All in all, Kong: Skull Island ain’t exactly a classic, but it’s an enjoyable 118 minutes nonetheless.

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