Kong: Skull Island (2017) Review

A team of scientists along with members of the Army to explore an unidentified island in the Pacific. But is it really just an adventure to see an island, or does something else reside on it?

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I just wanted to say nice and early that this film really does have one hell of an incredible cast. I mean come on just look at the poster with those names on, that is certainly a very good start in my book. As a great cast really does bode well for a film that is like his one in all honesty.

The story flows very well and it does not leave a lot of breathing time between the full on action scenes and what creature we will possibly see next. The best thing about Kong is that we get a nice early look at him, as you often find the build up to that takes ages. It starts off in World War II when some soldiers crash-land on the island. We then are taken through the years and arrive in the 70s and the ending of the Vietnam war. This is when a squadron is given a special task of flying the group onto the island.

Bill Randa is the man who really wants to get to the island, he has unfinished business with it and will do anything to see what is really on it. Although he does lie slightly to the people who have ended up on the trip. James Conrad has been enlisted in the mission as the navigator due to the experience he has. Mason Weaver had been taking photographs in Vietnam and has been hired to do the same on the island. Preston Packard is in charge of the army groups and slowly begins to lose his mind. The character build up surrounding all of these is ok to make you care about them in a good or bad way, but you are left wanting more back story with Conrad in particular. Hank Marlow is a welcomed addition to the group as well having spent over 20 years surviving on the island.

Some of the scenes with the monsters are rather brutal which I was not expecting at all, I will admit that I cannot stop thinking about the very first moment with the giant spider! I am sure you will remember that part. I thought that was one of the positive things about the film though it didn’t hold back with the crazy scenes and moments, not afraid to show blood. Kong looked very impressive as well, you really wanted to see him more and more. The tension building to the next sighting was done very well. I will say though some of the creatures are very very strange.

I found the film to be much better than I expected in all honesty, even if it did feel like a mixture of Peter Jackson’s King Kong from 2005 and The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. I just thought those were the best films to draw comparisons with having the characters exploring though the island and trying to stay alive.