"Kong: Skull Island" Movie Review - A Crumbling Throne?
Could you name a movie monster more iconic and significant in pop culture than King Kong? Since his first appearance in the 1930s, Kong has become an instantly recognisable feature, and has hardly been challenged for the throne of the King of movie monsters for years (the only one which poses any significant threat is Godzilla, and that fight will literally be settled in 2020 when the two cross paths once again). However, the last time we saw the ape on the big screen in 2005 with Peter Jackson's "King Kong", and he hasn't returned since. With movies like "Pacific Rim" and 2014's "Godzilla" having been released since, is it possible that the throne has been toppled, and Kong is no longer the grand figure that he used to be? Well, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is aiming to put the oversized monkey back on top with "Kong: Skull Island", which promises more monster mayhem featuring the titular Kong, interestingly dropping the royal title this time around. So, does it deliver? While the movie is certainly a visual spectacle and is certainly enjoyable as a standard popcorn flick, the movie is plagued with writing issues that seriously distract from the rest of the movie and put the throne of Kong more at risk than ever before. Let's jump in.
Let's start with the story of the movie, and straight off the bat this is nothing you've not seen before. At the beginning of the movie, John Goodman (I call him John Goodman to emphasise that you will not remember his name at the end of the movie - don't worry, I'll get to the characters later) goes to the government for funding for an expedition. The basis for the expedition is that this island is entirely uncharted, and Goodman's organisation speculates that they may be able to locate new energy sources or fuel on this island. However, they have the hidden agenda, which will be revealed as the plot progresses. Oh, and they are given a military escort. Why? The only reason I can think of is that the plot demands this to provide more lifeless drones to be brutally eliminated when they reach the island. The crew for the island is then assembled: Goodman's scientific crew, a military unit led by Samuel L. Jackson's Colonel Packard, with further additions Conrad (a former SAS agent played by Tom Hiddleston), and pacifist war photojournalist Weaver (played by Brie Larson). Of course, when they reach the island, they discover a slight issue to their operation in the form of a gigantic ape which the locals call Kong, along with a slew of other menacing creatures. The rest of the story then involves their attempt to escape the island, while attempting to avoid death at the hands of the monstrous inhabitants of the somewhat appropriately named Skull Island. Do you think you can predict where the rest of this story goes? There is a very good reason for that. This is no plot that we have not seen before. It's a very familiar structure, particularly in the monster movie arena: nameless grunts go to dangerous place, encounter monster, grunts die, a few characters played by well-known actors survive, rinse and repeat. For those of you reading this and taking that as a spoiler, don't worry, I haven't spoiled the entirety of the movie. It's true that there are some small moments and surprises along the way which were unexpected and enjoyable, but it is the overarching story that is the issue. This is all the more confusing given the unique setting of the movie. Other Kong movies have visited the island briefly, but this is the first movie set almost exclusively on the island, in addition to the 1973 timeline, at the end of the Vietnam War. It almost seems like the writers did not want to take advantage of these factors in the story and were content with relying on a tried and tested formula.
Don't get too attached to the nameless drones - this is a monster movie after all
Now, I briefly mentioned the characters of the movie above. What we are largely faced with here is an onslaught of nameless and utterly forgettable scientists and soldiers. They are here to die for the most part. Plain and simple, and exactly what you'll probably be expecting going in. I actually wouldn't be particularly annoyed by this in normal circumstances, because of course monster movies always need a bit of cannon fodder, but this is such a blatant waste of talent. John Goodman really contributes nothing to the movie except to push the plot forward. Toby Kebbell is actually in the movie for a fair portion, but is never given anything to do, a waste of Kebbell's acting and creative talents. Scattered throughout are plenty of other actors who you may recognise, none of whom are put to good use. There are only 3 main characters in the movie who are somewhat interesting. Samuel L. Jackson who is playing Colonel Packard, a stereotypical army leader. The setting of the end of the Vietnam War make this character arc all the more predictable, but Jackson injects the character with enough personality to make him an enjoyable presence throughout he movie. In fact, all of the acting in the movie is largely on point, making the waste of talent throughout the movie all the more infuriating. The second character is the main focus of the trailers in terms of the human cast, Tom Hiddleston as the tracker, Conrad. This character is given a small bit of depth with regards his personal life throughout the movie, but this is wholly insubstantial for the most part. The character was clearly written to give the film the checklist attractive, currently "in" male lead. This character is most interesting in his interactions with character number 3, Weaver, played by Brie Larson. This is, in my opinion, the best character in the movie because she actually feels like a human being. She is not a blatant stereotype and undergoes an interesting character arc throughout the movie. Her interactions with all the characters are enjoyable to watch (although she always seems to bring out either the best or the worst in whoever she speaks to), and Larson's performance is impressively emotive throughout the movie, even in her interactions with CGI creations such as Kong himself.
All Hail the King
When I came out of this movie, I told my brother that this movie confused me, something he was immediately puzzled by, given the extremely simple plot and nature of the movie as I've already said. However, this is not something that it going to annoy a lot of people, but this movie is confused tonally. What I mean by this is that, as you might guess, when writing a movie, writers will always have a demographic in mind for the movie and this will determine what they write into the movie. A movie for kids will have more humour and light-hearted moments; a movie for teens will have more action and visuals on the screen to keep them engaged while also keeping humour and light-hearted moments included to make them laugh; movies for adults alone will still have some humour, but are generally able to be much darker, grittier and dramatic without the impact of this being lessened by the use of humour. The list goes on. The underlying problem with Kong is that I am struggling to identify exactly who this movie is made for, and what tone the writers were attempting to achieve throughout the movie. It is a confusing creative choice all together. I understand that they want to appeal to audiences of all ages, but the stark contrast of the humour with the shocking and brutal violence makes the humour feel incredibly out of place, particularly in the case of John C. Reilly's character, who arrives around half way through the story. If I had to guess the root of this problem, I would tie it to the likely studio interference (something DC fans will be well aware Warner Bros have bene guilty of before). When a studio is investing $200 million into a movie with no guarantee that it will be a successful venture, of course they will want to take steps to try and ensure that they will at the least make their money back. However, there should be a limit to this. I guarantee that the various drafts of this movie's script implemented more and more humour, no matter how out of place it may seem, in an attempt to draw in teens and new viewers, as well as the adult audience already familiar with Kong. The problem is, jokes about a creature name (you'll probably have seen the Skull Crawler name joke in the trailers already) are going to feel very out of place when a scene shortly before had a soldier being impaled though his mouth by the leg of a giant arachnid, spider-like creature. Worse still, the humour in the movie is simply not funny! As if we needed more evidence that humour was forcefully implemented into this story, which clearly was much darker in the director's initial vision.
Well, everything looks fine here...
Anyway, about time I stopped taking shots at this movie and talked about what it did right. Believe it or not, I actually did enjoy watching this movie. The effects of the movie are somewhat predictably on point. Of course, Kong, the star of the show (as it should be, Godzilla) looks incredible throughout the movie. Kong is given an incredible amount of detail, with the team taking every opportunity to show off with the injuries and scars of the ape, which beautifully worsen and grow as the action progresses and Kong finds himself in more fight sequences. This is particularly impressive given the amount of screen time where he is interacting with actual human beings and real objects or environments. The other monsters in the movie also look appropriately terrifying and realistic. From the peaceful bison-like creatures which appear in a swamp early on in the proceedings, to the horrific spider creatures which fight the soldiers later (the close-up was not a pleasant one for someone with arachnophobia), to, as the trailers have shown, the vicious Skull Crawlers which essentially serve as the primary antagonists to the titular ape. The latter creatures are of course the stars of the supporting cast of monsters and nasty beings. Every detail on the creatures is perfectly rendered, with every scar, dirt mark, and wound being crystal clear across the board. It is a true credit to the effects crew that they kept the visuals of the movie consistently realistic throughout. Without achieving this, there was every possibility that the peril and fear the audience is meant to feel along with the characters in the movie would have been drastically reduced. Tension is key in several sequences throughout the movie, and thankfully the effects team did not break the atmosphere during the action.
An intimidating sight to say the least
In addition to this, the action of the movie is absolutely phenomenal. Admittedly, it is ridiculous and reaches new heights of absurdity in the finale. That, however, is the greatest strength of this movie. It knows the action we are seeing on screen is crazy and absolutely bonkers, and it takes the greatest pride in showcasing that. Kong rips the environment to shreds, bending it to his will. There is a great image of Tom Hiddleston slashing through toxic green case with a katana to kill some bugs that are attacking. A Skull Crawler swallows a camera and the tension is in the team trying to keep track of it by the flash going off in the fog. Tense, but hilarious to be sure. Heck, there is a scene near the end when Kong uproots a tree, de-branches it, and uses it as a baseball bat. This is how crazy the action becomes over the course of this movie, but it is simply a lot of fun to watch. If you turn off your brain, and go into this movie expecting just this, nothing more than what it has been advertised as, then chances are you are going to have a lot more fun than I did when watching this and thinking back on it. The action is the most memorable part of the movie, certainly, and it is the area where the technical team behind the production were clearly in their element.
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"
The cinematography of the movie is also on point, clearly remaining in focus and carrying out many impressive shots. An early sequences which is incredibly well shot is the initial helicopter action sequence Kong is involved in. The intensity of the shots and the camera work of the movie adds to the peril the soldiers are in and allows the audience a real insight into the fear of the soldiers they would understandably be feeling when facing up against this beast. The lighting of the movie and the use of colour is incredibly artistic as well. Watch closely during the night shots of even the trailer, which are all the more impressive in the context of the full movie. The use of the moonlight in particular is excellent (although I can safely say that not much of this will be practical but it is still excellently implemented), and a fight towards the end involving fire. The contrast of the flame, the moon, and the dark blue and green of the environment is truly a sight to behold. Another factor of the movie which is excellent is the music. Now, I'm not talking about Henry Jackman's (admittedly good although unmemorable) score, but rather the use of time appropriate songs and artists, such as Black Sabbath and David Bowie. It's a credit to the editing team to make these songs work within the story and tie in well to the action sequences of the movie, making already impressive scenes all the more enjoyable. These songs work incredibly well in the movie and actually help to build the time and setting at the beginning of the movie rather than feeling like a distraction as they did in, say, "Suicide Squad". As a side note, has anyone noticed how many movies have began to implement this throughout their movie and marketing since "Guardians of the Galaxy" in 2014? This doesn't really matter, it was just a small thought.
I'm conflicted with this movie, I truly am. On the one hand, I don't want to take this movie overly seriously. After all, it is a KING KONG movie! It is a movie about a giant ape fighting other giant monsters on an island in the Pacific. I'm not expecting Oscar-worthy writing and characters. The action in the movie is great, and is only enhanced by the impressive visuals of the piece, a must for the number of different monsters on display throughout. The acting is also very good, as I've said, although the characters they are portraying on screen are incredibly weak. Make no mistake, this is an extremely enjoyable popcorn flick. If you go to this movie not expecting anything more than what the trailers are showing it to be and nothing more, then I imagine you will enjoy it far more than I maybe did on first viewing. That being said, there is simply no looking past the flaws of this movie. The writing in particular is cause for concern. No character in this movie is particularly interesting, and I can hardly remember any of their names (no, Kong doesn't count). The plot is also nothing original. Perhaps the worst problem of the lot, however, is the clear studio meddling in the movie, and nowhere is this more obvious than it examining the tone of the movie. The gritty and often horrifying violence of some sections of the movie were evidently the sort of movie the director was trying to create, thus making the flat humour of the movie stand out even more than it already would. In fact, it was the jaw-dropping and stomach curdling violence of these segments that impressed me the most, and the small character moments in between, particular between Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson, were the most effective scenes. This franchise (which is all building up to Godzilla vs Kong in 2020 believe it or not) needs to build on this. Without taking advantage of the human elements of these monster movies, it is going to be difficult for Legendary Pictures to continue to make these movies particularly interesting to audience, and maintain Kong's throne as the King, not only of Skull Island, but of movie monsters in general.
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