Kong: Skull Island (2017) – Encore Review

“Hey, what happened with the war? Did we win?”- Hank Marlow

“Which one?” – James Conrad

“Uh-huh. That makes sense.” – Hank Marlow

Number of Times Seen – Twice (19 Apr 2017 and 13 Apr 2021)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – A group of soldiers are sent as an escort to an expedition on a long lost island in the Pacific Ocean.

My Take on it – Really fun version of the King Kong story.

They get so much right here and allow for the tone to stay so enjoyable throughout.

The motion capture special effects are done really well and allow the viewer to believe all that transpires here.

Love the choice to set this film in the 70’s because it helps make this version feel so unique and different form the previous ones, while still keeping the main story line intact.

The cast is superb with Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Tom Hiddleston and John C. Reilly all helping to create some memorable characters.

Reilly is hilarious in his role here and stands out among the rest.

The music and costumes help transplant the story back nearly 50 years but it still feels so fresh in all that they do.

The special effects of both Kong and the rest of the creatures inhabiting this island are done really well which helps keep things moving at a great pace.

The way that in true monster movie fashion, no one is immune to possible death helps raise the suspense level as things unfold in ways one might not expect.

IMHO, this is the best of the films in this series (so far), but I think it will be quite difficult to top it.

Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – “It sounds like a bird, but it’s a f*ckin’ ant!” This entire scene was an outtake in which John C. Reilly was trying to get the cast and crew to laugh by throwing out the most bizarre, outlandish imaginary monster he could come up with. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts decided that it fit in with Skull Island’s bizarre ecology and kept it. In a later interview, Vogt-Roberts said he wanted to include the giant ant in a scene, but couldn’t, due to budget constraints. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (no change from original review)