“Godzilla” (2014) was a mess. Although financially and critically successful, it really didn’t know what it was, hovering over the line between fun kaiju action and dull human drama. As such, I wasn’t looking forward to the next entry in the universe, “Kong: Skull Island.” Luckily, the film diverged from its dismal predecessor, bringing us a fun survival adventure.
Both “Godzilla,” its sequel, and the newly-released “Godzilla vs. Kong” all have varying levels of quality, but they share one thing in common: they all aim for the broader cinematic universe, most notably with the heavy inclusion of Monarch and other evil monster corporations that tie to the events of other films. Personally, I think this was the biggest problem of both “Godzilla” and “King of the Monsters:” the mustache-twirling villains and unlikable protagonists dragged down these films quite a bit. “Kong: Skull Island” does something completely different, changing the genre to a survival film.
“Skull Island” follows a group of soldiers and scientists as they venture to the uncharted lands of titular Skull Island. After their expedition is thwarted by an angry King Kong, they must survive the horrors of this mysterious place until they can find a way to escape. I like a small scale adventure way more than a story sprawling the entire world (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), and survival films are always a good time.
“Skull Island” has a ton of A-List actors, including John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, John C. Reilly, and Brie Larson. But to be honest, a lot of them don’t feel very earned. Hiddleston and Larson have nothing to do the entire film, despite being the main protagonists. With little dialogue and character development, it’s obvious that they were just used as a tool to draw people into the movie.
Goodman’s character was key in the first act, but takes a back seat for the rest of the film…which is disappointing, as he’s so captivating to watch. I’d say that Samuel L. Jackson is the strongest here as Captain Packard. He’s not quite the “villain,” but is the antagonist for a large portion of the film. He wants to kill Kong, as Kong killed most of his men in the beginning of the film. He’s putting everyone in danger, but I was genuinely sympathetic towards him and he showed great character development.
Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson in a scene from “Kong: Skull Island.” Photo: Warner Bros., 2017.
The reason why “Kong: Skull Island” is superior to the other entries is because it’s so darn fun. There’s a chill ‘70s soundtrack throughout almost every scene, creative monsters like a giant spider whose legs blend in with the bamboo, and vibrant colors filling every frame. The cinematography is surprisingly solid. I wasn’t bored for a single second. Well, at least until the middle chunk of the film.
The middle portion of the film drags it down immensely for me. This is when we’re introduced to John C. Reilly’s character, a WWII pilot who crashed and has been living on Skull Island for thirty years. He gives a fine performance, but for a solid 30 or 40 minutes he just belches out exposition about Kong and the lore of the island. It goes on forever, and doesn’t add to the film at all. I don’t need to know why a giant monkey is punching a dinosaur; I just want to see it. Not only that, but extends the run-time so much that by the final CGI fight I just wanted it to be over. The film would have been such a tighter experience if they took some of it out.
In conclusion, “Kong: Skull Island” primarily stays away from the boring human plots and focuses more on style and fun. But when it relapses into its franchise’s old ways, it really shows. The enjoyability goes up tenfold when it strays away from the expository nature of the other entries, and I hope that’s a lesson for the franchise going forward.
*”Kong: Skull Island” is currently available to watch on most streaming networks.
