After the mixed success that was the 2014 version of ‘Godzilla’, Warner Bros tackled another legendary monster. This time, the American’s own King Kong.
More than twelve years after Peter Jackson’s long but epic take on the giant gorilla this version was to take on Godzilla at a later date. Yup you heard that right; Warner Bros had plans for a Godzilla Vs Kong film. More on that later.
As one who enjoyed the 1933 version of King Kong and the 2005 Peter Jackson version I was looking forward to seeing how they’d handle another version of Kong. I was not disappointed.
The film starts off in 1944 where Lieutenant Hank Marlow crashes his plane somewhere over the South Pacific after a arial dogfight with a Japanese pilot shots him down. The Japanese pilot also crash lands not very far from him. After they both run into the forest to fight each other, their fight is rudely interrupted by a roar. A roar from a large gorilla.
The film then cuts to 1973 at the end of the Vietnam War. Government official Bill Randa (the legendary John Goodman) and geologist Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) are having a meeting with Senator Willis, trying to persuade him to fund a project to study a newly discovered location; Skull Island. Willis is hesitant but Bill manages to finally persuade him and Willis reluctantly agrees to fund his project. However, there’s something else that Bill tells him that he needs. Bill needs a military escort.
In a military compound, the Sky Devils squadron led by Colonel Preston Packard (the great Samuel L Jackson) has gathered on their last day before returning home. The Colonel seems disappointed that the war is now over and that he now hasn’t got much of a job left as a result. When the phone rings to tell him that the Colonel and his team has a job being Bill’s escort, he gladly accepts.
Meanwhile, Bill and Houston go to a bar to find a former British Special Air Service captain named James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) to be their tracker. James takes some convincing as he demands more money since the trip is going to be very dangerous but the two men eventually convince James to come.
Bill's last recruit is Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) who is developing some photos when she receives the call to accompany them. Mason accepts and it isn't before long before she meets up with Packard and his men and the rest of the team.
Unknown to all of them, they're in for quite the adventure the moment they near Skull Island.
Unlike the 2014 version of 'Godzilla', 'Kong: Skull Island' was much better received by audiences and critics. Unlike most monster films, this also had a better human storyline. For me that's a change as for most of the part with these sort of films I'm usually more interested in the giant monsters than the silly humans that are trying not to get themselves eaten! For once I actually care about the human characters on a monster film and that I want them to be able to get home to their loved ones. It's probably the best human storyline that I've seen in a monster film in a long time.
As for the bad points of this film...well, sadly I can't seem to think of any other than the bizarre question as to why my local cinema showed a picture of Kong from the 2005 version instead of 'Skull Island' whilst promoting the film!
All in all, 'Kong: Skull Island' is an enjoyable action adventure monster film that lives up to the 1933 original 'King Kong' film as well as the 2005 Peter Jackson remake. Trust me when I say this; the fights between Kong and Godzilla are worth the wait on 'Godzilla Vs Kong'!
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