Kong: Skull Island — Bitch, please! ©
Today’s King Kong reboot is the most epic blockbuster since 2009 when James Cameron directed his Avatar. Despite that Kong: Skull Island lasts almost full two hours, time passes imperceptibly fast while watching it. I got slightly disappointed for a moment when I saw final credits. The movie is so awesome that I wanted more of it.
Kong: Skull Island is perfectly balanced. On the one side, there are no slow or boring scenes. On the other side, it is not overloaded by same repetitive action scenes as recent John Wick: Chapter 2. At first, all main characters are briefly introduced. Then basic story point is set: get to the island and explore it. And there is basically no side stories in the movie, except the one from the opening scene, which fits very well. From the moment when the expedition members gathered together — pace of the movie accelerates rapidly. It is about a dangerous journey through the hostile but breathtakingly beautiful terrain. This journey is full of marches through the jungle and swamps, rafting by boat down the river, random encounters, spectacular action scenes, funny jokes, terrible deaths of side characters, panorama views, deadly creatures, and Kong. Magnificent Kong. King of the Skull Island.
As the story is developing during the movie — motives of characters are changing. Escort mission and scientific exploration are replaced by revenge for fallen and survival. Fear grows into worship. Conflict within a group leads to a dramatic Mexican standout. Predictable separation to smaller groups of survivors comes in result.
Long distance panorama shots and exotic fauna of the Skull Island reminded me above-mentioned Avatar. Close shots and the film setting shares a lot in common with Francis Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. The context of Vietnam War, helicopters, napalm bombs, soldiers, jungle exploration, aborigines with painted faces, rafting down the river, a constant sense of fear — Kong: Skull Island and Apocalypse Now have it in equal shares. But of course Kong is more entertaining and less depressive, it is not meant to show terror of war and mental breakdown. Kong is focusing on epic battles like previous King Kong instalments and other modern blockbusters such as Godzilla of Gareth Edwards and Pacific Rim of Guillermo del Toro.
The cast is perfect and is full of famous, actors such as Tom Hiddlestone, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson. I would like to mention the eccentric character of Hank Marlow played by John C. Reilly who is desperately trying to ‘steal the show’ from big names. His remarkable performance brings an element of tragicomedy and spices up the movie in a good sense.
Grab a ticket, go to a cinema and watch it. It is worth it. I believe this movie will hit a seven digit number in a box office. Don’t miss the after credit scene which has already raised a lot of speculations all around the media.