Kong: Skull Island

“Kong: Skull Island” is not a deep movie, but it is an exciting one that accomplishes everything it aims to. This original story takes elements of the original “King Kong”, blends it with a war film and tops it off with that sense of giddy excitement you get out of giant monsters shaking the earth.

Set in 1973, Monarch Agent Bill Randa (John Goodman) assembles a team to travel to the mysterious Skull Island. The squadron includes tracker James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and his battalion, photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), seismologist Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) and biologist San Lin (Jing Tian) There, they discover a land that time has forgotten, a world ruled by a gigantic gorilla named Kong.

This is not a remake or a prequel, it's a new story. This movie is all about seeing Kong in his native environment, hurling boulders, wrestling with colossal beasts and showing man how tiny we are. It takes elements of the original picture and then spins them in a different direction, making this ape-like creature that beats its chest triumphantly as it lays waste to anyone who opposes its reign completely different from the one featured in Peter Jackson's 2005 film.

This big-budget monster movie is all about the spectacle and you can see the millions spent on its special effects in every shot. The cinematography and special effects are first-rate. There’s also intelligence in its story and screenplay. What comes to mind when you think of the Vietnam War? Hot, humid jungles bristling with low-tech opponents who, despite all odds, repeatedly manage to get the better of more technologically advanced soldiers; a soldier's sanity eroding away in the face of dangers everywhere and conflicting orders from their superiors; death from every direction. Those aspects lend themselves perfectly to an adventure set in a nightmarish ecosystem no man has ever witnessed. “Kong: Skull Island” is a war movie and a giant monster movie. It feels fresh and, it’s unpredictable. When you expect the expedition to wind up in catastrophe, everyone'll make it out ok. Then, during a quiet moment, someone will get gobbled up. Or stomped! The characters may not be new, you’ll recognize them from other monster or war films, but the way they’re used is original. It helps that the cast is first-rate and that the film blends action, thrills, horror (giant bugs are pretty scary) and laughs (largely courtesy of John C. Reilly) seamlessly.

When you see the film, stay all the way to the end of the credits. Throughout, I found myself surprised at its cleverness and at the way the characters were used. “Kong: Skull Island” has some new things to bring to the screen. Its Vietnam-like setting and scenery, the action sequences and characters, the way it all comes together are all fresh, exciting and thoroughly entertaining. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 27, 2017)