Kong: Skull Island (2017)

[WingedSerpent]

I admit when I first saw this movie back in 2017 I was a bit worried.  I had the fear that rather than a Kong movie this would be more a Monsterverse set-up movie rather than a Kong movie.  Granted, there is some of that.  This is the movie that introduces the Hallow Earth concept-whic would be used for the rest of the Cinematic Universe, I think it also nicely addresses a complaint lobbed against Godzilla 14.  This movie has much better characters.

Honestly, one of my favorite scenes is when Col.Packard (Samuel.L. Jackson.) confronts William Randa (John Goodman).  Two men looking for monsters to validate there existence.  One because he needs something to fight, the other to vindicate himself and his life work.  

Marlow was a lot of fun as well.  Wish we had seen more of his past on the island with  Gunpei Ikari.

I also appreciate how this movie wants to expand and change  the Kong mythos.  In his previous films, Kong is portrayed as a vengeful god to the island natives.   They may have been friends at some point in the past, but no more by the time the outside world gets to Skull Island.  This Kong seems to be a lot more tolerable to the natives, and even some of the outsiders.  Pick a fight with him and he'll fight back, mind you.  But you seem to have a better chance at surviving an encounter with this Kong.

Also previous movies seemed to emphasize Kong as a feeling animal-this movie seems to make you see Kong as a thinking animal.  During his final fight with the alpha skull crawler, Kong uses his environment, and tools, etc to his advantage.

That brings me to the part of this movie I liked the least.  I'm not that big a fan of the skullcralwer's design.  I've read about what they were going for.  Something about it doesn't work for me. But it didn't really ruin anything for me.

Overall, a solid film.  

[indianasmith]

I liked this one, too.   Thoroughly enjoyed it when I saw it in the theater.

[Ted C]

I'm in pretty solid agreement. Some good characters and a decent plot (even if it didn't occur to anyone flying a helicopter to just gain altitude until out of Kong's reach). I thought the skullcrawlers were a pretty poor monster design, but everything still pretty much works. Of course, they drastically upped Kong's size, presumably moving him toward the "threat to Godzilla" range.

[RCMerchant]

I liked it a lot!
I really need to see the upcoming Godzilla/Kong film!

[WingedSerpent]

I thought the skullcrawlers were a pretty poor monster design, but everything still pretty much works.

I was thinking about this the other day, when I think I figured out why I didn't like the skullcrawlers that much.  Their a fine monster design but not for a giant monster design.  They'd work well as dog to about man sized monsters chasing people through hallways or the corridors of a ship.  Not as something to take down a city stomper.

[chainsaw midget]

It felt a little bit strange a first watching a King Kong movie that doesn't just retell the basic King Kong plot.  Once I got used to that, the movie was a lot of fun. 

I'm really glad we got a Kong that honestly felt like a monster again, instead of just the big soft cuddly animal the last remake gave us.