Kong: Skull Island (2017)

[Silver Raven]

I was pleasantly surprised by this.  The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, the rendering of Kong's hair and eyes is fantastic.  The soundtrack was great, although it doesn't give Guardians of the Galaxy much competition.  And I'm going to be really really happy if Rodan and Mothra are in the next one.

Edited March 12, 2017 by Silver Raven

[AimingforYoko]

Quote

A team of scientists explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong, and must fight to escape a primal Eden.

Above average creature feature, and a decent enough kick-off of Universal's Monster Cinematic Universe. Kong was Kong, Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson were attractive and Sam L. Jackson did his glowering thing, but John C. Reilly is what made this a cut above. He gave the film some emotional heft and he was funny.

[Joe]

Yeah, it was fun. And featured a lot more Kong than the recent Godzilla did of Godzilla. The producers learned a lesson from that, I suspect. :) One thing that struck me as false, John C Rilley is sitting alone on the couch at the end, watching baseball. I'd have put his wife next to him on the couch and son in a nearby armchair. Let him have more big family time. Or they all could have been at the game together.

And that stinger. Very meta. I was taken in, thinking Tom Hiddleston was telling me to go home. I'm glad I stayed, though.

[spaceytraci1208]

3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

John C. Reilly is what made this a cut above. He gave the film some emotional heft and he was funny.

Absolutely! I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed this movie as much without him. I almost cried at his character's happy ending 

[Silver Raven]

I wonder if Hank Marlow got 28 years of back Army pay.

Actor Will Brittain played both young Hank and Hank's son.

Toby Kebbell, who played Chapman, was also the motion capture double for Kong.  He played one of the apes in the previous Planet of the Apes movie.

It was really strange how the enlisted men were so friendly and first-name-basis with the officers.

[SeanC]

4 minutes ago, spaceytraci1208 said:

Absolutely! I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed this movie as much without him. I almost cried at his character's happy ending 

Though it's kind of weird, if MONARCH was recruiting people who were on the mission, that they let him go home.  You'd think they'd want him more than Hiddleston or Larson; he spent 30 years on that island.

I quite liked the film, overall.  I liked the earlier Godzilla film's approach more than many people did, but Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a boring actor; Skull Island has a much better cast.  Even when the characters are mostly not developed much, the actors are charismatic and engaging presences (and the writing gives most of them some identifiable quirk).

Also, the directing/cinematography was very stylish, unlike a lot of major studio blockbusters these days.  Sure, a fair bit of that is clearly referencing earlier Vietnam films, but that's still distinctive.  And the film is at times shockingly graphic for a PG-13 film, with some of the kills.

[benteen]

I saw this today and I really enjoyed it.  I knew I was going to like it when I watched the prologue.  The FX on Kong was really impressive and they did a great job with the other creatures too.  Gorgeous cinematography and a fine cast, with John C. Reilly as the standout.  He really brought some emotion to that role.  I was really happy that they showed his reunion with his family at the end.  I was stunned he actually made it out alive.  I'm only annoyed that I missed the post-credit scene.

Shea Whigham was also really good in this.

Definitely much better than the Peter Jackson shitfest of over a decade ago.

Edited March 12, 2017 by benteen

[thuganomics85]

A solid step above the Godzilla remake, although I still found the characters to be a bit cliched and underdeveloped (but at least they weren't dull.  I really can't remember anyone from Godzilla besides Bryan Cranston's character), and I some of the references/homages to Vietnam films was a bit awkward, if distinctive.  Still, the acting was relatively good and all the action scenes were entertaining.  And, yes, the cinematography, directing, and CGI were spectacular.  Oh, and it was less then two hours.  Would certainly take it over the pretty slog that was Peter Jackson's version years ago.

They really stacked the cast though.  Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson were good as the leads more or less (and while Brie is pretty in general, there was something about this film that made her pretty damn sexy), Samuel L. Jackson did what was expected of him which is fine (if anyone can pull of a starring contest with Kong, it would be him), John Goodman was perfectly creepy and sinister, and John C. Reilly stole the show.  I was pleasantly surprised Hank actually survived, since he really came off as a character most films would have shockingly killed off.

And then there was the supporting characters, which had both Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell (Dre and Eazy E!), Jing Tian (who I just saw in The Great Wall), John Ortiz, Marc Evan Jackson, and Shea Whigham, who is one of the character actors who is awesome in everything, and he seems to be popping up in more and bigger things lately, which makes me happy.

I did like how some of the deaths were unexpected and went in different directions then expected (Cole's failed suicide attempt.)  And the ones who came out alive were overall satisfactory (and I love that both Hawkins and Mitchell's characters made it out in one piece!)

Also liked that they didn't really have any romances either.  Conrad and Mason's bond seem more like two normal people just trying to survive the craziness and the people around them.  There might have been some high school like flirting between Hawkins and San too, but it didn't distract from everything that was going on.

Curious to see where they go next with the franchise.

[spaceytraci1208]

7 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

And then there was the supporting characters, which had both Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell (Dre and Eazy E!), Jing Tian (who I just saw in The Great Wall), John Ortiz, Marc Evan Jackson, and Shea Whigham, who is one of the character actors who is awesome in everything, and he seems to be popping up in more and bigger things lately, which makes me happy.

I immediately recognized Corey Hawkins, but did not place Jason Mitchell! Very cool that they've been able to explore different types of roles.

[Bruinsfan]

Is it worth seeing for someone who gets thrown out of the story by John C. Reilly in every role? He always comes across as completely aware he's in a movie to me, rather than one of its characters.

[Proclone]

On 3/11/2017 at 11:25 PM, SeanC said:

Though it's kind of weird, if MONARCH was recruiting people who were on the mission, that they let him go home.  You'd think they'd want him more than Hiddleston or Larson; he spent 30 years on that island.

I quite liked the film, overall.  I liked the earlier Godzilla film's approach more than many people did, but Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a boring actor; Skull Island has a much better cast.  Even when the characters are mostly not developed much, the actors are charismatic and engaging presences (and the writing gives most of them some identifiable quirk).

Also, the directing/cinematography was very stylish, unlike a lot of major studio blockbusters these days.  Sure, a fair bit of that is clearly referencing earlier Vietnam films, but that's still distinctive.  And the film is at times shockingly graphic for a PG-13 film, with some of the kills.

I saw this yesterday, and I really enjoyed it.  I didn't see the Godzilla remake, I'm actually not a huge fan of the giant monster movie genre.  I probably wouldn't have seen this (at least not in the theater) if not for Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston being in it.  I'd quite frankly watch Hiddleston read a phone book for two hours and be happy and I've liked Larson since United States of Tara.  But I wound up enjoying it beyond just liking those two actors.  The supporting cast is great. I liked all of the soldiers and even the scientists. The CGI is spectacular.  Kong looks awesome.  The CGI of his hair alone is spectacular.  And the lizard things are supper creepy.  The soundtrack is also great.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable popcorn flick. 

I do agree it was really graphic for a PG-13 movie.  I spent the bit with the giant spider mostly watching between my fingers.  And it seemed to really disturb the number of seven and eight year olds that were in my showing.  I really wish parents would think to find out exactly how violent and/or gruesome a movie is going to be before bringing their pre-pubescent child.  One girl sounded really frightened.  Granted I saw some R-rated movies when I was young, but always at home and my mother had always seen them first.  And if I was told I had to leave the room for a certain part, I left the room.  I think seeing a movie this violent in a theater (in 3D no less) is a bit much for an eight year old.

[NumberCruncher]

I really enjoyed this.  I, too, don't think I would have ever chosen to see this were it not for the cast, but by the end of it I was pleasantly surprised that the star of the show really was Kong himself (which is how it should be, really).  It's not going to win any major movie awards but it's definitely one of those movies where you can check your brain at the door, grab some popcorn, and have a great time.

5 hours ago, Proclone said:

I do agree it was really graphic for a PG-13 movie.  I spent the bit with the giant spider mostly watching between my fingers.  And it seemed to really disturb the number of seven and eight year olds that were in my showing.  I really wish parents would think to find out exactly how violent and/or gruesome a movie is going to be before bringing their pre-pubescent child.  One girl sounded really frightened.  Granted I saw some R-rated movies when I was young, but always at home and my mother had always seen them first.  And if I was told I had to leave the room for a certain part, I left the room.  I think seeing a movie this violent in a theater (in 3D no less) is a bit much for an eight year old.

This.  There were families with itty bitties in the showing I went to as well and I was rather stunned by it.  My 10 year-old nephew is dying to see this movie but after seeing it myself, I refuse to take him due to the graphic scenes. 

[Shannon L.]

5 hours ago, Proclone said:

The CGI is spectacular.  Kong looks awesome.  The CGI of his hair alone is spectacular.  And the lizard things are supper creepy.

The wildebeests were gorgeous! 

I'm another one who became more interested in seeing this one because of the cast.  I thought it was fun and definitely better than Godzilla.  I'll be interested to see where what the next one looks like.

[kiddo82]

On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 11:58 AM, Bruinsfan said:

Is it worth seeing for someone who gets thrown out of the story by John C. Reilly in every role? He always comes across as completely aware he's in a movie to me, rather than one of its characters.

Eh.  He pretty much has all the best lines so you might want to wait for it on Demand.  But the use of CGI and 3D is pretty outstanding if that balances it out.

 

6 hours ago, Proclone said:

I saw this yesterday, and I really enjoyed it.  I didn't see the Godzilla remake, I'm actually not a huge fan of the giant monster movie genre.  I probably wouldn't have seen this (at least not in the theater) if not for Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston being in it.  I'd quite frankly watch Hiddleston read a phone book for two hours and be happy and I've liked Larson since United States of Tara.  But I wound up enjoying it beyond just liking those two actors.  The supporting cast is great. I liked all of the soldiers and even the scientists. The CGI is spectacular.  Kong looks awesome.  The CGI of his hair alone is spectacular.  And the lizard things are supper creepy.  The soundtrack is also great.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable popcorn flick. 

Agree.  I went into it primarily for the cast and for some fun and got exactly what I wanted and a little more.  I loved the cast.  I loved that it was a tidy 2 hours long.   I loved the CGI and action sequences.  I loved the wide shot of Kong standing in front of Brie Larson's character to give perspective as to how massive he was supposed to be.  I chuckled at the touches of humor and I appreciated the cliché bending moments. 

Spoiler

the failed suicide/hero death

I did NOT like the giant spider in 3D but that's not the movie's fault.

As far as cinema goes, no one's going to make room on their shelves for any awards, but I liked it and more tellingly, I had a fun experience.

Edited March 13, 2017 by kiddo82

[Enero]

We saw this last night. The CGI was spectacular. The island shots were gorgeous. The movie itself was ok. 

Kong was the highlight as he should've been. The scenes at the end with him and the Lizard fighting were IMHO the best in the movie. 

All of the characters were pretty generic and thus boring. However, we did get a few laughs at Samuel L. Jackson's enraged and badass facial expressions. ?

This was not worth the extra money we paid to see it in 3D. At times it actually bordered on annoying especially when the scene didn't include one of the giant species. 

Again, it was ok. Would I recommend it, probably not. 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Enero

[raven]

I thought this was pretty entertaining.  It hooked me with the music, the photography on the ship and the helicopters arriving at the island.   I hadn't realized the time period this was set in but the Vietnam references really worked in setting atmosphere.    Loved that they jumped right into the action with Kong flinging the copters like toys.   I noticed at the end that Kong used man-made items (chain, anchor) to beat down the big skull crawler (or whatever Jon C Reilly's character called it).   Had to have everyone in on the action at the end, but it was fun so I didn't care.  There were quite a few funny bits too, which Godzilla could have used more of.

Tom Hiddleston looked very, very good, tho his standing "action hero" poses did make me laugh.  Really, his most bad ass scene was in the very beginning at the pool table.   That's OK, he wore that t-shirt well.  Speaking of which, after crash landing in a copter, trudging through the jungle, running from beasts, spending a couple of nights - the civilians' clothes all looked remarkably good.  The soldiers not so much, but all of the civilians looked like they just got off the plane.  JCR's character's pants looked like he pulled them out of the drawer at home, not pants that had been on an island for almost 30 years.  I guess there wasn't much budget left for costuming.

Kong looked great, scary and sympathetic both.   John Goodman and Samuel L Jackson tried to out-crazy each other; too bad JG got eaten midway, I liked their scenes together.  Good cast overall, even the secondaries made impressions; or at least the ones that were supposed to.

Fun popcorn movie for a rainy afternoon.  Bring on Mothra, King Ghidorah and the Kong/Godzilla showdown.

[BitterApple]

I saw this tonight with my husband. I thought it was a fun way to kill a couple of hours. I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't bored either. 

I agree that the scientists and Tom looked a little too clean and well put together to have spent two days trudging through a wet, humid jungle. 

[dusang]

On 3/11/2017 at 7:57 PM, Joe said:

And that stinger. Very meta. I was taken in, thinking Tom Hiddleston was telling me to go home. I'm glad I stayed, though.

Shit!  I knew I should have stayed -- what happened?

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, dusang said:

Shit!  I knew I should have stayed -- what happened?

I'm glad you asked that question. I saw the stinger, and I'm not sure. It seemed like Tom and Brie were being debriefed, but were cagily not saying much to their debriefers, when suddenly two of their compadres burst into the room saying, "Now we're going to some island that makes Skull Island look like a walk in the park!!!," or some such thing--obviously setting up an even more terrifying sequel. But I'm not sure, which is why I can't wait to find out what I really saw.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[Silver Raven]

The stinger also showed wall paintings from the other island that had images of Mothra, Rodan, Godzilla, and a couple of other Japanese monsters.

[nicepebbles]

Finally saw this today. Loved It! Pretty much for all the reasons that were already mentioned. 

I never got the Tom Hiddleston love after Thor came out. Now I get it. He looks way better with a tan and shorter hair.

Watching Kong fight with those lizards, I thought, "Preview for Godzilla." I liked that movie despite it being a bit slow and other things that just irked me about that movie.

I so wanted Chapman to live. I'll take Hank.

It's a testament to the movie from the moment Kong showed up in when the crew got to the island, I was on his side. Packard got his men killed. He wanted something he wasnt getting from the war. Shame on that officer that called Packard to get his crew together one day out from leave or redeployment (couldn't tell which). My husband and I have been there and it sucks especially when you have kids. Packard was surely crazy for telling a subordinate to commit a crime by shooting Weaver. He was well within his right to disobey that order. I thought so too that the Soldiers were so chummy. The one that calling Cole crazy was a warrant officer from I could see and Cole was a Captain. Captains outrank warrants. As my father in law says, picture like a picture (movies do what they want).

[BetterButter]