Kong is a legend. One that promises spectacular doses of fantasy and excitement; and this latest incarnation does not disappoint. In fact, it’s the best one yet.
For those who haven’t seen it, not to worry. This will be a spoiler-free review of Kong: Skull Island.
With something that’s been around for so long, it’s gotta be tough to do something that stays within the near 100-year mythos and yet is still original enough to keep us all guessing. This movie did both.
It keeps the stuff we need to see without falling into cliches and scenes that we feel like we’ve seen many times before. We want to see Kong swat helicopters out of the air like toys. We want to see him pound his chest and give a guttural roar. But we can do without the scene where Kong creepily watches a human woman bathing or getting dressed.
The cast was wonderful. And even though nerds like me felt like we were watching Loki work together with Nick Fury, those stigmas quickly fade into great performances given by all. Special shout out to John C. Reilly who always seems to surprise me. Not only did he own some of the funniest moments in the movie, but also some of the most dramatic, and he delivered on both.
Where this movie really shines is in its villains. The best villains in the cinematic history (as well as television, books, comics, etc, etc) are the heroes of their own story. Normally, we just don’t get to see the villain’s point of view because we’re too busy hanging out with the ‘hero.’
Kong: Skull Island will show you a villain, and then show you why that villain is actually a hero, over and over again. By the end of the movie you’ll realize the truth about the real villain of this story: from the right perspective, everyone is a villain.
Don’t take my word for it. Check out the trailer.
And if you haven’t seen this movie yet, make sure you sit through the credits. Just in case there’s something to see afterward. Trust me.
