Kong: La Isla Calavera

Any movie, or anything, really, that keeps my attention is good. Although I didn't really like the orange tinge everything seems to have in the very beginning, the technical side improves dramatically as the film progresses.

It takes place in 1973, just after the Americans "abandoned" the Vietnam War (according to Samuel L Jackson's Preston Packard character). The 70's production design is good and brings me back to my childhood (the soundtrack was awesome with plenty of 70's hits), although you don't see much of the 70's vibe after the first 20 minutes or so. The CGI is very good and doesn't make me feel like I'm playing a video game. This movie is like Jurassic Park meets Godzilla and they had a baby called Platoon and it grew to become a mash-up of the three of them with its own uniqueness called Kong: Skull Island.

Just under two hours in length and "hold onto your butts" and watch the credits.

My favourite quote from the movie is, "A camera is more dangerous than a gun." Seems like SLJ get's all the good lines.

THIS is the way a movie should be done.

Have you ever watched the scene from The Princess Bride where the grandfather tells the kid: It's got everything. "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love ...". Well, in a way, that's this version of KONG, and I am really happy and surprised at just how GOOD it was.

Take a bit of the original Kong, mix it with one part Private Ryan, a dash of The Deer Hunter, some Monty Python, lots of Jurassic Park, a pinch of A Space Oddity and mix well with some (insert your favorite lower-key funny movies HERE). The result is a pleasing fare one can really sink their teeth into and enjoy.

It has some familiar faces too, and what's best about it, is that not only do they live up to their so-called stardom, but even the unfamiliar or not-yet- "famous" actors with smaller roles, really do a great job and sell it. At no time while you are watching this movie do you feel it far-fetched or unbelievable that Kong actually exists, and isn't that, in a nutshell, what all movies should aspire to - the suspension of disbelief? Mission accomplished on this one, and good job to the creators.

A definite must-watch.

A strange movie. It is kind of all over the place with its themes and influences but it has a distinct enough personality and some solid setpieces.

This is a straight adventure story with giant monsters, and the way it's shot and the hammy dialogue are mostly B-movie and comic book derived (check out those Dutch angles and blistering colors and 10 times too big sun, moon, aurora...).

But there's also a clunky Vietnam metaphor that's a straight-up over the top "homage" to Apocalypse Now, et al. The song choices even more so. It makes sense in theory (VietKong anyone?) but I don't think it ever really works and it's just an excuse to make Sam Jackson a bad guy to counterpoint Kong's "human" side.

Characters are fine for the most part. They serve their cardboard purposes and that's what's expected. Hiddleston and Larson in particular feel vastly underdeveloped. Everything they say and do fall instantly from memory and their disappearance from the movie all together wouldn't have changed it that much.

But what we want are monsters and we get them. Most of them are wonders to behold (the water buffalo, spider legs, and octo tentacles yum) except the generic Skullcrawers (the scene where Reilly names them is embarrassing - I don't think Larson or Hiddleston had any idea what to do the dialogue is so ferociously dumb. Reilly almost saves it however).

This Kong feels like a very different movie than the new Godzilla. This is very much an entertaining B-movie with strong comic book influences worn loud and proud. It will be interesting to see how these two worlds collide. If any franchises deserve an extended universe, it's these! That's what they're all about.

Released in 2017 and directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, "Kong: Skull Island" takes place in 1973 where a military crew about to depart Vietnam is commissioned to guide an expedition to map out the eponymous island. Of course, the giant ape, Kong, is soon discovered, as well as several other deadly colossal creatures, including reptilian underground monsters dubbed "Skullcrawlers." Will anyone make it out alive?

Like my title blurb says, this delivers the goods for fantasy-adventure lovers. The opening act is great with its kinetic air and excellent late 60s/early 70's soundtrack. The rest of the movie more or less keeps up the entertainment value, highlighted by the racially diverse cast, led by Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and John C. Reilly; there are many others.

"Skull Island" has the high adventure demanded in a King Kong flick and is arguably on par with the original "King Kong" (1933), as well as the 1976 and 2005 versions, although it's superior to the latter because it lacks that one's pretentious over-length, cartoonish CGI-jungles and overkill action sequences (like the absurd brontosaurus stampede). Of course, it's criminal to compare a modern CGI-oriented flick with a classic like the 1933 film (or even the '76 version); I'm just saying that, if you favor those movies, you'll probably relish this one because it's cut from the same cloth and is effective for what it is, a colossal creature adventure flick. For further comparison, "Skull Island" is pretty much as good or, IMO, better than any of the Jurassic Park pictures.

Along with the thrilling jungle escapades, there are some interesting subtexts and gems to mine, like the quasi-Ahab subplot and the fact that dropping myriad bombs might not be the best answer. Early in the film the photographer (Brie) tells the the gung-ho Colonel (Jackson) that America lost the Vietnam War. Yet, this isn't really accurate since the USA won every battle of that infamous conflict. So the colonel rightly corrects her: "We didn't lose the war; we abandoned it."

The movie runs 118 minutes and was shot in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh, Vietnam; Oahu, Hawaii; and Queensland, Australia; with studio work done in Los Angeles.

GRADE: B+

Some people go to the movies to be wowed by the superb acting, heart wrenching and well written story, and overall solid production... THIS has good effects? The acting in this film isn't bad, but it definitely won't win any awards for it.

The story has characters Bill Randa (John Goodman) and Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) piggybacking on an expedition to an uncharted island to test their "hollow earth" theory. Tom Hiddleston plays a tracker, Brie Larson plays a photographer, and John C. Reilly plays a surprisingly funny WW2 vet marooned on Skull Island.

The film takes place in 1973 and loves to remind you with CCR and old technology as if it was a hundred years ago. Kong: Skull Island pays homage to Apocalypse Now quite frequently even though it seems a bit excessive at times.

Kong looked good, almost all the creatures looked cool and all the fights between them looked really good, especially in IMAX 3D. Some of the green screen effects, like backgrounds behind characters, were distractingly bad. Ultimately, you get some great stuff out of all the effects if you're not looking too closely.

The characters are more hollow than the earth (according to the film's characters themselves), the story is mediocre, but the effects reign king in this film adaptation.

My suggestion: See it! it's a blockbuster meant to fill seats, not win awards. Take it for what it is.

Seen at an advanced IMAX 3D screening in Minneapolis.