User reviews

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.

When the Vietnam War ends, Bill Randa (John Goodman) and his partner Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) from the Monarch organization succeed to get the financing for an expedition to the recently discovered Skull Island from Senator Willis (Richard Jenkins). He hires the former Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) to guide the expedition; a group of soldiers under the command of Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson); and the awarded journalist and photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson). On the arrival, the helicopters need to cross a storm and soon they drop bombs on the forest to map the seismology of the island. Soon they are attacked by a huge gorilla called Kong that destroys the helicopters and kills part of the crew and scatter the rest through the island. The group commanded by Conrad meets Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly), a survivor from the World War II that lives with a tribe of natives. He explains that Kong protects the island and the natives from underground monsters and shall not be killed. But Colonel Packard is insane seeking revenge for his men that died.

"Kong: Skull Island" is a brainless adventure with several stupidities. For example, the number of helicopters in the beginning of the journey of Randa, Conrad and Packard is totally incompatible with the size of their ship. Bo pilot would dare to cross a storm like that in a helicopter. The attack of all the helicopters to Kong is absolutely imbecile. Most of the survivor's attitude are at least unreasonable. On the other side, the adventure is highly entertaining and the special effects are top notch. Therefore the best option to the viewer is to shut down the brain and enjoy the adventure since this is the purpose of this type of blockbuster. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Kong: A Ilha da Caveira" ("Kong: The Skull Island")

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.

Looking back at old movies, the effects date quickly and they become rather cheesy in their simple pleasures. Someday I will do that with this film, because essentially it is a creature feature, albeit one that happens to be being delivered with the biggest stars, biggest budget, and state-of-the-art effects. And the thing is, despite all this superficial polish, the film is essentially big monsters and spectacle.

On this front it is enjoyable though; it has plenty of action, lots to look at, and a reasonably successful mix of humor and drama. I say reasonably, because the plot isn't up to much, and different characters seem to be in different films depending on who they are. This is matched by the performances which range from the silly fun (Reilly) to the stupidly OTT (Jackson) to the starry but bland (Hiddleston, Larson); the film doesn't seem to have a handle on what it wants to do, and the mix that it produces is not always successful, and it relies on big moments of action and noise to try and cover it. Perhaps at some point there was some smart commentary about US foreign policy in there, but that is lost in the mix too.

Still, it works as a monster movie with great effects and lots of polish, so enjoy it for that even if there is not too much beyond that.

I usually don't comment on massively budgeted blockbusters, but "Kong: Skull Island" is such a joyfully tongue-in-cheek homage to giant monster B-movie cinema that I simply had to make an exception! This is a tremendously over-the-top and silly creature-feature, but the undemanding popcorn-entertainment value is just irresistible. The original King Kong, from 1933 already, is a monumental piece of cinema and still very powerful today. The more recent (2005) and expensive Peter Jackson remake was, at least in my humble opinion, a very boring and overlong romantic drama. "Kong: Skull Island" nicely falls right between these two extremes. By no means, it's great cinema, but at least it provides thrills, chuckles and adrenaline rushes from start to finish. The intro and scene-setting are already incredibly dumb, but oh so fun! We're supposed to believe that there exists a secret government agency (yes, another one) named Monarch, and their area of expertise is searching around the world for monsters and oversize animals. In 1973, The agency's CEO (an energetic John Goodman) benefices from the US-army's retreat out of Vietnam to recover soldiers and assets for a mission to the secretive Skull Island; a place where - and I quote - God left his creation unfinished.

"Kong: Skull Island" certainly doesn't waste any time! The helicopters have barely begun circling over the island, and there already emerges the humongous ape King Kong to slap them out of the sky like tiny ping-pong balls! The few remaining soldiers, led by the frustrated platoon leader Samuel L. Jackson, continue on foot and swear to destroy King Kong, but they soon learn that the island homes lots of other giant and unspeakably evil monstrous creations, and that Kong isn't even such a bad fella. It's a mission impossible to take this film seriously, but with the right mindset (and perhaps a few six-packs of beer) you'll have a great time. Seeing the story takes place in 1973 and has an abundantly clear Vietnam collection, it also somewhat feels like a long-feature "Tour of Duty" movie with a downright awesome 70s soundtrack. The special effects are cheesy and exaggerated, the dialogues are deliciously tacky ("hm, a mushroom...that means there must a river nearby!") and the casting is perfect. I already mentioned John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson, but there's also John C. Reilly as the bewildered WWII veteran who's been stuck on the island since 1942.

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+

This is a really cool movie! It's not deep or complex, but it's visually great and a lot of fun.

My review is short and sweet.

Half the people on here saw it on the day it leaked - just check review dates - and on their phone screens and then can't understand why they didn't really like it.

Not much you can do for those people if they choose to cheat themselves out of a great movie experience, but just don't let them cheat you out of one.

This is a very well put together movie with excellent everything including cast, sound, graphics, plot, lines, cinematography, you name it.

Can't do more than point you in the direction of a good movie and up to you to watch it or not, but in my book, this Kong was King.

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.

Movies used to be fun. Genuinely fun. Kong: Skull Island is a throwback to the era when movies were fun - like, Stars Wars fun. Like Jaws fun. That kind of fun. The leads embody characters that are all understandable and genuinely likable. The plot isn't stuffed with technical geek references and "easter eggs" that weigh down other universe-building films. From the fire- singed Kong fur to the slick skull crawler tongues, the special effects are brilliantly detailed and animated. And it's genuinely refreshing to watch an action/monster film in which native peoples are depicted with dignity and respect, and where black and Asian characters aren't used as props or fodder for violence (admittedly, the film could have gone further with this, but I sensed some progress being made). Kong: Skull Island isn't Life is Beautiful. It isn't Casablanca. But it is genuinely, thrillingly, rigorously fun. It has heart, scales, teeth and a ferocious roar. Monster movies are back. Get in line. Hail to the King.

The legendary King Kong returns in an all new adventure that gives the classic tale a much needed update and new setting. Unlike Perter Jackson's retelling of the original Black and White film, "Kong: Skull Island" eschews the old for the new and in doing so breathes a much needed new life and vitality into the franchise.

The film is set in 1973 when William Randa (John Goodman), informs the government that they have detected a previously unknown island and need to investigate it before the Soviets learn of it and beat them to whatever the island my hold.

William recruits a team which includes a former British officer named James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), and Photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), to assist his team lead by Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins), in mapping the island.

William also asks for a military escort and the government enlists Lt. Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), and his team to accompany the mission. Packard is trying to find his place in the world as he and his helicopter combat team are dealing with the recent end of the Vietnam War. His men are looking forward to going home and resuming their lives, but a dour Packard jumps at the chance for another mission over the uncertainty of the future.

Upon arriving on the mysterious island and starting their survey mission by using seismic charges, the team attract the attention of Kong who is not at all pleased with the intrusion on his island. Kong makes short work of the copters and the team finds themselves scattered about the dangerous island. They soon learn that Kong is not the only danger on the island and must find a way to rejoin each other and make it to their extraction point alive.

Naturally some of the characters have a hidden agenda and there are dangerous and action around every corner. Further complicating matters is the appearance of Marlow (John C. Reilly), a downed WWII pilot who has been stranded on the island for 23 years and warns of dangers far greater than Kong that are ahead of the team.

The film combines a solid cast with state of the art special effects to take a new twist on the standard adventure fare. While many parts of the film remain silly Popcorn entertainment, the quality of the assembled cast allows the film to move beyond being just an assembly of potential victims for a menagerie of CGI creatures to dispatch. While the story is more in lines with the linear and thin plots of adventure films of old, the sum of the parts does add up to an enjoyable film experience for those who like the giant creature films. You will want to make sure to stay after the credits as there is a very good scene that shows a setup for a future film that had those in attendance at our press screening cheering.

The film may be a bit intense for younger viewers but if you are looking for a touch of nostalgia and action, you may find the film just what you need.

3.5 stars out of 5.

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.

Some of the superficial elements that make up Kong: Skull Island, almost make the film worth watching, almost. An exotically stunning picture where the rain forests are so bright and golden as if sunlight was radiating from in between the trees. Kong emerges under the fiery halo of a setting telephoto sun that takes up half the screen. But it was that that moment when I began to have this feeling that I've had too often before, the movie is spectacle and little substance.

We begin with John Goodman convincing a senator to fund an expedition to a newly discovered island (captured by satellite camera). He also gets the luxury of a military escort. Enter Samuel L. Jackson as the commander, perfectly type cast with his bravado Schick that is no longer entertaining. The film also succeeds in wasting Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson. The highlight of the cast, is John C. Riley. Stranded on the island for two decades, he has befriended the local indigenous people and knows all the Islands secrets. His humour and energy, are a relief from watching everyone else perform with zero enthusiasm.

As for King Kong, He is the biggest we have seen yet in a major motion picture. Unfortunately he is stuck in a movie that is not 'King Kong'; a movie that about a monster finding his humanity. This Kong is all about attitude and not soul. The idea is that he is the guardian protector of the island, who fights to keep nature in balance, by controlling the numbers of the other big inhabitants. He is the last of his kind, and his family was killed by a species that looks like an amphibious version of the distinctive skulled ape in Temple Run.

The climax pits Kong against the big daddy of these beasts, a riveting fight scene but with an inevitable outcome. Other highlights include a daddy 'super' long and another giant insect that can disguise itself as a decrepit fallen tree. The jarheads in the movie are virtually nothing more than bodies to feed to creatures like these. In fact the movie often feels like a realized version of the games we used to play with dinosaurs and little toy soldiers.

Director Jordan Vogt Roberts seems to be mimicking Michael Bay films. You can see it in his use of slow motion, his stagy camera angles, and framing, and in his comic book color palette. He handles his action scenes with a greater sense of orientation, but like Bay, he fails to summon any suspense, thrill or anticipation. The film always seems too eager to get to the action oriented punchline of every scene.

The finished product, is a sexy looking, 50's throwback monster movie, with lots of crazy beasts, stunning scenery and nothing in the way of character development or intelligent dialog. Samuel L. Jacksson points a gun and says, "unless you tell me what I don't know, I will blow your head off." You can't get much cheesier than that right?

In 1944, two World War II fighter pilots , American pilot Hank Marlow and Japanese pilot Gunpei Ikari, parachute onto an island in the South Pacific after a dogfight and engage war in close combat, but the fight is interrupted by a huge ape . It goes forward in 1973, U.S. government agent Bill Randa (John Goodman) and his colleague Houston (Corey Hawkins) hire former British Special Air Service Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) , a skilled tracker, as well as awarded anti-war photographer Weaver (Brie Larson) who thinks about the expedition is a secret military operation, and intends to expose it , all of them set out for the infamous Skull Island, to guide an expedition to map out . The voyage aboards a ship and, subsequently, going by helicopters into the dangerous island with plenty of flora and giant fauna , but soon realize ,they got more than they bargained for. The recently discovered island known as Skull Island , it is a place as perilous as it is gorgeous , it is a mythical, uncharted location in the Pacific . No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla . Once there, they discover that King Kong is a real creature, living in a massive jungle where creatures from prehistoric times have been protected and hidden for millions of years. As the explorers search for the great ape, their quest puts them up against both Kong and his pre-historical enemies. They are escorted by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and his underlings . Later on , the bunch is joined by a former pilot (John C. Reilly) isolated at the mysterious from WWII . At Skull Island they encounter a marvel of evolution , a colossal thing of power called Kong. The squadron and subordinates venture into the domain of the mighty Kong, as their mission of discovery becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape a primal Eden in which humanity does not belong. Along the way , the squad avoiding and battling all sorts of creatures and beasts , whilst Colonel Packard has another plan in mind.The eighth wonder of the world.

This nail-biting movie contains noisy action , thrills , emotion and a lot of breathtaking battles including gigantic fights among monsters and helicopters crashing on ground . This spectacular movies is well-suited to its subject , concerning diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers unite to explore a sinister island , finding King Kong and igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As the real starring turns out to be the monstrous ape¨Kong¨, the all-powerful eight-metre-tall silverback gorilla who faces off a handful of valiant but insignificant defenders must fight tooth and nail with formidable adversaries and the isle's mighty ruler . This ¨Kong¨retools the original's iconic components through the hyper-evolved wonder of 21st century CGI . The great ape himself is really the big star of the wonderful show , delivering the necessary goods to surprise and wonder us . Kong gives an enormous spectacle made with a level of photo-realist detail so expensive and intricate as to be unimaginable to the Stop-Motion , painted-glass by maestros Willis O'Brian and Ray Harryhausen in 1933 King Kong version directed by Ernest B Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper or the animatronicist with Kong made by Carlo Rambaldi of the 1976 version or the former 2005 by Peter Jackson , made by means of abundant digital effects similar to this last one , Kong : Skull island . It is a stunning technical achievement , but one that threatens to overwhelm the potent tale it supposedly serves . All over two hours , the movie's gigantism extends ways beyond the scale of its effects . The script attempts hard to build on its more interesting components , mixing adventures , military feats and jungle battles as wel as songs in ¨Apocalypse Now¨ style . The screenplay is unreservedly on the side of Kong , in spite of making an excessive massacre, more than the proud and vengeful Colonel Packard/Samuel L. Jackson . And the movie's spiriited climax is worthy of its ancestry . The fim packs a colorful and brilliant cinematogaphy by Larry Fong .Being shot on several locations in Oahu, Hawaii, USA , Los Angeles, California, Chicago , Illinois ,Tân Hoá, Quang Binh, Vietnam Ha Long Bay,Quang Ninh,Vietnam ,Moreton Bay, Gold Coast, Mount Tamborine, Queensland, Australia ,Village Roadshow Studios, Oxenford, Queensland,Australia .As well as a moving and thrilling musical score by Henry Jackman. The motion picture was well directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts .

Other renditions about this fantactic story about adventurers encountering at an island new and terrifying species of animals, including a massive twenty-five foot gorilla result to be as follows : the classic 1933 retelling King Kong by Ernest B Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper with Fay Wray , Robert Armstrong , Bruce Cabot . King Kong 1976 by John Guillermin and Dino De Laurentiis with Jessica Lange , Jeff Bridges , Charles Grodin, John Randolph . King Kong (2005) by Peter Jackson with Naomi Watts , Jack Black , Colin Hanks, Adrien Brody , Thomas Kretschmann and Andy Serkis as Kong . And recently made, in post-production , Godzilla vs. Kong , 2020 by Adam Wingard with Kyle Chandler , Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall , Elza Gonzalez .

Boy did I enjoy this film.

forget plot and logic. This is an all out creature feature...It is called Skull Island because that's where the action takes place with all the neat creatures.

There is a LOT of screen time devoted to Kong and the monsters. And LOTS of cool death scenes. Pretty gory, in my opinion, and surprised this got a pg-13. Some scenes would be very frightening for little ones.

Most surprisingly, it is the the acting of John Goodman and J.C. Riley that stands out - even overshadowing tom Hiddleston. I am not a big fan of Goodman or Riley, so this really surprised me.

For the plot - people go to Skull Island. They encounter Kong and various giant monsters. Mayhem and death ensues. Some return home. The end.

Doesn't sound like much but the monster scenes really made the movie, and Kong was fantastic. They really had him move - he was almost like a giant Hulk smashing those airplanes!

Oh, and PLEASE stay after the credits. What was shown put a BIG smile on my face... No spoilers.. you have to see it for yourself.

My wife and I had a blast. The first 20 minutes were regrettably lame, but the rest of the movie was a hoot.

8 out of 10 for fun factor.

Kong: Skull Island is a monster film starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, and Brie Larson. Packed with all the giant monster movie clichés and fun action scenes one would hope to see, it serves as a sufficient reboot of the King Kong franchise.

In 1973, a group of explorers led by a band of soldiers journey to a mysterious uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean. Upon arrival, the group realise the island is swarming with giant monstrous animals and insect-like creatures who have called this place their home for millions of years. After becoming separated amidst the chaos, the groups eventually meet with the local natives who worship a skyscraper-sized ape named Kong who protects them from the giant monsters.

While the film doesn't offer much in terms of actual plot, the action and fight scenes more than make up for it. The special effects were great and the CGI for Kong and the other giant monsters were all very convincing. The characters were all essentially stock action roles but thanks to the believable performances from the lead actors, they're still fun to watch. I also enjoyed the fact that Kong has more screen time and a greater relevance on the film's story, unlike with how Godzilla was barely in the 2014 film. I look forward to seeing these two monsters duke it out in a future film.

I rate it 7/10

No sequel, spin off or remake has come close to matching up to the mythology of the 1933 classic, and just to be sure, neither does this latest iteration of pop culture's mightiest simian. Instead, this origin story largely set in the 1970s when America was pulling itself out from the quagmire of the Vietnam War inspires to be no more and no less than a monster-mash adventure of epic-sized proportions, pitting not just Man-against-Kong but Man-against- nature-itself, the latter represented by supersized species the likes of towering spiders, blue-blooded pterodactyls and giant saw- toothed lizards referred to as Skullcrawlers that are all too eager to get a literal taste of human flesh. Oh yes, this is a CGI showstopper in many, many more ways than one, with state-of-the-art Industrial Light and Magic technology complemented with inventive creature design by Carlos Huante to create a fitting modern-day throwback to the B-movie action-driven creature features of the past.

Dispensing with any hint of nuance, the straightforward and utterly functional plot has John Goodman's scientist cum bureaucrat Bill Randa assemble a team under his top-secret government-funded Monarch project to explore the hitherto uncharted Skull Island, a long- hidden landmass in the South Pacific hidden by constant electrical storms and magnetic interference which has been only recently uncovered by the first Earth-mapping satellites sent up into space by the US. Among those whom end up one way or another on the mission: Tom Hiddleston's former SAS officer turned tracker-for-hire James Conrad, Brie Larson's anti-war photojournalist Mason Weaver, and last but not least Samuel L. Jackson's embittered Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard and his helicopter squadron (some of the more recognizable faces include Shea Whigham and Toby Kebbell). There are about a half dozen other characters too difficult to keep track once the film gets underway, such as Jing Tian and Corey Hawkins' pair of token-minority scientists who get a couple of pointless lines and no real purpose.

Withholding knowledge of the real intent of the expedition to "document the existence of massive unidentified terrestrial organisms', Randa instructs Colonel Packard's men to start dropping bombs from their helicopters under the guise of mapping the island seismographically, which naturally irritates the hell out of its eponymous chief resident. Kong's grand dramatic entrance consists of hurling a napalm tree towards one of the choppers, before tearing through each and every one of them by either ripping them apart or tossing them against each other. Oh yes, you'll be glad to know that (unlike Randa) Kong doesn't hold anything back right from the get- go, meaning that you will get to see him in all his massive vicious glory in every single scene that he is in. That awesome introduction not only cuts the ensemble down to those in the opening credits and divides them into two groups, but also sets up the enmity between Kong and Packard.

Given the simplicity of the storyline, it is no surprise that the characters are but stock types – in fact, the most fully developed character only joins midway through the film, a WWII vet named Hank Marlowe (John C. Reilly) who survived the Japanese pilot after him when both their fighter planes crash-land back in 1944 and has since learned to live peacefully among the natives there. Reilly steals every scene he is in – more than just as supporting comic presence, he is a real live wire injecting warmth, humour and dryness as an eccentric lost-in-time pilot. Jackson comes a close second with his brash gusto, but the rest of the actors are not much better than as body count.

But really, who are we kidding – you're probably not here for the story or the characters but the damn ape himself, and boy, does he look magnificent. With tactile fur and soulful eyes, Kong comes to life in breathtaking realism, aided with motion capture by 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' actor Terry Notary. This Kong is majestic on his own (one such moment has him taking a break in a lake while Kebbell's terrified major watches from behind a rock a few feet away), and jaw- droppingly powerful during any one of the startlingly photoreal sequences of bestial combat. It bears noting that the monsters which emerge to challenge Kong or which simply make an appearance as part of the fauna of the titular island are also just as stunning, especially a confrontation in a foggy graveyard between the remaining survivors and a Skullcrawler and the climactic Kong- versus-giant-Skullcrawler smackdown that is impressive even by modern-day CGI standards.

Despite being a visual effects novice, indie director Jordan Vogt- Roberts proves right at home in a big-budget motion picture. He creates an immersive pre-historic paradise to complement the exciting monster scenes, and mixes 70s war imageries from 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Platoon' into the 'Jurassic Park' setting to keep his audience hooked. Because of his firm grasp on pace and rhythm, what is two hours feels much less so – and if there is one unintended outcome of that, it is the fact that we end up wanting to see more of Kong. As much as it is Kong's movie, there are also stretches in between where he is nowhere to be seen, and the other nasty dino-like creatures on Skull Island take center stage to exert terror on the human intruders.

Ultimately, this is a movie fashioned on pure action spectacle, using state-of-the-art CGI to breathe new life into the old-school monster movie mash genre (you would do well to note that this is meant to be an origin story in Legendary/ Warner's MonsterVerse franchise, setting up the beast for a planned showdown against Godzilla in 2020). It may all seem familiar, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun or thrilling, so really just grab your popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride.