Kong: Skull Island is exactly what you want it to be. From viewing the thrilling trailer, you might hope for a ludicrously silly, action-packed romp with massive monsters, great special effects and some suitably-arch acting performances. And unlike so many similar films that prove to be a pale shadow of their two-minute preview, this one absolutely delivers on the promise. If you're looking for sensitive portrayals and innovative cinematography, check out the Oscar shortlists. If you're up for two hours of pretty relentless fun, grab a bucket of popcorn and a ticket to Kong. It's ridiculous-but-glorious from start to finish.
The storyline is fairly predictable stuff, which won't bother anyone in the context. John Goodman's monster-hunter draws together a team of dispensable soldiers, plus Tom Hiddleston's rippling Bear-Grylls-for-hire and Brie Larson's Pulitzer-hunting photojournalist, and heads for an uncharted island inhabited by the titular ape. The jaw-dropping early sequence where man and beast have their first encounter is never bettered in the subsequent 90 minutes, but it sets a story in motion where some (led by Samuel L Jackson, playing himself more than ever before) want to kill Kong, and others want to enlist his help in fighting the even greater evil that lurks beneath the island.
In terms of a review, there's not much more to say. Everyone is fine in their respective roles, although John C Reilly deserves a shout for being both the sympathetic and comic heart of the movie, and the whole thing is slickly directed by indie hotshot Jordan Vogt-Roberts. What does lift the film is its script, which contains more genuinely-funny one-liners than the average Melissa McCarthy movie, and contains some great nods to the film's 1970s setting, all while advancing the action at a perfect pace. A well-written movie is usually a pretty enjoyable one, and this proves the point.
In terms of cerebral or interesting thematic content, this is hardly going to challenge Moonlight, or even a smart popcorn movie like Doctor Strange. Yet it does have one or two interesting things to say, particularly around the nature of conflict and revenge. Jackson's gun-toting army Colonel is so consumed with anger with Kong for killing some of his men that he becomes hell-bent on revenge, in spite of the evidence that the ape was simply defending his territory. It feels like a fairly pertinent message to real-world army commanders to look at the evidence before embarking upon blind retaliation.
Really though, the film's message is that violence doesn't get you anywhere. The post-Vietnam war setting frames that theme perfectly, with Jackson and others unable to withdraw themselves from the endless cycle of guns, bombs and revenge. Ultimately, the world needs liberators who are prepared to break that cycle by choosing a path of forgiveness and reconciliation. And without wanting to give too much away, Kong: Skull Island offers an image of that in the most unlikely shape, and one that should be seen on the largest screen possible.
Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
