Never will humans learn to leave some things a mystery. And throughout cinema history, we hands down can’t leave King Kong alone. Our dumb race has been a pain in his giant, hairy ass since 1933. Yet, for over 80 years, seeing the iconic ape never gets old. Kong: Skull Island is a magnificent monster movie, letting the action and visual splendor leave you in awe.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) understands size does matter in this case, and he delivers on the grandest scale possible. He goes big any chance he can. Really though, did he have any other choice? It’s freaking King Kong! Roberts is having a blast, capturing the intestinal fortitude of wartime and the beauty of the spectacle. His taste in music isn’t too bad either. Roberts lets an impressive group of A-listers play in Kong’s yard, but everyone involved knows who runs it.
In the air is the smell of Vietnam coming to an end, and explorer Bill Randa (the always welcomed John Goodman) has one last chance to uncover something mythical. He hammers down the politics and gets the cash to get on a chopper with his team (Corey Hawkins and Tian Jing) to head straight for a forbidden island that is almost invisible due to heavy storms that embrace it. They fly with Lt. Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), a vengeful military maniac that gets off on the decimation of combat. As he leads his Sky Devils into the unknown, he settles for nothing less than one last hoorah.
The other lucky ones that get to go are Capt. Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), a tracker who knows the circumstances can be deadly, but he’ll go anywhere if the price is right. Brie Larson plays Mason Weaver, an anti-war photographer who infers the island isn’t what interests Randa as much as what’s inhabiting it. John C. Reilly plays a pilot from WWII who crashed on Skull Island back in 1944 and has been waiting for the day to see his family again.
As Hank Marlow, Reilly is everyone’s tour guide on this journey through the jungle. He not only provides vital info on who Kong is and what he represents, but the comedy solely rests on his shoulders. Talladega Nights and Step-Brothers is more than enough to say he can handle such a task.
In the end, they’re all just bait for the behemoth beast and the colossal creatures who want to play. It’s a chest-pounding good time, literally and figuratively. Kong seems to be warming up for Godzilla, and their roars will be epic. Until then, Kong: Skull Island belongs to the King.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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