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Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Kong: Skull Island  

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28 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

It's worse than GODZILLA, that much is clear. 

 

:ph34r: 

 

Maybe I was distracted by someone in the seat next to me yelling about the end credits. 

 

 

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Seriously, though, GODZILLA's much better.

 

 

If Godzilla didn't have a 20 minute section where the audience is supposed to nap in the middle, I maybe would have agreed with you. 

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I prefer Godzilla slightly over Skull Island. I think both are great though, but two very different movies fitting each franchise. Godzilla was originally ((and imo meant to be)) a somber look at our world and our relationship with things like nuclear power and nature. King Kong is a thrilling adventure movie with themes about human nature. I think Godzilla 2014 and Kong: Skull Island fit both franchises perfectly.

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4 hours ago, Telemachos said:

It's worse than GODZILLA, that much is clear. 

 

:ph34r: 

 

Maybe I was distracted by someone in the seat next to me yelling about the end credits. 

 

 

  Hide contents

Seriously, though, GODZILLA's much better.

 

 

Image result for confused gif

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On 3/12/2017 at 3:44 AM, baumer said:

Did anyone else catch Jacksons "Hold onto your butts" line.

 

I laughed out loud at that, but I'm not sure anyone else in the theater did.

 

 

Overally, me (and my friends) really had fun with this. It's not a subtle film. The references its making to Apocalypse Now, Moby Dick, and whatnot are pretty much worn freely on the sleeve. But it's managing a neat trick of homaging a lot of serious stuff while still being playful and having fun with the fact it's about a giant ape. It might be a bit fluffy, but it's entertainingly fluffy from start to finish.

 

Comparing it to Godzilla feels a bit apples to oranges, IMO. Godzilla is a really interesting, oblique directorial take on the giant monster concept, but it's held back by a pretty cruddy script. (Don't kill off your most interesting character in the first act, mostly.) Plus, ATJ was pretty much cardboard throughout Godzilla. Hiddleston and Larson might not be playing characters with any more depth, but they're really working hard to be engaging and embracing the fun, which helps a lot for entertainment value.

 

I doubt I'd say that Kong is going to be a great film, but it's a solidly fun viewing experience, which counts for a lot. It slots above most recent big budget genre fare.

 

4/5

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On 2017-03-11 at 7:26 PM, ChD said:

1. Helicopters are ready to launch. We see 4 helicopters on the boat. Next shoot, a dozen helicopters. From where?

 

I'm not sure if there was room for a dozen helicopters, but there were definitely more than four on the ship that we saw. There were the four helicopters that we got the nice overhead shot of on the mid-section of the ship that you're referring to, but also the large helicopter was on the bow, and there were at least 3 more helicopters on the stern of the ship behind the control centre (one right on the stern that we see taking off and two hidden under the elevated portion underneath the control centre). There may have been a few more hiding in the elevated portion of the bow of the ship. The film didn't show all of the helicopters take off, as there was only room for a few at a time on the helipad areas, but I would go back to watch that part of the film. Perhaps it didn't give us a clear sense of where each helicopter came from, but I wouldn't fault the film for being edited so as to speed that process up.

 

 

On 2017-03-11 at 7:26 PM, ChD said:

2. Thank god that tribe developed their protective wall with the idea of boats having to enter and/or leave.

 

You seem to imply that this is an odd occurrence, but when we first come across the tribe's village, we see a row of canoes that they have. I don't think it's unusual that they would have a portion of the wall that they built that they can get through in order go out on their canoes along the river.

 

On 2017-03-11 at 7:26 PM, ChD said:

3. "The island is surrounded by a massive storm and it's hard to get on it". We saw the storm and the clouds, thunder and what not - and that was the easiest way to get in. A few minutes pass at most and the Kong reveal happens, with the sun clearly visible in the background and NO. STORM. CLOUDS. WHATSOEVER. VISIBLE.

 

In the control centre, before they make the decision to fly through the storm, Samuel L. Jackson's character asks how far the island is from them, and the captain of the ship says "maybe 50 miles, or more". Thus, it's evident that the storm does not circle immediately around the island, it's a ways out. Once they're through the storm, they had a ways to fly until they were to the main part of the island where they meet Kong. So, my hunch would be that the storm wouldn't be hovering immediately behind Kong when we see the shot of the helicopters making their way toward him. If you go back and watch that part, you'll see the sun rising out of some clouds which are beyond the mountainous landscape of the island - thus, as is, it's clearly not clear blue skies anyway. 

 

Just my thoughts from my viewing of the film. :)

 

Peace,

Mike

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This was a whole bucket of fun that flew by quickly. I can't remember the last time I've seen such a perfect action B-movie. It really hits the sweet spot.

 

In an era where it feels like we have big action movies that either 1) aspire to be serious, complex and "issue-oriented" and are light on the fun and adventure, or 2) that are so generic and unintelligably drenched in action that they are dull and boring, it was quite nice to see a carefully directed monster/action film that was funny, surprising, and so much fun. 

 

The action is well-framed. The film is well-paced. ILM does a terrific job with the CGI. Its retro/absurd/"Apocalypse Now" vibe works. All of the ingredients come together nicely. And while the characters certainly weren't fully realized human beings, they were mostly interesting and fun. And at the same time, the film clearly nods to basic themes of humankind vs nature, holding up a mirror so that we reflect on who are the real monsters here.

 

Overall, the film feels like it has a clear vision in terms of what it wants to be, and executes that very well. 

 

Peace,

Mike

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I would consider the Peter Jackson King Kong to still be the better film overall (though its too long) but this movie was f*ing awesome from start to finish.

 

The technical aspects are near flawless. Kong and the other creatures look fantastic and even though one alwasy knows they are CGI its slowsly getting to the point where it looks near 100% realistic. I really enjoyed the concept and look of Skull Island and the decision to erase any dinosaurs from the island (except for that Triceratops skull) and to replace them with a lot of new monsters was a smart decision. Weve already seen dinosaur action in KK (2005) and the Jurassic Park movies we dont need it in the MonsterVerse.

The Characters were nothing special (though Samuel L. Jacksons staredowns with Kong were pretty great and hilarious) and Hiddlestons Samurai-Sword-scene was out of nowhere but i came to see giant things beating the crap out of each other and i got that. This movie just wants to entertain for 2 hours and it just works.

 

A.

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My review of Kong: Skull Island:

https://grabyourseat.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/kong-skull-island-film-review/

 

King Kong has been one of the most famous film characters in the world since his debut in 1933. So naturally, Hollywood needs to continue milking him for everything he’s worth. We last saw the giant gorilla on screen in Peter Jackson’s 2005 hit King Kong, and we now see him entering a cinematic universe (“MonsterVerse”) along with 2014’s Godzilla, and some other lesser known giant monsters. Godzilla was generally well received, but many complaints were aimed at the fact that too much time was spent on the characters, and there wasn’t enough of Godzilla himself. With Kong: Skull Island, the producers decided to take those complaints into account, and they mostly succeeded.

Kong: Skull Island takes place in 1973, right in the middle of the Vietnam War. Bill Randa (John Goodman), the director of a government agency called Monarch, has discovered an uncharted island known as “Skull Island”, and organizes a team of professionals to join him on an expedition. This team includes Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and his helicopter squadron, tracker James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), and photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), along with a few others. On the island, they encounter the giant 104-ft. gorilla Kong, as well as some other strange creatures, and must work with stranded WWII pilot Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly) to get off the island alive.

Let’s start with the negative, because it’s a pretty big one. The characters are awful. Very few characters have even a trace of backstory and most of them have very one note roles. Aside from the main five, you’ll probably forget every character exists until they’re onscreen again. Performances are solid all around, but it’s a huge waste of a truly capable cast. No cast member is under-served more than Jing Tian though. I honestly could not tell you anything about her character’s role in the mission, and if she were removed entirely, nothing in the film would have changed. Save for Reilly’s Marlow, who is both entertaining and actually provides you with a rooting interest, and maybe good guys Larson and Hiddleston, you probably will not care about any of these characters. This becomes a problem since a large part of the movie focuses on them over Kong, and they’re given a script with one of the highest counts of failed jokes I’ve ever heard. No one in the theater was laughing.

But let’s be real: you went into this wanting to see a giant gorilla beat some shit up. And on that promise, Kong: Skull Island delivers. Kong is a very impressive achievement. The CGI is amazing, and Terry Notary does excellent motion capture work. The other creatures on the island (some friendly, most trying to eat everyone) are also marvels to behold, particularly a giant water buffalo. And the action is awesome. There are plenty of crowd pleasing moments, and Kong is a thrill to watch whenever he’s on screen.

Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ direction is mostly solid. He seems to have a love of left-to-right pan shots, which comes off great during action scenes, but can be dizzying when you’re just watching people talk. There are some truly amazing shots in here though. One scene involving a helicopter early on is sure to become a fan favorite, and some shots of Kong look more like paintings than they do camera work. They’re simply beautiful. Skull Island itself is also a wonderfully created sight, which makes all of the island exploration in the second act a lot more interesting than it would otherwise be.

Kong: Skull Island is a crowd pleaser. You’ll probably go into this just wanting to see some mindless action, and that’s what you’re going to get. Every scene involving Kong or another creature is as exciting as you’d want it to be, but those without might take some work to get through. It’s a really good looking movie as well, and you’ll come to appreciate Vogt-Roberts’ love for green and orange, which pop throughout the film and bring life to the island. There’s also a really cool soundtrack of 70’s classic rock hits, which really livens the experience. If you can turn your brain off, you’re going to enjoy Kong, and this is proof that the upcoming battle between Kong and Godzilla is going to be one hell of an event.

Grade: 7/10

Edited by nick64
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A-

Loads of entertainment in a movie overflowing with panache and skill.

Solid acting, cinematography, vfx, art direction. Nice music too.

I was a bit tron between A- and B+ because some of the action reminded me of Kong (2005).

On the one hand that movie takes away some novelty from this one despite being markedly different.

But on the other hand, innovations and creativity of that movie undoubtedly must have helped this one.

But all in all, it was starting off the backfoot and it stepped aside the old version to present something refreshing and fun, seemingly effortlessly.

[ Comparisons SKULL ISLAND A-, KING KONG B+, PAC RIM B+, GODZILLA B]

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Kong: Skull Island is a film full of empty style. Scenes are included simply for the cool factor, with no regard for when it makes sense for character. The first two-thirds of the movie are super rough thanks to this. Vogt-Roberts directs with a really odd playfulness that doesn't mesh well with the ultra-serious characters and war setting. The script is similar to the 2014 Godzilla film in that the setpieces are few and far between while the characters are just dull archetypes elevated by the cast for the most part.

 

Speaking of the cast, they're serviceable for the most part. Hiddleston and Larson scoot by mostly on their charisma, and Reilly steals the movie in a really special way. The military crew outside of Jackson is awful though, and honestly, Jackson is only good half the time. Goodman is wasted although his counterpart in Hawkins is an interesting presence throughout. Kong himself is neat, but manages to both be in the movie too much and also far too little.

 

Yet, Kong: Skull Island does almost redeem itself. The third act is remarkably entertaining, allowing pay-offs for even the smallest bits with either awesome moments or legitimately sweet interactions between characters. Even the military crew is good in these forty minutes, which combines the human drama with the monster action in a breathtaking way. Vogt-Roberts's direction shines with this, the wackiness of the story finally converting his empty style to bubblegum style; ultimately flavorless, but joyful within the moment. However, despite its excellent third act, Kong: Skull Island ultimately disappoints thanks to poor character work and a complete tonal confusion. C

 

Also, happy endings are dead; post-credit scenes killed them.

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Absurdly amateurish. Editing, sound, score, characters, camera work, use of soundtrack are all EASY contenders for worst of the year. I'm not kidding, the craft here is Uwe Boll level of bad. 

Kong hits rock bottom for these movies meant to spawn a shared universe. It honestly feels built around trailer moments.

 

Truly appalling stuff. 1/10

Edited by Goffe
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