Hello All,
Sorry this got delayed for so long, it’s been a long week for me and I got another one coming up. So without any further delay, let’s do this thing shall we?
Plot Summary - In 1973, Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) is hired by government agent Bill Randa (John Goodman) to help lead an expedition onto an uncharted island. Randa also recruits a helicopter squad led by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) to fly them. However, upon reaching the island, they are attacked by Kong (Terry Notary in a motion capture performance), the ruler of the island, and giant ape. When the survivors get split up in the attack, they must reunite while surviving not just Kong, but the island itself as well.
Pros - The best thing that the film does is that it’s not just a straightforward remake like the last King Kong movie. Instead, it introduces new characters, and does take the time to allow for more characterization as well. They even manage to give Kong a rather interesting backstory and set up as well, even managing to give him a pretty solid character arc himself. The cast is solid as well, each managing to have their own moments within the film while maintaining a really good balance. John C. Reilly as a stranded world war two pilot definitely is my favourite character, as he manages to be comic relief, a great soldier, a compassionate man who just wants to go home, and even provides exposition in ways that feel organic to the story. The production design is awesome, as the monsters and the island’s landscapes manage to be diverse and interesting, while again feeling organic.
Cons - Where the film loses me is in it’s admittedly slightly disorganized setup in the beginning, but it’s biggest problems is the action scenes. It has this weird mix of normal action scenes, but they also throw in weirdly a gratuitous amount of slow mo, and even a few first person moments that really contribute nothing at all, including a weird 5 second one where no one really does anything. While a lot of side characters have interesting deaths, there’s a key one that helps move the story, but does feel a bit unfair in its execution.
Final Score - 8/10
Call it a hard 8, but a bit of clumsy execution does slightly hamper what admittedly is a pretty awesome monster movie. Be sure to stay through the credits also, believe me the wait is worth it.
Next: Suggestion Box Reviews - If only because I might not have much time to go out and watch films in theatres this week.
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