Skip to main content

Kong: Skull Island

The Plot

It's 1973, the Cold War is at it's peak and the war with Vietnam has just ended. William Randa (John Goodman) working for the top secret organization 'Monarch' has pulled all the possible strings to procure government permission for exploring the remote and hitherto untouched 'Skull Island' in the South Pacific. The goal of the mission - To excavate and unearth the hidden treasures on the island which has so far been inaccessible to all civilized life. Accompanying the scientists on this dangerous expedition are expert forest navigator ex-Capt. James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston best known as Loki in Thor and The Avengers), the Sky Devils helicopter squadron led by embattled and disgruntled Lt. Col. Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and truth seeking war photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson). What dangers await the team on Skull Island? Is Kong a savior or a destroyer? Will anyone escape the island alive? To answer all of these questions...well you know what to do, you gotta watch the movie. You ask me why? Let me tell you why.


Pros

  1. Gripping Characters: A monster movie is not about awful looking creatures terrorizing characters we don't care about. It's in fact all about interesting characters with diverse agendas caught in a fight for their survival. Kong gets this point right by painting a canvas filled with colorful characters. It also helps that all of the main actors are in top form lending instant credibility to the characters they portray. John C. Reilly in particular (as the home sick Hank Marlow), is in excellent form and his dialogues do tickle the funny bone.
  2. Kong: Kong the mammoth ape is one of the most misrepresented and misunderstood characters in movie history. From being portrayed as a hopeless romantic to a headless ravager Kong has been it all and we the audience have seen it all. Skull Island gets Kong's character right and achieves the subtle balance which is required for us to understand the true nature of Kong.
  3. The climax: I won't reveal much but most of the main characters get what they deserve and the movie thankfully ends without a trick ending which would force the audience to see a potential sequel. The climax of this movie should serve as a tutorial for franchises which have made it a habit to serve half-baked endings under the pretext of creating a series. 


The Best Scene

The scene where Samuel Jackson's character sees King Kong for the first time through a curtain of flames. Kong's supreme power and Jackson's defiance take the intensity of the scene to a whole new level and set up the foundation for the climatic battle.

The Verdict 

This is the third King Kong movie I watched after the 1976 one and Peter Jackson's 2005 remake (I did enjoy the 2005 movie by the way and found it very touching). This is by far the most fast paced, most action oriented and least melancholic of all. Plus it also has a happy ending which as you all know by now is a must for me to enjoy any movie.  Kong is not a perfect movie but who needs perfection when you have a movie which can keep you invested in the proceedings. It's an ideal movie for a day where you badly want to be entertained. So go out there and have a good time.

Rated: Time Pass

Until Next Time,

Your Movie Buff,
J.J. Chaitanya 

Comments

Popular Posts

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...

A walk along the Ocean - Stanley Park Seawall

On a bright May afternoon I found myself on the Stanley Park Seawall in Vancouver facing the Pacific Ocean . This was the ocean hike that I was most looking forward to. Now before I go any further you might ask me. What is the Seawall? There you go, the picture below should answer your question very well šŸ‘‡ Stanley Park Seawall (Courtesy: Tourism Vancouver) How did I get there?  Simple via public transport ( TransLink ). In front of me was a 10 KM hike right next to the Pacific Ocean and I was grossly unprepared (didn't even have a bottle of water with me). But water or no water I wasn't about to back out from exploring this beautiful waterfront trail . My first pit stop allowed me to take in the sights of Vancouver downtown along with the  docks . Vancouver Downtown Vancouver docks and the Pan Pacific Hotel Pan Pacific Hotel from the top (Courtesy: BC Ferries Vacations) The next sight to behold my attention was the 100 year old Brockton P...

Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari

There are books which you read and then there are books which make you read them and change your life. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) Mahabharata belongs to the latter category. Mahabharata introduced me to the joy of reading books as a kid and today I couldn't have picked a better topic for my 25th post. I cannot describe what a pleasure and honor it is to extol the virtues of this classic book during this holy festive season of  Makar Sankranti . Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari The story of Mahabharata is as old as the mountains and has been retold several times. Mahabharata by Rajaji however stands out in my mind because here is a story which is spiritual yet not religious, is thought provoking yet not preachy, is compelling yet not tedious. The story left an indelible impression upon me for several reasons which are: Rajaji uses extremely simple language to convey some of the finer aspects of the saga. I was 10 years old when I read Mahabharata ...

Salar Jung Museum

Some roads you choose and some roads choose you. On a rainy Saturday afternoon the road led me to Salar Jung museum , the crown jewel of Hyderabad's vintage glory. The monument (Credits: Wikipedia) I had visited Salar Jung musuem before but I couldn't pass up on the chance to revel in history and marvel at the collection of one Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III . The Man As soon as I entered the main block (the museum has 3 separate blocks) a sense of familiarity guided me through the maze of rooms and I was immediately lost in the lap of history. The only thing missing was a Salar Jung museum app(most museums in the west already have apps) which I could have easily downloaded from the Play Store . The app in turn would have laid out the map of the museum before me, guided me through various rooms and would have also given me an audio commentary for some important exhibits. The technology constraint notwithstanding I spent more than half a day at the museum an...

The Magic of Silence! Quote

Stay Motivated, J.J. Chaitanya