Kong: Skull Island kicked ass.
Kong was great for a number of reasons. It was the kind of movie that reminds you what movies, at their most basic core, are: an entertaining escape. It was fun and action-packed; and I think it'd be very hard to sit down in a good theater, watch this movie and not forget about your troubles for two hours. It's relieving, in a way, to look up and realize that for two hours during your chaotic life, you were nothing but entertained as hell.
I also want to applaud it for both celebrating and mocking cliche Hollywood storylines and sequences. Some of the dialogue is hacky and the soundtrack is extremely expected, but it's done in a way that feels like a comic book rather than a repeat.
At this point, I have to insert the obligatory MINOR SPOILERS ALERT... do not read on if you haven't seen the movie or don't want some of the unexpected moments ruined...
Now, those of you still with me who have seen it or just like to ruin your own viewing experience... what really made this movie great were the moments when it set up a great Hollywood moment and then shit all over it. The scene where Shea Whigham's character, Cole, turns around to face "the big one" skullcrawler and sacrifice himself for the sake of his comrades - building up to a heart-warming, slow-motion moment - gets absolutely stomped on when his plan doesn't work and instead he just needlessly sacrifices himself for nothing. I honestly just wanted to scream out "LOL" and cheer. It catches you so off guard that it makes the sequence of events incredibly refreshing. And the best part is how little fanfare is made about it! He gets swatted, blows up, and everyone has to keep moving. Peace! Funny, how a movie about a mystical island where skyscraper-sized gorillas fight massive lizard things is the movie that delivers a giant "this is how the real world works" kick in the face. And the same for all of the other many, many deaths! John Goodman - eaten without ever getting to be vindicated and in an extremely undramatic fashion. No fanfare, no out-of-sequence moment where characters cry or react in slow motion. Just another guy getting eaten like the movie's extras before him. When Brie Larson stops to deliver the passionate, tear-jerking speech that will invoke empathy out of even the most stubborn Samuel L. Jackson, she gets cut off after just a few words with "Bitch, please." YES. I LOVE IT. Not just because it was funny, but because it felt so real. The general, with all the power, doesn't care about you, your emotions or your speech. It's a wonderful reflection of what you know to be true about real life, and it comes from the movie where pterodactyl-like birds rip a guy into pieces. Hell yeah.
The movie really never had any lulls, and save for some implications of affection, spared us the unnecessary addition of a drawn out love story. The special effects were awesome and John C. Reilly was perfect.
RATING: 8/10