KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017)

KING KONG is almost always better in theory than in execution. All nine live action films are flawed in numerous ways. Most movies are, but one way that permeates the original and its two remakes is their identical structures. The first half of all three is a crazy adventure with action, monsters, intrigue, and racism/xenophobia. The second half has action but it’s all tinged with depression because Kong is paying for the sins of others and his real crime is not being super keen on getting exploited.

It’s a great story. But sitting through it isn’t a parabola of excitement, no matter how much destruction the ape hands out because it’s now about this pitiable figure against impossible odds and doomed to fail. There’s a reason most rollercoasters’ homestretches don’t also remind riders about how climate change is ravaging the world in ways that can never be undone.

But 2017’s KONG: SKULL ISLAND is a different beast altogether. If it’s close to any of the other Kong films, it’s probably SON OF KONG, as that film is about people at a low point in their lives heading to the island to change their fortunes and encounter problems once they arrive, and then leave the island and creatures behind them as they look to start a new life. Though that 1933 movie isn’t very good—and Little Kong is basically a helper monkey to the humans—it’s curious those parallels exist between these two entries.

Even with those echoes present, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (working from a script by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly) crafted a particularly unique take on King Kong that mostly picked the best elements of the previous incarnations. A bunch of crazy monsters/wildlife are on the island besides just Kong! He’s worshipped by indigenous people who aren’t really fleshed out but at least aren’t as horrific as the caricatures in the other movies! There’s a sympathetic beast! Social commentary that’s not very deep or fresh but still handled well! Death! Dismemberment!

It avoids that U shaped form of plot where it’s front loaded with action and then wraps up with some climactic spectacle. I don’t think KONG: SKULL ISLAND is the best representation of the Kong story (the original is probably the prototype that best communicates all the themes that permeate the following films), but it is my favorite King Kong movie and easily the most entertaining.

Also it’s the only Kong movie with visual references to CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and Park Chan-wook’s OLDBOY. So far anyways. And that immediately garners a lot of good will.

The cast is a gathering of some of the brightest talent around—pulled from other blockbusters, indie film, and comedy that features well-known names and lesser known folks who deliver extraordinary performances. Samuel L. Jackson nails the Ahab-type as the soldier who won’t let the latest defeat in Vietnam happen again with this Monday Friday monkey fighter. Packard, Jackson’s character, is a good example of how Vogt-Roberts, the screenwriters, and the actor are able to imbue the story with deeper meaning but can still work on a basic surface level of action-adventure.

Packard’s psychology makes him more compelling while mirroring the sort of bruised ego saber rattling that Republicans would use throughout the ‘80s. The United States losing its first war (and I know there are a lot of caveats to that—it wasn’t technically a war, the U.S. has lost others, etc. etc.) on top of other societal upheavals helped create a feeling of “malaise,” as President Carter put it. But the GOP seized that opportunity to basically refute such an idea, deny that there’s anything wrong, and conjure up a nationalist idea where America will beat up anyone because it’s the bestest. That’s all contained within the character of Packard—but for those who don’t care about such stuff, it’s Samuel L. Jackson being a badass who’s trying to fuck up an ape.

One of KONG: SKULL ISLAND’s cleverest subversions is its approach to mythic ideas of cinematic soldiers. A group heads out to find Jack Chapman (Toby Kebbell, who also does great MoCap work as Kong), one of their own who is stranded far away, only to never find him and discover he died. In terms of emotional engagement, it’s kind of a bummer to have no real payoff.

But intellectually, it’s the flip side of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BAT*21, BLACK HAWK DOWN, or BEHIND ENEMY LINES where a squad risks everything and suffers heavy losses for the principle that no one gets left behind. In this case, the squad risks everything and suffers heavy losses and it ends up being for nought.

The other classic war/action film trope that Vogt-Roberts and company undercut is the sacrifice play of the gruff soldier. Vasquez igniting the grenade in ALIENS or Irene in DEMON KNIGHT using her bomb vest to dispatch a gang of demons. In KONG: SKULL ISLAND, Shea Wigham discovers it doesn’t quite work out that way.

But the movie wouldn’t stand the test of time if it were just clever. Nodding and muttering “oh I get it” may be good for the ego but doesn’t do much to affect a viewer’s pulse.

Luckily, KONG: SKULL ISLAND makes sure to have a variety of different action set pieces where the humans have to contend with various adversaries, as does Kong. It switches it up with these different pairings and tactics, avoiding a repeat of the same opponents essentially just having multiple rounds against each other.

The antagonists are suitably menacing with plenty of demonstrations of the dangers they pose. They also come across as fully formed characters (okay, the CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST spider doesn’t really do much but go stab-stab). For example, the Skullcrawlers present as scavengers and opportunists that pick off their prey without any of the elegance of Kong’s approach simply through their creepy appearance and movements.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND has plenty of comedy as well, mostly character-based, without winking too much or hanging lampshades on the more absurd aspects of the film. John C. Reilly, Marc Evan Jackson, John Goodman, and Brie Larson get laughs that but helps define their characters as well. The types of quips made and manner in which they’re deployed informs audiences more about who they are than the (too frequent) expository backstories. Reilly especially makes his ridiculous role into more than a gimmick or source of necessary information. He jokes and lays out Skull Island for the newcomers, but also reveals real stakes in getting home and a genuine curiosity about the world he left behind.

Not everything works in Vogt-Roberts’ film. There are slightly too many “It’s 1973!” signifiers—though the fact that “Fortunate Son” doesn’t show up is a godsend. The biggest flaw is that our heroes, Larson and Hiddleston, lack depth beyond being capable badasses who aren’t the obsessed Packard. The actors try their best and imbue as much personality into their scenes, but there’s only so much that can be done with the material.

Larson has moments of being hardcore, funny, and alluring without being relegated to the token lady. It’s odd that Kong’s “interest” in blonde women is included though, Not that the great beast shouldn’t help her or show mercy, but it’s definitely meant as a nod to previous incarnations “special bonds” with Fay Wray, Jessica Lange, Naomi Watts, and the like.

Which…no. No, thank you.

It’s unnecessary and maybe even have worked better if Kong had been invested in Hiddleston instead. We know that the once-and-future Loki plays a dangerous man because other characters keep saying he’s a dangerous man (though the sword scene where he dices up critters in slow-mo is fun). But the actor mostly plays off others without divulging much identity. Maybe that’s the point for a mercenary, however that wall of secrecy needed to come down a bit more than when he saves others or has romantic tension with Larson. On the bright side, we get to see him looking dashing in bi-lighting. So.

It would be easy to dismiss KONG: SKULL ISLAND as another modern blockbuster with too much CGI, quips, and good-looking people. But that’s not entirely accurate. The CGI works for the most part (some dodgy rendering here and there) along with real locations for scenes. Those pithy lines prevalent in MCU feel more natural and not simply smartass comments to preempt audience objections or riffing. And pretty people…okay there are a bunch of those. But, in fairness, the age of regular folks obtaining attractive status through their talent and roles is fading away into extinction.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND has a lot on its mind for those willing to ponder while serving up excellent monster violence and innovative kaiju designs. There are references to the history of filmmaking and the world at large, but tells a contained story that delights with spectacle and secret subversion. To some 2021’s GODZILLA VS. KONG may dilute any of these accomplishments. But I still find that KONG: SKULL ISLAND stands alone, towering above the other titles about the great ape.