Kong ; Skull Island

[The Atroxious]

I disagree about Kong's design, mostly because it's meant to look like a suit. This isn't an adaptation of "King Kong", it's very specifically "Tōhō's King Kong". The idea is to reboot Kong in the style of the Tōhō design using modern special effects, not to create a more realistic version. On that note I'm fairly certain the original King Kong was stop motion and blue screen and not using a suit and miniatures, but I could just be thinking of specific scenes.

As for the second point however; don't forget octopuses too...

Fair enough. I think I was getting King Kong mixed up with other B movies on the man in a suit issue. I haven't seen the movie since childhood, so my memory on the issue isn't the best. As I say, I was never really a fan of these movies.

Even so, I still can't really take a modern movie seriously when it's aping (pun fully intended) the style of an old B movie whose look was influenced more by the limited resources at the time than a deliberate artistic choice. It's like if some car manufacturer designed a luxury vehicle to look like a cheap old clunker. It seems pointless when they're capable of so much more.

I do agree on the octopus point. Moreover, cephalopods in general are weirdly maligned.

You mean, like, Godzilla?

I guess? I was always under the impression that Godzilla was a bad guy, unless you count some of the spin-offs. I was never much of a Godzilla fan either, to be honest, though I really liked the creature's design in Godzilla 2000, even if the movie itself wasn't the best.

[suspsy]

Godzilla's neither good nor bad---he's a force of nature like an earthquake or a hurricane. He'll confront and destroy malevolent creatures that threaten the planet, but he doesn't go out of his way to protect humans or avoid damaging cities in the process. Humans are ants to him.

[CityRaptor]

The original Godzilla was meant to be a victim of the atomic bomb just as everybody else. His skin is meant to invoke kevlar burns and all. According to official artwork it was at least  planned that Godzilla originally had a family...until they were killed by nuclear testing.


The second Show Godzilla only hated humans because they hated him, always attacking him. Rodan shared that opinion. ( That was stated by him during a conversation with Mothra, translated by her fairies ). He later became a full fledged hero.

Heisei Godzilla has similar motivations. He is not overly agressive unless provoked. Him destroying stuff can usually be attested to being provoked, needing to feed ( he feeds on radiation ) or being dead set on arriving somewhere and the building are just in the way. Same for most Millennium Versions of him.

Apparently even Shin is not overly malicious, but will defend itself when attacked.

[Takama]

I just Watched a Review that Spoiled everything.      Aparrently There are some refrences to a movie im sure we all Love. One that actully has dinosaurs(but no Giant Apes)

[Simon]

The original Godzilla was meant to be a victim of the atomic bomb just as everybody else. His skin is meant to invoke kevlar burns and all. According to official artwork it was at least  planned that Godzilla originally had a family...until they were killed by nuclear testing.


The second Show Godzilla only hated humans because they hated him, always attacking him. Rodan shared that opinion. ( That was stated by him during a conversation with Mothra, translated by her fairies ). He later became a full fledged hero.

Heisei Godzilla has similar motivations. He is not overly agressive unless provoked. Him destroying stuff can usually be attested to being provoked, needing to feed ( he feeds on radiation ) or being dead set on arriving somewhere and the building are just in the way. Same for most Millennium Versions of him.

Apparently even Shin is not overly malicious, but will defend itself when attacked.

Hmmmm .... OK, maybe ... but Kingoji and Mosugoji always struck me as being more on the anti-social side of the scale, destruction for its own sake ... 

[Derek.McManus]

Just seen the movie Kong Skull Island at the Jet Centre in Coleraine.

It's an enjoyable show which nods to most if not all of the previous versions of the movie but it's not a classic like the original it's very much its own show, and definitely wait for the post credit scene which points to the future and ends with another large creature's distinctive roar!

And yes Samuel Jackson's character gets that line!

And it also riffs on every Vietnam war movie you have ever seen.

[Takama]

Ok so i just saw Kong Skull Island. A movie i was not impressed by at first. But then i realized that this is not the Same Kong that we saw in the 30s or 2005. No this is King Kong from Tohos King Kong Vs Godzilla. and fitting. I was preying this would have dinosaurs in it, but the only arcosaurs in the movie are Pterosaur like creatures, (And a flock of birds). But then it shows some deer, and i wonderd if it could be a Megafuana Film like Ice Age. but nope. its a straghit up Kaiju movie.

It is certainly NOT as smart as 2014 Godzilla.

[stargatedalek]

I for one didn't like 2014 Godzilla, the characters weren't relatable and they gave way to much time to one character. I don't care how "smart" it was, it was like the main character was in a soap.

I just returned maybe a few hours ago from Kong Skull Island, and absolutely adored it. The only prehistoric inspired creatures were the Triceratops skull and the (frankly adorable once you see them up close) pterosaurs. Despite the titular character the film shares as much if not more elements with Mysterious Island and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and sets up the forthcoming Godzilla sequels quite successfully. This is definitely not an adaptation of King Kong, but I'm glad it isn't, that's been done.

People who weren't particularly taken with the 2005 version will find quite a few nice little nods to our complaints.

[laticauda]

Ok so i just saw Kong Skull Island. A movie i was not impressed by at first. But then i realized that this is not the Same Kong that we saw in the 30s or 2005. No this is King Kong from Tohos King Kong Vs Godzilla. and fitting. I was preying this would have dinosaurs in it, but the only arcosaurs in the movie are Pterosaur like creatures, (And a flock of birds). But then it shows some deer, and i wonderd if it could be a Megafuana Film like Ice Age. but nope. its a straghit up Kaiju movie.

It is certainly NOT as smart as 2014 Godzilla.

Bingo!  This is not an RKO picture or remake of the original King Kong.  This is a Toho style Kong.  The movie is ok, some plot holes, but overall rather entertaining.  If you want to feel the nostalgic hairs on the back of your neck to be tickled, stay till the end of the credits. 

[stargatedalek]

It seems these figures aren't coming to Canada (or not the Atlantic coast anyway).

If anyone is interested, I'd consider buying a few copies of the skullcrawler and pterosaur figures.

[Appalachiosaurus]

I just watched it, and I have to say, if you loved Jurassic World you are going to love this but if you hate JW, you'll feel the same way about this. It was an awesome roller coaster movie, but not much in the way of characters or story. It reminded me of Pacific Rim in this sense, tons of monster fighting with little people conflicts. It's tons of fun and definitely worth the 15 dollar ticket and drink.

Also I cried at the end.

[suspsy]

King Kong is king of the weekend box office!

http://time.com/4699157/weekend-box-office-king-kong/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook

This is great news for the Monsterverse! Bring on the next Godzilla film!

[BlueKrono]

Appalachiosaurus - I cried too. But only because I was by myself and knew that no one would EVER find out. We macho guys have a reputation to keep up, after all. 

I thought the movie was good, but I was head over heels in love with the 2005 version. I think this was mostly because of the gorgeous World of Kong book that came out with it. To me more monsters = better movie, and this one was more focused on riffing other 'Nam movies than showing as much biodiversity as the last one did. I would definitely recommend it though, and I think other people will like it better than the other 21st century incarnation.

[Brontozaurus]

I saw Kong on opening night here and I really enjoyed it. It's a big fun monster movie, pretty much the opposite of 2014 Godzilla (not that I didn't *like* that movie just that the two are completely different tonally).

[CityRaptor]

I guess that means that there is plenty of monster action, one can see what is going on and the main human focused on is not  the embodiment of "Dull Surprise"

[Takama]

WARNING SPOILERS FOR KONG SKULL ISLAND
After letting it sink in for a two days. I have to say that Kong was not a good movie overall. The chrectors were all forgetable(except for Sam Jackson), and the fillm feels like it was only made just to get Kong a moive that takes place in the same universe as Godzilla. The movie moves along at a fast pace, and I feel this is what made the film bad. I preferd 2005 over this (an opinon im sure maney people wont agree with, because people complain that that film was too long).

Also the Skull crawlers are the Laziest desinged Creatures i ever saw in modern day movie. They look like somthing a two year old could of made out of Bionicle Parts. The film trys to make it self seem like a Kong movie by haveing the big smelly ape be sypathetic to the woman in the film, but there is not enough that happens between the two to make it seem belivable. There are also Islanders that are all mute in the entire movie, I almost think they were ONLY THERE, to check off a list of things that Every Kong movie needs.

Another thing that i hated is the Cliche "We must go through this super storm to get to the island" . ITs been done to death in these lost Island films that i think it deminishis it a bit. I loved Godzilla 2014 a lot better then this. It had a more natural pace then this film ever did. and it barly feels like its in the same universe. I Gave this film a chance, evean though the moment they showed off Kong in the Second Trailer, i was not impressed one bit. I just Hope Godzilla: King of the Monsters does not repeat the same mistakes that this film did. Otherwise i will be upset
Oveall Rateing 3 out of 10


That is a Reivew i posted on Facebook. And someone comented that Seeing This movie take place in the same universe as Godzilla 2014 is like seeing Jurassic World Take place in the same universe as WWD 3D



EDIT: It seems like i Swore in this Review.   Please forgive me admins, this was copyed and pasted from Facebook, and i tried to edit out some things, but one word missed my editing.   Sorry for the profanity

[BlueKrono]

Spoiler alert continued...

The most interesting storyline in the movie is glossed over in a matter of seconds - his time on the island with Gunpei and his subsequent death. It's alluded to in just a couple sentences without so much as a flashback. I would like to see a whole movie about this period rather than the done-to-death tropey Vietnam stuff.

[Gwangi]

I enjoyed the movie for what it was, a dumb monster movie. I had a great time sitting there watching Kong battle his various foes. But I love those types of movies anyway. I thought it was visually impressive; not just the creatures but also the landscape, color palate, and cinematography in general. The characters were all forgettable which was unfortunate given the cast involved. John Goodman, Sam Jackson, Tom Hiddleston. Theses are all great actors that were basically wasted. Everyone was generic and disposable. The only exception was John C. Reilly who's character I really enjoyed. I felt sympathy for him and he injected a lot of much needed comic relief. Overall I would probably give the film a C+. I prefer the 2005 "King Kong" but find "Kong: Skull Island" better than "Godzilla" 2014, at least in the re-watch department.

[stargatedalek]

Time for an annoyingly in-depth "review" because frankly I'm tired of breeding new colour morphs of Microraptors in ARK; Survival Evolved and need a break from watching Nyaruko-san and squandering my meager earnings sating my new obsession with African penguin figurines.

Spoiler free for Kong; Skull Island, but has spoilers for Godzilla (2014) and King Kong (2005).


[TL;DR] Make no mistake, Kong; Skull Island is not a remake of King Kong, nor even strictly speaking of King Kong vs. Godzilla (not to be confused with the upcoming Godzilla vs, Kong). Rather, Kong; Skull Island is in many ways an homage to "island" pop culture tropes and a very deliberate throwback to 1970's science fiction films and styles. Fans of everything from Jules Verne to Predator or even perhaps Gilligan's Island will enjoy some common thematic devices.

I've never enjoyed movies with hidden messages or morals. Sometimes if they make it very obvious I can enjoy the concept, but I feel like if a movie is going to have a message they should make it plain. For example I think Happy Feet is a better movie than James Cameron's Avatar, it spells out its environmental messages very clearly and doesn't try to hide anything behind ambiguous metaphors. Nor have I ever been one to agree with what seems to be the general public's interpretation of what makes an interesting or "deep" character. I'll take Star Wars over Titanic, or Bakemonogatari over My Neighbor Totoro without a second thought.

So keep these points in mind when I say I adored Kong; Skull Island quite thoroughly. The obvious points of comparison are going to be the 2005 King Kong, and 2014 Godzilla, the latter of which is in this films canon making tonal differences potentially noteworthy. To be blunt I simply wasn't taken with either of these films, I found they put to much focus on their characters and less on their lore or plot, and I understand that must sound like heresy in the face of the sheer volume of world building present in the 2005 film, but bear with me.

Godzilla (2014) is often regarded as a very "smart" monster movie, but I can't see it. I think this interpretation is simply an artifact of the darker tone the movie follows as opposed to shortly preceding releases such as Pacific Rim, with its decidedly upbeat and fun tone. The movies central protagonist was simply uninteresting, it doesn't matter how much he develops as a character if we don't like him (it doesn't help they killed off the mighty Bryan Cranston). Making the tone more realistic just doesn't change for me that it's a monster movie. I like monster movies, I go to a Godzilla movie expecting a monster movie, I don't need it to pretend it's an Oscar movie.

The newest installation in Legendary's "Monsterverse" (citation of name needed?) doesn't have any of these points I consider faults in Godzilla. With that classic 70's sci-fi tone we all know and love, Kong; Skull Island is fun from start to finish. Some may say the characters are uninteresting or don't develop, but I say if that wasn't interesting characters than I don't need them. I found the characters entertaining to watch (a certain character in particular), and yet the film isn't tied down with needless and uninteresting exposition as I felt both of its predecessors were.

Kong; Skull Island may only show us eight (including Kong himself) new creatures, but each of them is very different from the others. Each plays a separate if not almost contrary role in the plot that we see unfold. Similarly each creature is equally contrasting in design, to the point where I would almost describe them as separate art-styles entirely. Despite that they play off of each other well and the contrast makes the world feel more real. None of the designs for the supporting monsters are adaptations of pre-existing designs or labelled as real (*cough* extinct *cough*) animals, and that element of mystery only makes them feel more real, because ones mind isn't plagued with "Yah but real Dromaeosaurs had feathers.".

In contrast in the 2005 King Kong everything besides Kong himself is out to kill the main cast, and it really doesn't help that some of them are based on extinct animals and others are just inexplicably giant. The sheer volume of world building doesn't help when everything behaves the same, and all follow a similar style in their designs. It doesn't matter how many dozens of creatures you create for your film, or what subtleties they may posses in your expanded universe, if we never see any of it on-screen.

In closing, anyone expecting a prequel to 2014's Godzilla, or an adaptation of King Kong, may find themselves disappointed, but I recommend this film nonetheless. And neither is at all a prerequisite to seeing the movie (Star Wars is though, if you haven't seen Star Wars you have a lot of catching up to do before you visit a theater).

[Silvanusaurus]

The more I hear about this film, the less interested I am in seeing it. It honestly looks and sounds like an Asylum film on a massive budget, and I'm sure it's fun and entertaining as a frivolous monster movie, and I enjoy such pictures as much as anyone as throwaway entertainment, but nothing about it seems at all extraordinary, outstanding, or interesting, so I'm struggling to justify spending the money on it. Apart from anything else, it doesn't have Godzilla in it, which immediately lessens the appeal of any film. Any film.