REVIEW: KONG: Skull Island is A Nice Introduction to An Upcoming Epic Battle of King Kong vs. Godzilla
People must have been familiar with the story of King Kong now, since the story has been translated into various movie projects. Since its debut on the silver screen in 1933, the idea of a colossal ape residing in a remote island entices people of any age and in 2017, a new movie based on the re-imagine of the original story called “Kong: Skull Island” is released. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the movie is set in the 70’s right after the Vietnam War has just ended. A team of scientists named Monarch and Landsat plan an expedition to a remote island that has no other information than a satellite image. Bill Randa (John Goodman), one of the scientist from Monarch leads the expedition that only he knows what stays on the island. He hires a platoon of US military led by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) to accompany his mission. While at the same time he also hires Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), a British SAS officer who is an expert of jungle warfare. An anti-war photographer, Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) is also on board to capture the menacing moment they face on Skull Island.
The plot goes after the troop manage to drop air bombs on the island, to confront Kong who eventually tears them to pieces angrily. Split into multiple groups after Kong shreds them, they struggle to get back together and collect every last of the resources to escape the hell which is Skull Island. Lt.Col. Preston Packard has a different mission than surviving the island alive, he determines to avenge the death of his team to Kong. While another stranded group led by Conrad find the truth that Kong actually is the savior of the island from a much more dangerous threat that lies beneath. They later find out that there are many more dangerous creatures that they should worry about besides Kong. Set in a post Vietnam War era, the cinematography of this movie lacks its vintage touch and some part of the “back to the 70s” scenes seem too forced. We’d like to also put our concern for the editing of this movie because in some scenes, the cast face and clothes seem to be completely destroyed or at least dirty but within split seconds they are all back to a crisp and clean image. It seems like the director also want to do a fast paced plot to shorten the duration, but in some parts the scenes felt dragged out a tad too long. Even though, Tom Hiddleston casts as the main actor of this movie, his part is not too many and his presence could easily be overshadowed by other characters. It seems like all the cast have a similar amount of presence.
Despite all those flaws, Kong: Skull Island is a nice movie to introduce the viewers to an upcoming epic battle between Kong and Godzilla. Yes, you read it right, these two fictional characters will battle it out when the sequel of this movie is put out in 2020. The movie gives a glimpse of a lizard like creature which will later turn into a majestic monster named Godzilla. We have no idea about the timeline setting for the rendezvous of these two characters though, but it is less likely to derive far from the 70’s. This movie is much better experienced in a 3D format since the CGI is stunningly done and the sound effects could rob your hearts out of your chests. The splendid views of Skull Island which took place in Hawaii and Australia will please your visual even more. Surprisingly, this movie does not involve a love story or any romantically linked scenes and it’s such a breath of fresh air. If you’re an avid fan of Kong, you should watch this movie and please do not leave your seats because there is a post-credit scene you should not miss.
Reporter: Intan Maharani/Editor: Novita Widia
