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| Edited By: Bryan Durham |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 10, 2017, 06:40 PM IST
Film: Kong: Skull Island
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, John C Reilly, Toby Kebbell
A retelling of the story of the giant ape we've all come to know and love so well — despite him being, well, a movie monster — sees him way before he scaled the Empire State Building in New York. At least, that's the story if the reboot doesn't stray too far from canon.
Tracker James Conrad (Hiddleston), lieutenant Preston Packard (Jackson), photojournalist Mason Weaver (Larson) and a bunch of soldiers are 'convinced' by Bill Randa (John Goodman), a scientist from a shadow government organisation called Monarch to help him explore supposedly unchartered territory.
Once they set off to this mysterious island surrounded by electric storms, they're overwhelmed by the entry of Kong, a giant ape who's literally the size of a skyscraper. Awoken when they drop bombs into an area where the land is hollow, they quickly find out how badly things are going to go south.
Packard loses several men, while surprisingly, he and all the so-called 'civilians' survive. As they try to make their way out, from behind enemy lines, the motley group comes to know just how difficult that is.
The visual effects, the CGI, the overly well-done post-production and DI (digital intermediate) make this Kong outing sexier than it should be. You're treated to a plethora of animals — though not entirely striking, but larger-than-life and vividly imagined. The SkullCrawlers, though, seem like prehistoric, bony Godzillas. The true king of the spectacle on Skull Island is undoubtedly Kong. Every scene that he is in, people will forget that Hiddleston, Jackson, Larson and Reilly are part of the story.
Vogt-Roberts and his DoP don't hold back and don't allow you to look away.
The supporting cast and their 'stories' get a lot of screen time. All Brie Larson does is take picture after picture (roll never runs out?). All Jack Chapman (Kebbell) does is write letters to his son Billy. It being positioned just after the Vietnam War, you get that there is a kind of world-weariness among the soldiers, but you're at a loss to understand how such a small, scared outfit (yes, despite Jackson's Packard saying they're an army unto themselves) went on a reconnaissance mission to check out and plant seismic bombs, armed only with grenades, napalm and a lot of guns. Not to mention, how a crazed Packard rallies the humans to fight Kong.
The incessant banter among the soldiers gets to you after a point. You want them to shut the hell up. Brie's character is the kind of casualty you want to avoid desperately in such a film. As the second part in Warner Bros MonsterVerse series (after 2014's Godzilla), this one comes up short in terms of exciting you with a familiar job done better than the last.
You're rooting for the 'monster' that is Kong more than Packard's misplaced sense of loyalty, that heavy hangover of Apocalypse Now and still there's something missing. Soul?
The rebooted King Kong has the right cast, the right effects people, but quite possibly, the wrong script. It brings the film crashing down, with a thud that's as loud as every hit that Kong lands. It's entertaining, but only if you don't go in expecting Oscar-worthy performances from this celebrated cast. It is the film's soundtrack and its spectacular effects that save it.
