ALL HAIL THE KING.
In 1973, a military expedition takes a group of scientists and representatives of a mysterious organization called Monarch to an island in the Pacific that harbors many secrets.
The giant ape is brought back to the screen as part of a cinematic monster universe, following Godzilla (2014). This 3D adventure keeps its tongue firmly in cheek while delivering its monstrous thrills, which are considerable. Huge, terrifying beasts, well-staged action sequences and a sense of humor that fits hand in glove with its retro approach and Vietnam War symbolism.
A terrific cast, with John C. Reilly a stand-out as a pilot who’s been stranded since WWII.
2017-U.S. 118 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Screenplay: Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly. Music: Henry Jackman. Cast: Tom Hiddleston (James Conrad), Brie Larson (Mason Weaver), Samuel L. Jackson (Preston Packard), John Goodman, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John C. Reilly… Richard Jenkins.
Trivia: Together with Terry Notary, Kebbell also provided Kong’s motion-capture performance. Michael Keaton and J.K. Simmons were considered for roles. Kong returned for Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), part of the same cinematic universe. Also followed by an animated TV series, Skull Island (2023).
Last word: “I honestly went away [from a meeting with Legendary] and I was, like, not thinking about it. There is no version of this movie that I can make. And then somehow, this idea popped into my head of choppers and napalm, and searing sunsets, and Apocalypse Now and King Kong. Like, a Vietnam movie mixed with a Ray Harryhausen film. There are so many interesting thematics associated with that, beyond the genre mash-up of Kong punching helicopters out of the sky. [In 1973] we were putting satellites into space for the first time, and looking down on the world and mapping the world, and it felt credible that we could discover something like [Skull Island]. I loved the idea that the 70s was a split between science and myth in my mind.” (Vogt-Roberts, Den of Geek)
