Not My King of the Monsters
There was a point whilst I was watching Kong when I felt something was off. I was slightly enjoying it but felt a bit left out of the viewing experience. I saw it on a large screen with big sound and everything felt like an awesome monster movie but there was one thing that bugged me. The film looked too polished, that was my problem and it is a silly problem to have with the film but I believe it could’ve been a better viewing experience if it didn’t go for the trying to sell copies of the film on 4K look it had. Let me explain my point to you, watch this 1930’s style trailer for the film that I watched the day before seeing Kong. If you want the full experience of it then turn the resolution all the way down.
Now I’m not saying it should look like that completely because that would be a little ridiculous for the audience they’re going for, but I wish it did something like it. Awhile ago I saw Jackie, Natalie Portman film about Jackie Kenedy, and it was made to look like it was documented at the time of the events and when I first saw it I thought that was ridiculous as well until I realised the amount of emotion it added to the film. It actually felt like you were in that time era watching footage of Jackie falling apart. Kong: Skull Island could’ve done a very similar thing, except have it look like it was footage from the Vietnam War time instead of clearly a blockbuster movie made today. This is the type of cool design decisions that I think films miss a lot of the time, that little bit of extra work or an extra little bit of idea that would make people think “yeah you should go see it, it feels like you’re there in that time era watching it”. Instead of that, I know that I’m sitting in a cinema watching a special effects showcase. Despite how good everything did look, because the monsters and the environments looked really good, I still had a sense of disbelief about it. It would’ve been amazing to see a big blockbuster lead the way in being different and choosing a different style that people would be expecting instead of hashing out the same similar look to say Jurassic World but with more jungle. Godzilla was a bit different because that was set in the modern day and yet it also still had a dark feel to it as if the world was going to be taken over by these monsters, I mean these are essentially movies about wars that man cannot win so they should be dark and gritty not polished to perfection.
That is my one big gripe with the film that could’ve made it a really stellar blockbuster film. I believe that it would’ve brought out the emotions of the characters and the events that happen heaps more than they are in the film’s current state. Most of the emotions in the film didn’t come out as I think they would’ve liked and some only just, for example, a few of the marines have their moment of spotlight and it goes a bit wasted as they don’t have the character build up or you just don’t feel too connected to them. Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Shea Whigham and John C. Reilly are great and they steal the show compared to the rest of the cast and it is because of them and Kong that the film manages to be alright at best, they really stand tall above everyone else. Hiddleston’s almost secret agent vibe will definitely make you think he could be the next James Bond if it’s set in a jungle. Larson’s photographer character brings the emotion of how much you should care about Kong. Whigham’s marine is equally as funny as Reilly’s character and they’re both interesting people in the film. These characters could’ve just been the whole cast trapped on the island and something bad happens, instead of the army of characters that the film begins with, and the film probably would’ve been more emotionally charged because you wouldn’t know which character would die.
There are a few cool and clever moments within the film that got me excited and some visuals were quite well done. Kong looks the best he ever has and his enemies and the other monsters in the film are just as scary, well at least the lady next to me leaping out of her seat definitely thought so. Kong: Skull Island is a good popcorn flick that you will watch and enjoy but it definitely won’t stick with you. In comparison to Godzilla, I think that was a lot better and has really stuck with me since it was released. Godzilla has a lot more emotion and a lot more care for it’s characters and sometimes even the monster itself. It’ll be interesting when they put the two together in their Godzilla vs King Kong film, which will basically be the Batman vs Superman of the monsters universe, all I know is that I’m 100% on team Godzilla.
VERDICT
Score: 2.5/5 – The film is about half as good as it should be. It shows a lot of promise and it will be good as a popcorn flick but I can’t help but feel that it could’ve and should’ve been a lot more than that. The acting by the main cast, the look and feel of Kong himself and a few clever set pieces are what save it and might be the thing to make me give it another try but, for now, it is in second place in this new Monsters Universe. Oh and stay for a great after credit’s scene.