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I've always been enchanted by the King Kong character. I've enjoyed all the movies that featured the big ol' ape. I discovered and fell in love with Jessica Lange in 1976 when her version played on a super-giant screen at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Rhode Island before the theater was converted from a plush and decadent movie house to a Broadway-like stage theater. That viewing experience, when I was 13, was my first introduction to King Kong.
Then I saw the original 1930s version with Fay Wray. I was a kid, so I laughed at the stop-motion photography that made Kong move all jerky, and I laughed at the actors as they pretended to walk in front of a rear projection screen and shoot their rifles at previously shot montages of prehistorical animals. But then I grew up and I was amazed and learned to appreciate what the filmmakers had accomplished using such rudimentary tools and techniques. Using only the limited methods they had at their disposal, they used brilliant ingenuity to tell a fascinating story. I'm sure the filmmakers were thinking at the time they were making the movie that they either had a huge hit on their hands or an enormous bomb -- a laughable stinker that could end their careers. But some brave soul at RKO said it was worth the risk and gave the go ahead. And despite the glaring lack of sophisticated effects we see when holding them up to today's standards, audiences in the '30s understood, inherently, the limitations in film making. The novelty, the magic, the unimaginable lit up the screen and audiences were astounded. And because the story of Ann Darrow was always central to the film (and the effects were relegated to the back seat), audiences were spellbound. And just beneath the narrative, there was a subtle lesson to be learned; a moral lesson or, as I see it, an indictment against a certain faction of society and its culture. I see the film serving as a metaphor for the cruelty and greed that had already infested the motion-picture industry by the early 1930s. Similarly, the 1976 version was a not-so-subtle indictment against the oil industry's cruel posture of putting corporate profits over nature and the sanctity of life.
Director Peter Jackson's version with Jack Black, I felt, was a remake of the Fay Wray version. It screamed "Made in Hollywood" in every frame. Some of the fun of seeing Kong slipped away knowing that the creature was merely an image created on a computer, as opposed to a stop-motion animated puppet or a man in an ape suit, where hundreds of people had to use their creative imaginations in order to fool audiences into embracing the illusion that "Kong" was huge and real. I called using C.G.I. a form of cheating. Although it's in rough shape, the 15" poseable puppet and its steel frame used in the original "King Kong" still exists. It's a real and tangible object. Rick Baker still has at least one copy of the ape suit he created and performed in for the '76 version. He created at least five hydraulically maneuvered over-the-head masks (each with a different expression). Surely, he still has those -- even if the original rubber has rotted away and only the steel skull, plastic hoses, cords and air bladders still exist. At least the parts are real and not part of an algorithm typed into a computer animation program, where the computer does most of the math to bring an animation to life. You can't hold an algorithm in your hand or place it in a museum for posterity.
But even I got over my resentment of C.G.I. It's a different kind of art, but at least now I see the artistry in it. And given my fondness of Kong, that is the reason I decided to give "Kong: Skull Island" a shot.
As a straight-up action-adventure film, it's a cool roller-coaster ride with lots of thrills and frights. Just about everything, except the actors, is done with C.G.I., but the images are so realistic, you wouldn't know nothing on the screen actually exists. The acting is top-notch. The creatures are genuinely creepy, and there are a lot of them -- all huge and deadly. There's a military aspect to the film, so there are lots of bombs and helicopters. Kong is twice as tall in this film than his predecessors and he's all animal imbued with the intellect of a primitive beast motivated solely by instinct. But among the crew of military and scientific men who stumble upon Kong on Skull Island, there is a photographer and she's a girl -- a woman, actually -- and a lovely one at that. You know how Kong loves the ladies. Traditionally, Kong always lets his guard down because he can't help himself when he sees a beautiful girl. He shows his soft side and that's always when the men swoop in and kill him. Well, traditions are made to be broken. This Kong is too much of an animal to give a muddy girl a bath. His instincts won't allow him to let his guard down. After all, he has himself and a whole island to protect. Protect the island from what, you say? Well, the answer to that question is the very reason a creature like Kong exists. You need to see the movie to find out why Kong needs to watch over the island and why he gets so mad at the new militaristic interlopers with their bombs and flying machines.
The fact that this movie was released in 3-D shouldn't concern viewers who are able to identify a 3-D movie without actually seeing it in 3-D. I watched the film in 2-D first and didn't notice anything that made me say, "Obviously, this is meant to be watched in 3-D." However, when I finally did watch it in 3-D, it was a really cool viewing experience.
Universal Movie Studios created a subsidiary of itself called Universal Dark. "Kong: Skull Island" was set to launch the new studio's lineup of most, if not all, of the Classic Universal Monster Movies from yesteryear. Monsters and horror villains from other studios are on Universal Dark's slate as well. At the end of "Kong: Skull Island," there's a brief reference made to a couple of gentlemen whose names happen to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Presumably, that old classic will be "re-imagined" and released next.
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From the manufacturer
Kong: Skull Island
A diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers unite to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful. Cut off from everything they know, the team ventures into the domain of the mighty Kong, igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As their mission of discovery becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape a primal Eden in which humanity does not belong.
Kong: Skull Island was completed on a digital intermediate at 2K, thereby imposing a now-familiar limit on the ability of UHD presentation to reveal increased detail. Indeed, with K:SI there's even less room for improvement, because the standard Blu-ray is so superbly sharp and detailed. The benefits to be found on Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD are attributable more to HDR encoding than to 4K up-conversion, and the CGI creations are a prime example. Kong's delicately rendered fur is more subtly shaded and finely textured, although he has to be standing still for the differences to stand out. The giant spider creature with snapping crab claws that attacks the expedition from above the tree line is noticeably more detailed and defined—and even gooier when it's finally brought down. The massive squid that attacks Kong (and discovers what a mistake that is) features more variegated shades of brown on its tentacles and body, and the tentacle suckers are more individuated. The reptilian skin of the Skull Crawlers exhibits more variations in texture (and it's even more repellent).
Creatures aren't the only HDR beneficiary. Superior contrast renders many of the film's expansive tableaus noticeably sharper, especially those that have been extended with CG. Prime examples include the fog-shrouded mass grave of creatures killed by the Skull Crawlers and the interior of the wrecked ship where the Iwi record their history in a mosaic of totems. An occasional scene jumps out with added highlights, e.g., when Weaver is knocked into the river during Kong's battle with the Skull Crawler queen; the daylight above the water is brighter and more intense on the UHD. As for the extraordinary location photography, that was already breathtaking on Blu-ray, and there's little the UHD can add to make it more so.
Reviews with images
Popcorn Creature Feature
Just a psychedelic creature feature that happens to have King Kong. Just decompress and enjoy the show 🍿Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson clearly having a blast! I love when they team up for films. #TeamKong
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2017
An original adventure instead of just another remake. Thrilling fun for the 8-year old in all of us.
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
Top reviews from other countries
Excelente artículo decorativo navideño y muy buena calidad y recomendable.
Excelente película la vi hace mucho tiempo en Cinépolis.
Reviewed in Mexico on April 8, 2024
skr
Absolutely Brilliant
Reviewed in India on February 9, 2021
skr
Reviewed in India on February 9, 2021
Waiting Godzilla vs Kong
Images in this review
A. Z.
Exzellenter Monsterfilm, der weit über dem gegenwärtigen filmkünstlerischen Durchschnitt steht
Reviewed in Germany on February 4, 2021
A.
Conforme à la description et livré rapidement ! 👍
Reviewed in France on March 22, 2024