Kong: Skull Island Review

Kong: Skull Island

Release Date: 9th March 2017 - Australia


Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)

Legendary Entertainment
Tencent Pictures (presents)

Distribution

Roadshow Films


Genre: Action/Adventure/

Fantasy

Rating: M

Runtime: 118 minutes


Budget: $185,000,000

Box Office Gross: $566,652,812 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary 

During the 1970s, a ragtag team of explorers travelled deep into an unknown but beautiful remote island called Skull Island in the Indian Ocean.

However, they soon learn that the island holds a treacherous secret - it is the home of a giant, prehistoric ape known as King Kong, who possesses immense strength and semi-human intelligence.

Cast

Tom Hiddleston - James Conrad

Samuel L. Jackson - Preston Packard

John Goodman - Bill Randa

Brie Larson - Mason Weaver

Tian Jing - San

John Ortiz - Victor Nieves

Terry Notary - Kong

John C. Reilly - Hank Marlow

Toby Kebbell - Jack Chapman/Kong
Jason Mitchell - Mills
Shea Whigham - Cole
Thomas Mann - Slivko
Eugene Cordero - Reles
Marc Evan Jackson - Landsat Steve
Will Brittain - Young Marlow/

Marlow's Son
Miyavi - Gunpei Ikari
Richard Jenkins - Senator

Willis
Allyn Rachel - Secretary O'Brien

Corey Hawkins - Houston Brooks

Robert Taylor - Athena Captain

James M. Connor - Gen. Ward (Voice)

Thomas Middleditch - Jerry (Voice)

Brady Novak - Base Guard

Peter Karinen - Chinook Pilot

Brian Sacca - Chinook Co-Pilot

Joshua Funk - Seismic Soldier

Daniel F. Malone - Boat Captain

Glenn 'Kiwi' Hall - Boat Captain

Garreth Hadfield - Crew Chief

Shannon Brimelow - Kamikaze

Pilot

Jon Quested - Dead Pilot

Korey Williams - Sunglasses

Pilot

Dat Phan - Bar Thug

Cynthy Wu - Thug's Girlfriend

Beth Kennedy - Marlow's Wife

Bryan Chojnowski - Chicago

Taxi Driver

Crew

Director - Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Based on the Character - Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace (Uncredited)
Story - John Gatins
Screenplay - Dan Gilroy,

Max Borenstein and Derek

Connolly
Executive Producer - Edward

Cheng

Executive Producer/Unit

Production Manager - Eric McLeod

Producers - Alex Garcia,

Jon Jashni, Mary Parent

and Thomas Tull

Co-Producer/Production

Supervisor - Jennifer Conroy

Co-Producer/Visual Effects Producer - Tom C. Peitzman

Military Technical Advisor - Harry Humphries
Casting Director - Sarah Finn

Production Designer - Stefan Dechant

Conceptual Design - Mark 'Crash' McCreery
Supervising Art Director - Doug J. Meerdink

Art Directors - John Lord Booth III and

Steve Christensen

Art Director: Australian Unit - Bill Booth

Vehicle Design Coordinator - Ron Mendell
Illustrators - Zachary Berger

and Steve Jung

Set Decorator - Cynthia La Jeunesse

Property Master - Steven B. Melton

Property Master: Los Angeles Unit -

Sean Mannion
Costume Designer - Mary E. Vogt

Makeup Department Head - Bill Corso

Key Makeup Artist - Dennis Liddiard
Director of Photography - Larry Fong

Director of Photography: Nature Unit - Ross Reige

Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell

"A" Camera Operator - P. Scott Sakamoto

"B" Camera Operator - Calum McFarlane

Supervising Location Manager - Ilt Jones

Production Supervisors: Second Unit -

Eric Hedayat and Renee Confair

Unit Production Manager: Australia Crew -

Jennifer Cornwell

First Assistant Director - Richard Graves

First Assistant Director: Second Unit - Nick Satriano
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

Spiro Razatos
Second Unit Director (Uncredited)/

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor - Stephen Rosenbaum
Stunt Coordinator - George Cuttle

Stunt Coordinator: Australia Crew - Kyle Gardiner

Stunt Coordinator: Second Unit - Andy Gill

Aerial Coordinator/Pilot - David Paris

Marine Coordinator - Daniel F. Malone

Special Effects Supervisor - Michael Meinardus

Special Effects Supervisor: Australia Crew - Bruce Bright

Visual Effects Supervisor - Jeff White
Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM - Robert Weaver

and Jeff Capogreco

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor - John Dykstra

Additional Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM -

Jason Smith and Dan Seddon

Visual Effects Executive Producer: ILM - Jill Brooks
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Aaron McBride
Animation Supervisor - Scott Benza

Animation Supervisors: ILM - Adrian Millington

and Jance Rubinchik

Compositing Supervisors: ILM - Nelson Sepulveda,

Paolo Acri and Aaron Brown

Creature Supervisors: ILM - Karin Cooper

and Steve Sauers

Creature Model Supervisors: ILM - Lana Lan

and Krishnamurti Costa
Editor - Richard Pearson
Additional Editors - Bob Murawski and

Josh Schaeffer

Second Unit Editor - David Kern

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer -

Al Nelson

Supervising Sound Editor - Steve Slanec

Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer - Pete Horner

Assistant Supervising Sound Editors -

André Fenley and Coya Elliott

Production Sound Mixer: Hawaii Unit - Peter J. Devlin

Dialogue Editor - Brian Chumney

ADR Editors - Bjørn Ole Schroeder

and Cheryl Nardi

Re-Recording Mixers - Tom Myers

and Tom Johnson

Foley Artists - John Roesch and Shelley Roden

Music - Henry Jackman

Additional Music - Halli Cauthery,

Alex Belcher and Stephen Hilton

Music Supervisors - Peter Afterman

and Margaret Yen

Associate Music Supervisor - Alison Litton

Score Mixer - Alan Meyerson

Review

It's been over a year since we last saw the original King of Beasts in Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic. It proved divisive for newcomers and old-timers, as some were biased towards the 2005 version. Now, the character is getting a makeover for the latest iteration of KONG: SKULL ISLAND. He is yet to have a crossover with Godzilla from 2014's monster hit (click here) in their shared cinematic universe. I had missed several opportunities to watch the classic and the previous interpretations when someone insisted I see another film instead. SKULL ISLAND is no longer taking the giant ape from a tropical island to the Big Apple in the 1930s and is now a survival-based adventure film set in the last days of the Vietnam War. It's different from the rest of the Kong films as this one has a vibe of Apocalypse Now while incredibly entertaining with its action and humour.

Tom Hiddleston was remarkable at portraying the Harrison Ford-type figure in the film as it was a sideline from his known villainous portrayal of Loki. More prominent players include Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly. The latter portrayed a stranded World War II veteran, who was a bit of comic relief. Even Samuel L. Jackson was noted for good publicity when he portrayed a vicious Colonel about to carry a grudge against Kong. For the ape-like titular character, he was nearly as good in motion capture as Andy Serkis had portrayed him in 2005. But he has decided to take another mantle on a similarly ape-themed series of Planet of the Apes.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND is in the thin waters of characterisation and worldbuilding but is a semi-decent film. On a positive note, most people will be thrilled and find this version more enjoyable than Peter Jackson's polarising interpretation. You better go straight to the cinema before it finishes screening.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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