The dialogue is dull, the A-list actors are like visiting slums, and the routines aren't new -- but this monster movie is just irresistible.
The time was 1973, and the United States had just withdrawn its troops from Vietnam. You can think of this crazy epic as a hodgepodge of Apocalypse Now, Hamburg Heights, Congo, Jurassic Park, and even the African Queen.
This time, Kong's return is the second in the burgeoning universe of cinematic behemoths (the first being 2014's lackluster "Godzilla"), and it's a lively roar from the jungle.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is like a kid in a candy store, wanting to try every flavor. His 2013 indie film "Summer King" took a close look at three thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boys—essentially a world away from the grand spectacle of "King Kong."
The beginning of the story flashes back to 1944, somewhere in the South Pacific, when two pilots (one Japanese, one American) landed on Skull Island with parachutes on their backs. They fought each other, until King Kong raised his hairy claws as big as an antique car, and they realized that they were just playing a small game - compared with this King Kong, its predecessors can almost be said to be weak.
Then the plot fast-forwards back to the present.
John Goodman plays an American explorer trying to get the Nixon administration to fund his trip to a forbidden island, which he calls "where mystery and science meet."
Accompanying him is a military lunatic, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who leads a helicopter combat brigade known as the Sky Demon, venting his frustrations in Vietnam into the expedition.
There is also a special forces tracking expert played by Hiddleston (Tom Hiddleston), who claims to be able to find everything. Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson plays an anti-war photojournalist who discovers that this journey isn't just about an island.
Jing Tian is a scientist who follows them closely, with only a few meaningless lines. In fact, her whole character design has no real meaning. It is undoubtedly designed for the Chinese box office.
It can be seen that these people are unlikely to win the Oscar by acting as human bait. As long as there is a John C. Reilly scene, he will definitely be robbed of the scene, and he plays the pilot we saw at the beginning. , he has lived with the Aboriginal people of Skull Island ever since. Vogt-Roberts keeps the tone lighthearted throughout, and Riley is the funny guy in the film.
If there's any romance in the movie, it's those brief seconds when the Beast holds Beauty in the palm of your hand, just like the 1933 original.
What really makes "Kong: Skull Island" out of the loop is its action scenes. Responsible for CGI special effects is Industrial Light and Magic, founded by George Lucas. This well-known film special effects production company has produced visual effects for more than 300 films, including "Star Wars", "Pirates of the Caribbean" , "Transformers", "Harry Potter" and so on. This time they must be very proud of their work as well, and the behemoth they have created is very photogenic and ready for a close-up.
In fact, the size of this King Kong is amazing enough. For example, when it is flying, it swings the military helicopter out of the sky like a fly. When one of the helicopters was slapped by Kong with his bare hands, one of the soldiers above shouted: "We were shot down by a monkey the size of a tall building!"
The bigger the screen is, the better. Watching on your small mobile phone will not have the shocking power of the big screen, no matter how close you hold the mobile phone to your eyes.
But King Kong isn't the only threat on the island. Besides him, there are giant mammoths, six-story spiders, and terrifying two-legged tuatara. And these various creatures couldn't restrain their desire to steal the spotlight, and they appeared one after another to be awkward with King Kong.
The battle of these behemoths is certainly at the heart of the film. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has a lot of action scenes, especially in the most crucial battle, he deliberately extended the entire fight. He infuses the film with the curiosity of a seven-year-old and uses a slew of classic rock tracks, such as "Black Sabbath" and "Credence Clearwater Revival," to sound like a tribute to him. A tribute to youth.
Humans are the biggest lack in it. They basically either run or hide. King Kong is undoubtedly the biggest protagonist. He is also the real hero in the film, protecting the island from those old weapons of mass destruction. The special effects are cool from beginning to end, exciting and inexplicable. Besides, what else do you want to know? Grab your popcorn, buckle up and go!
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