by We live in an era more than ever before dominated by the possibilities of technology. But it seems that we’ve come to a certain standstill. Maybe the smartphone and mobile internet were the last game changers. You make your own pick. What developed yet again is a modernist dilemma: how can you accomplish an original work of art when there’s no invention? The best compromise seems to be remaking classic material. After all, shooting a good film without the technological possibilities of the present day was impossible, right. Right? KONG: SKULL ISLAND is the manifestation of this conflict/dilemma. Classic film, filtered through 70s cinema (which gradually manifests itself as potentially the best of all time) influences and “improved” by help of latest computer pazzaz. A smartphone is better than a dial-operated phone after all, so everything’s set for a masterpiece. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the truth.
KING KONG (1933) was a trailblazing film at its time, not only because it featured wonderful special effects. The idea that man thrives to control nature and dominate forces he is unable to relate to or understand even has turned into a strong plot point in film. It couldn’t have worked if Kong hadn’t been displayed as more than a brainless beast. In KONG: SKULL ISLAND, this idea has been retained, if spiced up with a lot of APOCALYPSE NOW (1979). The film is set at the end of the Vietnam War, clearly to pick up some of the overall tone of Francis Ford Coppola’s classic. And it’s off to a promising start, as direction and cinematography are very artistic and conscious of details. Unfortunately, the film is pursuing too many directions to be cohesive, which shows most clearly in the vastness of characters.
Tom Hiddleston is James Conrad (Joseph Conrad was the author of HEART OF DARKNESS, the novel that served as inspiration to APOCALYPSE NOW), a former soldier hired as tracker for, to be honest, random or even quite dubious reasons. A soldier with no allegiance to any nation, we never fully understand Conrad, other than his role as voice of reason. Same goes for Brie Larson’s Mason Weaver, a war photographer and self-proclaimed anti war photographer. She’s the substitute “White Woman” supposed to bring out Kong’s soft nature. Samuel L. Jackson is Colonel Kurtz disguised as Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard, a soldier through and through most concerned about his men but also about Pennsylvania Steel putting man and nature alike in their place. There’s many more, most importantly John Goodman as Bill Randa, a scientist knowing about the monsters that still roam Earth and in charge of the operation after luring the expedition to the island on false grounds. Goodman’s a great actor playing a weak and sloppily-written part that doesn’t add an awful lot to the plot. The same is true about the rest of the cast, including John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow, WWII fighter pilot stranded on the island during the war together with a Japanese adversary turned friend by circumstances.
Sometimes, an enemy doesn’t exist till you go looking for one.
Earl Cole
Maybe Marlow is supposed to serve as counter weight to Kurtz/Packard, evidence that Skull Island can be survived by those willing to adapt and recognize Kong as strict but fair King but he ends up being used for some flat laughs on how the world has changed, how the Cubs are still fighting the Curse of the Billy Goat and first and foremost to tie up the plot. Marlow explains everything within seconds the invading forces didn’t know, including the indigenous people that never come across as human beings for a lack of interest in them by the director, saving some hours of screen time. Not a deal breaker, yet not the most elegant way to drive the plot forward to the finale.
Nothing bad can be said about the action in the film, when Kong first fights the air cavalry, waltzing in over a soundtrack supposed to transport these 70s vibes but falling flat for its redundancy. Yes, Creedence Clearwater Revival is a great band but how many times did we hear their BAD MOON RISING and RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE in film and TV? At first the film feels like a war flick, then it shifts towards some serious monster action. Sadly, all monsters on Skull Island look more interesting than Kong’s biggest rival, the huge Skullcrawler. In the end, the action is good, if not exceptional. Given the effort invested in the initial third of the film, the unique setting and style, more could’ve been expected from it, though. KONG: SKULL ISLAND disappoints the most when it comes to the uncanny, a hallmark of APOCALYPSE NOW as much as Peter Jackson’s KING KONG (2005). Packard’s soldiers are killed off like flies, if never in a really scary fashion. And when Kong finishes off a human being, it couldn’t be more boring and repetitive. Certainly a missed chance here, as Jackson’s Skull Island was a lot more sinister and creative. Jackson also depicted the indigenous people as threat to a crew way more in over their heads without an army outfit in their backs. Even worse, Kong is not as present and as approachable as he used to be back in 2005. Motion Capturing may have developed, yet this is all for naught without a strong script giving room to Kong and his relationship to humans. Naomi Watts did a tremendous job working with Kong and bringing out his nature. Brie Larson falls flat, playing her character as idealistic, strong but also cold as a pump handle even when she’s snapping pictures of indigenous kids.
KONG: SKULL ISLAND is a good action film that’s worth watching. At the same time, it’s no better than any of the previous installments within the franchise. Compared to Peter Jackson’s KING KONG, arguably his best film, it doesn’t add anything new to the pallet that is really valuable. Despite being set in the 70s, the film including its characters feels too much like the zeitgeist. Much like a Tarantino film, if bereft of a genuine plot, the film as a whole appears like a collage that, even if looked at from some paces back, never becomes cohesive. If the goal was to produce a solid action film, that much has been accomplished. But KONG: SKULL ISLAND seems like an attempt at reinventing a classic. From that angle, the film fell much too short for comfort.
