Yesterday I journeyed to Midgard, for finally it was the day of release of Kong: Skull Island!
I have long loved films such as this, filled with far off lands and giant creatures. They bring back memories of my childhood, where I would venture forth across the realms with my idiot brother, and Thor would lay waste to any monster who crossed his path, so he could haul its carcass back to Asgard, and show off to all who would listen to his ridiculous tales of bravery… Oh, that doesn’t sound like a happy memory actually, does it? Yet another way that Thor ruined MY LIFE!
So, Kong… What an excellent film it is, filled with excitement and startling visuals from the first minute to the last. This isn’t your average monster movie that spends its first half only showing its creatures in blurry classified images held up by someone the authorities declare insane, or hidden in dark shadows during attacks that take place at night. Kong is there in glorious daylight right from the start, and oh how incredible he looks!
The effects in Skull Island are absolutely top notch, and I found the design of the creatures who populate this realm to be quite innovative, and yet they still seem like a natural evolutionary product of the extreme environment they inhabit. This magical realism of the creatures led to many moments where I almost jumped out of my seat in terror!
Kong: Skull Island is first and foremost a film that is HUGELY fun to watch. Yes, I sometimes want films that make me think, films that make me cry, or films that make me see the world in a different way, but oft when I watch a film I simply want escapism.
“Monsters exist,” says John Goodman’s character, Bill Randa, at one point, and they do. At times when all seems wrong in the world, there is nothing better than pure entertainment. I want a film that will make me forget about the real monsters who exist in this world, and give me two hours of freedom from the knowledge that Tony Stark exists and that one day Thanos will ask me what happened to the sceptre and the army he gifted me…
Kong: Skull Island is that film. It is two hours of beautiful visuals, incredible action, and there is one set piece that I truly believe can compete with anything in Jurassic Park for levels of tension and invention. While I watched this film I forgot about the world outside, and was fully immersed in this beautiful realm where anything was possible, and no one was safe.
Thomas was wonderful, and I very much wish that James Conrad could have accompanied me on my journey after I was thrown from the Bifrost by Thor. I feel things would have turned out quite differently if he had been guiding me. He likely would have warned me that going to that barren planet where a purple titan sat upon a floating throne was a bad idea. Really, who could have predicted that?
Brie Larson was also excellent, and definitely not the usual damsel in distress you often find in films such as this. After seeing her in Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire just last week I now count myself a fan of her work, and cannot wait for her performance in Captain Marvel. Sadly, that shall make us enemies, as she shall no doubt side with Stark 🙁
The rest of the cast also deliver wonderful performances, and even though I am duty bound to despise Nick Fury because he didn’t deliver me the magazine he once promised, I very much enjoyed Samuel L. Jackson’s performance in this film.
So yes, if you need a break from this world, or just a few hours of cinematic joy, then Kong: Skull Island is indeed the film you should see this weekend. I offer my thanks to the cast, crew, and everyone involved with this magnificent movie, and I cannot wait to see it again!
Oh, and don’t forget to stay for the brilliant post credits scene, although in a marvellous piece of mischief you may actually want to close your eyes for the credits themselves, as at one point they do actually spoil the upcoming scene eheheheh!
