'Kong: Skull Island' Review

In the final days of the Vietnam War, a military organisation and some scientists jet off to an uncharted territory that is unknown to the rest of the world. In their search for civilisation, they find an island covered and ruled by monsters, none bigger than oversized ape and king, Kong.

The last time we saw the iconic, colossal ape was in Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' in 2005. That film was very successful, both financially and critically, even winning 3 Academy Awards. However, 'Kong: Skull Island' looks to take a different approach, looking to make the film a complete action movie. The 'beauty that killed the beast' story is swapped for more larger than life creatures. In a period where reboots are criticised for offering very little new content to the series, 'Kong: Skull Island' does look to do something fairly new with the character. With eyes looking towards a new 'MonsterVerse', 'Kong' brings something new to the table, bringing new creatures alongside it. Unfortunately, other than good action, there isn't much to rave about this version of 'Kong'.

In essence, 'Kong' very much is a blockbuster that you would really expect to see during the summertime, with huge creatures and explosions dominating the screen. This, of course, leads to the film being predominantly action based, featuring CGI monsters battling it out. The 2005 'King Kong' was highly praised for its special effects and that praise can be carried on into this movie. Not only does the main character Kong look incredible but so do the other creatures in the film. Now, it is expected for the creatures to look great in a high budget film like this, but it is still incredible to see lifelike creatures. As someone who's favourite film features large creatures, I'm a sucker for seeing an epic brawl between two behemoths and 'Kong' definitely delivers that. Due to this, the two-hour runtime does go past quickly as you can really sit back and just enjoy the spectacle. That only really goes for the action, however, as the quality of the rest of the film really lets it down.

'Kong: Skull Island' is ultimately undone by a very, very weak script. The script looks to balance brutal and hard hitting action with an abundance of humour. The dialogue feels incredibly out of place as the tones clash to make something fairly terrible. You will be rolling your eyes as jokes are seemingly forced in to try and make the film funny. There's no reason for this to be the case. This film should've been tension filled and even scary as these people look to stay alive on an island where everything wants to kill them. In fact, this even detriment the action aspect as something brutal will be about to or happen and then you get some cheesy joke. When you're showing the brutality of these creatures, you do not need the characters making a mockery of it. The humour is so out of place at times and it simply isn't funny. In fact, the funniest parts of the film are unintentional.

What helps make 'Kong' more enjoyable is the amount of absurdity within the film that you cannot help but laugh at. To some, these may be too hard to bear and will simply hate it. For me, I couldn't help but laugh at these moments which did actually bring enjoyment to the film, not necessarily in the best way. When you're trying to make an emotional death, you can't have a character be picked off in a brutal and ridiculous way. When you create a rule within an area or scenario, you have to maintain it. There are so many ridiculous moments in this film that are baffling. It really makes you question the studio's decision making as you can't imagine how some of these moments snuck into the final cut of the film. Again, these moments show just how much of a mess was made with the tone in this film which ultimately is its downfall.

When you look at the cast of this film on paper, you have an incredible ensemble on your hands. You have recent Oscar winner Brie Larson, Marvel fan favourite Tom Hiddleston, the always incredible John Goodman and highest grossing actor ever in Samuel L Jackson all starring in this movie. After seeing such an impressive cast, you'd be very disappointed to know that the film does not use any of them to their full potential. You could've used any actors in these roles as there was simply nothing to the characters. They are very one dimensional and you aren't given a lot of time to really relate, care or even like most of the characters. Any sort of development is completely rushed, especially the minuscule relationship between Larson's Weaver and Kong himself. It seemed as if they wanted to try to create a bond between the two but it was very half-hearted, only using two scenes to try to make it impactful. You're probably thinking, why would you go see a film like this if you are looking for strong, deep characters? Well, the film tries to make many emotional moments that pander to the audience to try and be more than just a dumb action film. Also, if the film is about those people trying to survive on this island, should you not want to root for them? Should you not want a reason for them to survive other than it's just a certain actor? The cast could have been utilised so much better, even if this was just another action film. 

I'd be lying if I said that the latest Kong film wasn't entertaining. Sometimes this was due to some great fights and moments of action - despite some Michael Bay-esque slow-motion scenes. However, a lot of the enjoyment comes from this being one of the most ridiculous films with unintentionally funny moments. A better script and utilisation of characters could've seen this become a great monster movie. Unfortunately, these aspects caused more damage than Kong ever could.

Final Verdict =

So have you seen 'Kong: Skull Island'? If so, what did you think of the film? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the film or not! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

'The Legend of Tarzan' Review

It seems as if a lot of Disney animated movies are being made in to real life movies with the great technology that they have at their disposal. Although maybe not being redone by Disney, Tarzan is coming back to the big screen. I'm a fan of the animated version so looked forward to seeing the interesting character once again. I really hoped that this film would do the character justice but would it be able to do so?

It's been 10 years since Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard), now known as John Clayton III, moved to London with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie). King Leopold of Belgium has sent his main man Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) to the African Congo to come up with a plan that will lure the couple back home. Rom looks to handover Tarzan to an old enemy in return for Congo's diamonds. Rom will use Jane as a pawn to get Tarzan to come to him as Tarzan has to return to his wild side in order to save the native people and his wife.

 

With the recent success of 'The Jungle Book' in live action, the story of Tarzan does seem like a film that would be able to follow in the footsteps. The film would require a lot of CGI to bring the abundance of creatures to life but the film did not need as much as 'The Jungle Book'. And that is the only similarity between the two really as tone-wise, unlike the Disney versions, they are very different. 'The Legend of Tarzan' is much more serious and not as fun as the original which if you have seen the trailer, you would spot immediately. For me I feel this makes it harder for the film to be a success as it changes the tone of the most recent successful and memorable adaptation completely which may fool audiences. The movie does well to handle the serious tone as you get a real sense of danger in these locations which helps the film a lot. However it does try a few moments of comedy but it just didn't fit well with the rest of the film.

In saying that there is a serious tone within the film, there are those moments that make it quite fun to watch such as the fight sequences with Tarzan facing off against both human and animal. These moments are easy to watch and make a very enjoyable viewing. The finale- although quite silly- is very enjoyable to watch and quite an incredible moment. The Legend of Tarzan does have some scenes which create great moments that any viewer will enjoy easily.

Another main part of the film that I really enjoyed was the performances from the cast. Christoph Waltz was the best for me as I could watch him all day long he's just incredible. Like usual, he handles the dialogue and delivers it incredibly well which makes you want to listen to what he has to say. Alexander Skarsgard also does a good job as Tarzan in this new telling of the character. Margot Robbie as well puts in a good performance as Jane who does quite a lot for herself despite being held as a damsel in distress for large parts of the movie. 

Although the acting is good, there are some problems with the characters. Waltz character Leon Rom has a very bizarre talent as being deadly with a beaded necklace which I never really understood how someone could be so vicious with. Despite that, his plan all depends on Tarzan going back to the Congo which almost doesn't happen if it weren't for Samuel L Jackson's character George Washington Williams convincing him. It wasn't a foolproof plan which wasn't strong that didn't make sense as it was vital that this would happen. I wasn't a big fan of Jackson's character in the film as it was made clear that they wouldn't be waiting on him to catch up and shows that he is behind. Yet he always manages to be there in the end which doesn't add up. It's one or the other and the film seemed to forget where he was and what his capabilities were at times. He is also an expert at finding his way through the thick jungle with no map, compass or anything to get to an area where he has never been before. 

In a movie like this that features many wild animals, the CGI has to be up to standard. There are moments when creatures look incredible and really do live up to the standard set by previous movies. However, it is not consistent whatsoever. There are times when the CGI doesn't look too great and when you are trying to make a film that fools the audience into thinking they're real, you can't afford this to happen. I think this is most apparent with the apes in the film as there are moments that are breathtaking and some that unfortunately look quite cheap and overall bad. I may be mistaken but at one point, there is a scene where the CGI gorillas interact with humans and it is obvious that they are CGI due to the reactions of the actors. It is clear to see that they were just dropped in as characters don't react to what is next to them and threaten thin air.

Final Verdict = 

There is enjoyment to be had in this movie for sure and Christoph Waltz is great once again. However some parts both within the story and in CGI let the movie down. 'The Legend of Tarzan' is one of the better movies so far this summer although that is more down to the quality of other films.

So have you seen 'The Legend of Tarzan'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie. Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!