KONG: SKULL ISLAND   3.5***

            "Kong: Skull Island" (2017 release; 118 min.) starts a new chapter in the King Kong universe. As the movie opens, we are told it's "South Pacific, 1943", and a US pilot and Japanese pilot crash land on a beach, and while they are fighting each other, Kong appears out of the blue. Cue forward and now we are "1973"  Bill Randa (John Goodman) is able to get a US Senator to approve a 'mapping mission' to a remote, unchartered island somewhere in the South Pacific. After some quick preparations, including getting a military escort ( several helicopters with armed soldiers), off they go to that mysterious island... To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest reboot of the King Kong franchise, more than a decade since the last one (by Peter Jackson). This time, Kong is bigger and better and 'badder' than ever before, and with lots of other monsters on the island, much to our viewing pleasure. The movie has a distinct "Apocalypse Now" vibe going in the first part, even more so as the squad of helicopters approaches the island and is met by Kong who destroys the  squad, knocking them all down and out, but there are several survivors.  Once the action shifts to the island, there is a distinct "Jurassic Park" vibe to it ( In fact there are, among other monstrous creatures,  huge two-legged lizards that are so ferocious, they killed off Kong’s whole family. They are called “Skullcrawlers” They make T-rex and the Raptors from Jurassic Park seem like puppies)

 We all know fully well that there is a lot of CGI in the movie, yet it never bothered me, and in fact  the movie feels very authentic from that perspective. The support cast is okay, with John C. Reilly (as the stranded US pilot now 30 years later) absolutely stealing the show (sorry John Goodman( as the organizer and lead civilian), Samuel L. Jackson ( as the military commander) Brie Larson ( as a photographer and “Yes” she and Kong have “goo goo’ eyes for each other.) and Tom Hiddleston (as the tracker) ).  

I saw it in 3-D Imax and it was awesome. This is a big fun blockbuster movie and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.

Rated PG-13 but would be rather strong for 10 and under.

Clark