Film review: Kong: Skull Island – A lot of monkeying around?
The fact that Legendary Pictures are busying themselves with an epic Godzilla vs King Kong showdown is one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood. Naturally, this presented a problem for Peter Jackson’s Kong who simply doesn’t measure up against the giant lizard in 2013’s Godzilla. And in Hollywood, size really does matter; therefore the…
The fact that Legendary Pictures are busying themselves with an epic Godzilla vs King Kong showdown is one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood. Naturally, this presented a problem for Peter Jackson’s Kong who simply doesn’t measure up against the giant lizard in 2013’s Godzilla.
And in Hollywood, size really does matter; therefore the monstrous ape has been given a monumental upgrade featuring an all-star cast and some serious talent behind the camera. But is Kong: Skull Island as bananas as its trailers would suggest? Or are we looking at something a little more mainstream?
At the climax of the Vietnam War, a team of explorers and mercenaries head to an unchartered island in the South Pacific in an effort to document its inhabitants. Little do they know they are crossing into the domain of vicious man-eating monsters and the legendary Kong.
With a cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L Jackson and John C Reilly, you’d be forgiven for thinking everything is hunky dory over on Skull Island, but this spectacular film isn’t without its flaws. A lack of character development and a severe tonal imbalance mean it’s a beautiful near miss that thankfully manages to pull itself up from a crash landing.
Jordan Vogt-Roberts in his first big budget feature directs a film that is absolutely staggering to watch, with stunning cinematography and exceptionally well-choreographed battles between the gigantic ape and his many adversaries. Giving indie directors the chance to work with big studios to produce blockbusters is something that seems incredibly popular at the moment.
After all, Gareth Edwards took up the challenge of rebooting Godzilla in 2013 with stunning results and Colin Trevorrow was entrusted by Steven Spielberg to rekindle the public’s love affair with Jurassic Park back in 2015 and that worked a treat too.
Here, Vogt-Roberts utilises both of those franchises to great effect, even managing to shoehorn a tasteful reference to Samuel L Jackson’s Jurassic Park character, Ray Arnold. Elsewhere, though, the film falls a little flat. The constant switch in tone from comedy to action leaves a sour taste in the mouth, though John C Reilly’s stranded pilot is a pleasure to watch and lightens up proceedings.
Tom Hiddleston does well in the leading role, though as an SAS operative, he feels a little miscast and Samuel L Jackson’s Preston Packard is immensely dislikeable and his gripe with Kong is forced. It creates a subplot that doesn’t really need to be there.
The special effects, however, are top notch, helped by the splendid cinematography. The gorgeous sunsets and sweeping tropical landscapes have a whiff of Apocalypse Now and the misty terrain brings back memories of Jurassic Park’s first sequel, The Lost World.
Overall, Kong: Skull Island is a stunning film filled to the brim with colour, charming effects and great performances. However, it is a little light on character development and that tone issue is frustrating at times, but as a precursor to a mighty monster battle, it does a fine job in continuing the franchise and setting its future.
Leaving the cinema, though, I was left with a concern for when the two behemoths, Godzilla and Kong, finally meet. Each film has given their respective creature a ‘personality’, and if one of them must inevitably die, who on earth do you choose to perish?
Kong: Skull Island rating: 7/10
An avid lover of all things film, Adam Brannon has grown up with a huge passion for cinema that can be traced right back to his favourite childhood movie, Steven Spielberg's smash hit, Jurassic Park.
After graduating from the University of Lincoln with a degree in journalism, he now writes film reviews for his own website, Movie Metropolis and for the Press Association.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
A driver who crashed their car into a central reservation in Lincoln, causing it to flip onto its side, was nowhere to be found in the vehicle.
Police were called to the incident on Broadgate at around 3.15am on Monday morning, when a silver Nissan collided with the central reservation as the driver was heading uphill.
The crash caused the car to lose control and roll onto its side, but when emergency services arrived at the scene, the driver was not there.
Police looked for the driver but could not find them.
Eyewitnesses are speculating that a homeless man who saw the crash helped the driver out of the vehicle, but this has not been confirmed.
The crash caused the road to be momentarily closed in the early hours of the morning, before reopening a lane at 4.50am.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: “We have not located the driver, so are not aware of any injuries.”
Two men have been jailed and two received community orders for a violent attack on Lincoln High Street in 2019.
On the morning of July 20, 2019, a 38-year-old man was attacked by two teenagers as he was walking near High Bridge in Lincoln.
The victim was kicked and stamped on after being dragged to the floor, and received face and body wounds from a bladed article.
Within minutes of the first assault, the victim was approached by Adrian Johnson, 34, and Mark Guest, 38, who began a second attack.
Guest hit him with a bottle of Lambrini before punching him multiple times in the face, while Johnson pulled him to the ground and stamped on him.
Mark Guest, 38, of Monks Road, Lincoln, will face five years and eight months in prison. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
The attacks left the victim with a fractured eye socket and a bloodied face.
Guest and Johnson fled the scene on foot but were caught and arrested within minutes by taser-equipped police officers.
All four suspects appeared before Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday, January 14 and were subsequently charged for their crimes.
The two teenagers from the first attack are now over the age of 18 and can be named as Corey Stenner, 19, and Nathan Williamson, 18.
The pair were identified through CCTV two hours after they attacked the victim and have now been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, with both pleading guilty.
Stenner, of no fixed address, received a one-year community order and 30 days rehabilitation, while Williamson, of Princess Street, Lincoln, was given a two-year youth rehabilitation order.
Adrian Johnson, 34, of no fixed address, and Mark Guest, 38, of Monks Road, Lincoln were charged with the same crime as the teenagers, but were given more severe sentences.
Adrian Johnson, 34, of no fixed address, will serve the same sentence as Guest. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Both Johnson and Guest were sentenced to five years and eight months in prison, as well as being handed a restraining order to protect the victim.
Guest told the court that he was acting in self-defence and sought a trial, but changed his plea to guilty part-way through the hearing.
Detective Constable Richard Gray, investigating the case, said: “The events were witnessed by members of the public returning home from the bars and clubs of Lincoln.
“Nobody expected to see such frenzied and violent attacks like this against one individual and I have no doubt that it must have been a very scary and shocking thing to see, let alone to be subjected to.
“Thanks to the response of officers that morning, all those responsible were quickly arrested and investigated by Lincoln CID.
“We take any violence like this exceptionally seriously and especially when weapons are involved.
“I would like to thank the victim for his cooperation with the investigation and hope this brings some closure to a difficult and traumatic experience.
“Please continue to report violence in our county so that we can pursue those responsible.”
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