Kong: Skull Island

Name: Kong: Skull Island
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Released: March 10, 2017
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 62
Cast: Brie Larson, Corey Hawkins, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, John Ortiz

2017

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 733 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 733 Ratings

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Kong: Skull Island

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: March 10, 2017 | PG-13

Starring: Brie Larson, Corey Hawkins, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, John Ortiz, Samuel L. Jackson, Tian Jing, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hiddleston

Summary: When a scientific expedition to an uncharted island awakens titanic forces of nature, a mission of discovery becomes an explosive war between monster and man.

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 118 min

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Awards & Rankings

24	#24 Most Discussed Movie of 2017
24	#24 Most Shared Movie of 2017

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips

Mar 8, 2017

Any movie with the sense, the wit and the visual instincts to introduce Kong the way this one does is fine with me. Read full review

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

Mar 2, 2017

A large part of the enjoyment comes down to the sheer earth-shaking lunacy of Kong’s daily grind, even before the human intruders are factored in. Read full review

Calvin Wilson

Mar 9, 2017

If you’re looking for a film that offers pure escapism, Kong: Skull Island should definitely meet expectations. Read full review

Alonso Duralde

Mar 2, 2017

It lacks neither fun nor polish, but it has the square tidiness of a compartmentalized fast-food meal. Read full review

Mike Scott

Mar 8, 2017

It's a heck of a cast, although the hands-down scene-stealer is John C. Reilly, in a gem of a comic-relief role that, in the interest of remaining spoiler-free, is probably best undescribed here. Read full review

Matt Singer

Mar 2, 2017

This is a creature feature, plain and simple — and, at least on a visceral level, a satisfying one. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Mar 2, 2017

This fantastically muddled and exasperatingly dull quasi-update of the King Kong story looks like a zestless mashup of Jurassic Park, Apocalypse Now and a few exotic visual borrowings from Miss Saigon. It gets nowhere near the elemental power of the original King Kong or indeed Peter Jackson’s game remake; it’s something Ed Wood Jr might have made with a trillion dollars to do what he liked if he’d been given a trillion dollars – but minus the fun. Read full review

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User Reviews

EdwardGerry

Mar 12, 2017

This is one of the most immersive and captivating movies ever made! Its literally insane and theres something you would never expect every five minutes I was totally loving it. It's a two hour movie but I was ready for another hour of these gigantic monsters! not a fan of samuel jackson though

4 of 23 users found this helpful419

jdiaz

Mar 12, 2017

**** please!"

Kong: Skull Island is a movie that develops characters well enough to make the plot compelling while having awe-inspiring and impressive action sequences. Hats off to Industrial Light & Magic for the special effects, they are flawless. The cinematography is also very**** please!"

Kong: Skull Island is a movie that develops characters well enough to make the plot compelling while having awe-inspiring and impressive action sequences. Hats off to Industrial Light & Magic for the special effects, they are flawless. The cinematography is also very impressive, there are multiple shots that are landscape porn and beautiful sunsets all around. I want to see more blockbusters like this.

Also, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and especially John C. Reilly gave very good performances. Every scene looks believable and I flinched several times on some of the more visceral ones.

Go see it.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Agent314

Mar 10, 2017

At times muddled and a bit awkward, K:SI truly shines when it matters. Some, but not all, the characters are a bit thin; however, this isn't a character driven drama. It's a MONSTER MOVIE! And let me tell, boy does it have monsters. And when they fight you'd better hold on to yourAt times muddled and a bit awkward, K:SI truly shines when it matters. Some, but not all, the characters are a bit thin; however, this isn't a character driven drama. It's a MONSTER MOVIE! And let me tell, boy does it have monsters. And when they fight you'd better hold on to your popcorn. This is why the film succeeds. Of course, the brilliant visuals and surprisingly good cinematography don't hurt. The true stand-out is certainly Kong himself. Both pensive and angry, he is oft times bewildered by the human cast and royally pissed off by them. But he is Lord Protector of Skull Island, and there's a lot more for him to be concerned with than human mosquitoes.

Expect to laugh. Expect to cheer, and be prepared to be amazed. But most of all, expect to have fun.… Expand

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

caledo1801

Mar 17, 2017

A good movie, pretty decent. A great improvement since Godzilla (2014), specially for the fact they focused a lot more on the monster. Hoping that they do even better on Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

TheGwill

Nov 1, 2019

Decent to watch in the most part but the incessant artsy fartsy camera stuff did my nut in.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

BITESCREEN

Jun 21, 2017

Die ersten Bilder von Kong – Skull Island implizierten eine ungewöhnliche Mischung aus Creature Feature und Antikriegsfilm. Daraus ist leider nichts geworden: Jordan Vogt-Roberts Beitrag zum King Kong-Universum ist ein größtenteils unterhaltsamer, aber ultraflacher Blockbuster, der dieDie ersten Bilder von Kong – Skull Island implizierten eine ungewöhnliche Mischung aus Creature Feature und Antikriegsfilm. Daraus ist leider nichts geworden: Jordan Vogt-Roberts Beitrag zum King Kong-Universum ist ein größtenteils unterhaltsamer, aber ultraflacher Blockbuster, der die Prämisse von Peter Jacksons gleichnamigem Monster-Thriller mehr schlecht als recht kopiert: Zum Ende des Vietnamkrieges wagt sich eine bunte Truppe aus Soldaten und Zivilisten auf die Heimatinsel des Riesenaffen. Bevor man sich versieht, rennt man schreiend um sein Leben – vor den CGI-Pranken Kongs und zig anderen nervigen Viechern. Die sind zwar schick animiert, dafür aber langweilig gestaltet und tauchen viel zu kurz auf. Außerdem verschießt Kong – Skull Island viel zu schnell sein Spannungspulver und überlässt so gut wie nichts der Fantasie, während sonst starke Schauspieler wie Tom Hiddleston oder John Goodman mit ihren blassen Figuren kämpfen. Einzig John C. Reilly als schratiger Bruchpilot bringt etwas Witz in das ansonsten uninspirierte Krawallfest.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

salazarj

Sep 5, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Underwhelming, predictable, and frankly, quite stupid. I know these kind of movies focus more on the mindless wrecking of everything around the so-called monsters, but really? They could have achieved so much more. The characters were bland, there was no development or generally anyone who made any sense, which bothers me because with a cast assemble like that, you could have taken risks and made it work in a great way.

I generally don't like movies in which the humans go nose first barging into the habitat of an animal (shark, monkeys, you name it) and in typical fashion, go destroy everything to their own benefit without thinking hey, that is the home of a living, sentient creature that yes, it can be aggressive when provoked but otherwise leaves you the hell alone, and then make the animal the **** ENEMY because it's pissed off that some idiots thought they owned it in the first place. Sam L. Jackson's role was **** which enrages me because he's a good actor, but the part they gave him here, with ****ty one-liners ("I am the cavalry"? Seriously?) to make him appear like this "bad-ass" sort of villain was so incredibly disappointing I can't even think about it. He's trying to take revenge on an animal that killed his soldiers because they dumped a ****load of explosives in his habitat in the first place? Cool. No.

They tried to include a lot of wannabe "cool" moments (I don't even know if that's what they were aiming for, but that's what it appeared to me) with the rock sounds in the background, without realizing it just looked stupid, plain and simple. The secondary characters were boring AND so obviously spare that I didn't give two **** when either of them died, even when they tried to glorify their deaths (it didn't work, by the way).

Don't even get me started on the main characters. We could ignore the whole trying-to-make-them-interesting-and-mysterious-and-horribly-failing thing they had going on (the introduction of Tom Hiddleston's character was sort of interesting, but then it went completely downhill from there, making him completely bland and uninteresting and empty with a lot of "intense" stares ahead and a whole lot of nothing), and focus instead of the fact that they tried to make them have a connection with Kong by one freaking second, not even that, and then suddenly make the "heart-stopping" (note the sarcasm) last minute decision to save him from the very team they came in with in the first place. And you'd think that the guy who'd been trying to drill some sense into them for their entire stay in the island would refuse and want to get the hell out because he's been there for years, but no, let's all run head first into the giant guy we were trying to kill and then love him because he blinked at me cute. What a freaking disaster.

The only good thing I can think of is that the cgi on Kong was pretty good. The lizard things were underwhelming and lacked imagination. Oh, and I almost forgot the part when they saw a **** bird and instantly went out to SHOOT it, because that's what you do, of course. If the other birds had had them all for breakfast after that, they would have had it coming. But no, bad, bad birds. And don't even bother to stay after the credits for the completely boring and senseless teaser for a sequel, it's a waste of time. This isn't a marvel movie, even if there are a few actors from there, so just don't.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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