King Kong is one of those movie franchises that I’ve been a fan of since forever, as I grew up watching him along with other awesome monster movies back in the day. Heck, I was one of the few that actually enjoyed Peter Jackson’s take on it. Yes, even the nearly four hour long director’s cut, though it’s not without faults of course. So you already know when I saw the trailer for Kong: Skull Island I went ape over it and knew I had to see it. After watching Kong’s return in 4K with HDR color, I have to say the wait was worth it, as any fan who loves giant monster movies will go bananas for this film.
If you want all of the plot details and such, be sure to read fellow movie critic Chris Pandolfi’s take on the theatrical version for the movie. With that out of the way, I’m free to dive into my take on the film along with the special features. While I can understand how Chris felt about the movie, I actually had a good time with this one. While it does have it’s iffy moments here and there, and it’s a bit heavy with the special effects, I’m a sucker for blockbuster action films, warts and all, and this one sucked me right into it. I loved how Kong wasn’t the only giant monster around, and the other ones are pretty amazing or can even be downright terrifying in their own ways. The special effects are actually pretty good and definitely a step up from Jackson’s infamous film, and I’m also a huge Tom Hiddleston fan, so everything came together perfectly to me as I watched.
Even better was being able to watch/review this one in 4K with HDR color, a combination that makes any film come to life on your screen like nothing else. Everything looks so detailed and seems to pop off your screen, and the Dolby sound roars and thunders through your sound system as though you’re watching a studio cut of the movie in the privacy of your home. Then there’s the special features to experience, starting with audio commentary by director Jordan Vogt-Roberts who guides viewers through the making of the movie while sharing some fun stories along the way “Creating a King” has few interviews with the cast and crew giving their take on Kong throughout the years and how this one stacks up against them. I liked “The Intrepid Traveler” that has Tom Hiddleston giving viewers a tour of some of the locations where parts of the film were shot. “Through the Lens” goes a little into the character Brie Larson portrays and even shows off some of the real pictures she took in the film, and there’s a few other extras including some short but cool deleted scenes and more.
If you love action-packed monster films like I do, or just want something cool to watch on your 4K Blu-ray player, you’ll want to leap on down to your local store and pick up Kong: Skull Island. Fun characters, giant monsters, and sweet special effects come together nicely in this island-sized adventure that anyone can go ape over. Now we play the waiting game for Kong and Godzilla to come together in Warner Bros. next monster movie, and I can’t wait.
