6 Great Moments In Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island has finally roared into theaters, and the critical response hasn't been unkind. The film's 79% Rotten Tomatoes score, coupled with the promise of enough beast-bashing goodness to keep most audiences happy, bodes well for Legendary's planned cinematic MonsterVerse. As one would expect, though, the movie lacks several ingredients that could've pushed it from goodness to greatness. For one, many of the actors appear horribly bored, resulting in a jarring experience that never feels quite right and fails to fully immerse viewers in the world the film strives to build. Predictably, there's no emotional core here either, but who honestly came into the movie expecting a giant, rampaging ape to pull at their heartstrings? Kong wants to smash monsters into cliff faces and look like a boss doing it. Spoiler alert: He does both on numerous occasions. Despite its many shortcomings, Kong: Skull Island is still edge-of-your-seat popcorn movie goodness in its purest form, a triumph of spectacle-driven cinema and a testament to the cultural staying power of the creature feature. Which parts were our favorites, though? Read on for 6 epic moments in Warner Bros.' new blockbuster and feel free to share your own picks in the comments section below. 6) Kong's Brutal Introduction It's a sequence that was teased in each of the film's trailers: the “Oh, shit!” moment when the military forces invading Skull Island are greeted with angrily-chucked trees and an oversized ape. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts clearly had some serious fun with Kong's brutal introduction; the special effects-heavy battle pulses and pops with frenetic energy and serves as a fitting first scene for the eponymous ape. None of the main players bite it here, but that's not to say the loss of life isn't significant. Hell, it's enough to send Samuel L. Jackson's Colonel Packard into a quiet, seething rage that propels his story forward until his sudden death during the film's climax - more on that later. 5) THAT Spider Scene Skull Island blindsides viewers with some of its best moments, adding a welcome element of profound shock to a film that so easily could've fallen victim to predictability. One such moment occurs shortly after Kong's initial killing spree, when the military forces sent to the island are ambushed by a gigantic spider with legs that resemble stalks of bamboo. The sequence, while brief, showcases the unforgiving environment into which they've ventured with stunning effectiveness. Vogt-Roberts kicks the scene off with a horrifying shot of a soldier standing, transfixed, as a spider leg shoves itself down his throat and kills him instantly. The moment deviates from your typical giant spider attack sequence; the filmmakers cleverly use the environment to trick the characters (and the viewers) into a foolish sense of security before reminding them how unsafe they actually are. Skull Island boasts many scenes that horrify and surprise in a similar manner, but none of them top the unexpected excellence on full display here. 4) Kong Kills Colonel Packard One of the film's most notable casualties is Colonel Packard, who becomes enraged over the deaths of his men and vows to remind Kong that “man is king.” In many respects, Packard functions as the primary antagonist. The film doesn't introduce him as the villain - it's assumed that the Skull-crawlers are causing the most trouble for our heroes - but at a certain point, Packard's bloodlust becomes too apparent to ignore. His refusal to forgive Kong leads to an epic confrontation that ends with the monstrous primate flattening the colonel with a hairy fist. The scene marks the moment when the tension and terror build to an all-time high; some much happens in the span of five seconds that it takes almost a minute to realize that Kong disposed of Packard with ruthless efficiency. Condemnable actions aside, Packard isn't painted as a cruel man. He simply wants closure for the brothers he lost in combat, even if they were the ones dropping bombs and causing destruction on a scale that even Kong found unacceptable. His motivations make a hell of a lot of sense given the context we get for his character, making his death one that's definitely deserved but oddly poignant. 3) Chapman's Death Aside from John C. Reilly's Hank Marlow, Toby Kebbell's Chapman is perhaps the most developed of the bunch. We know that he's got a son named Billy, a presumably young boy whom Chapman writes to frequently. Unfortunately, Kebbell's character doesn't fare very well on this island of gods and monsters; he's eaten by one of the island's predators shortly after his separation from his comrades and is later burped up by his killer. The decision to knock off Chapman is an odd one, especially because he's built up to be a character for whom we can root for from the very beginning. His potential, along with Kebbell's star power, is criminally wasted. His death supposedly motivates Packard to rise up against the islands' many deadly creatures, but it feels wholly unnecessary. Packard already displayed enough desire to take down Kong; he didn't need his right-hand man to die to convince him that the island took lives. Chapman's demise also marks the first time we glimpse what Marlow fearfully called, “Skullcrawlers.” Responsible for wiping out Kong's kind, the Skullcrawlers are large reptilian beasts with a thirst for anything around which they can get their abnormally-sized maws on. Chapman figures this out rather quickly; the hapless soldier barely has time for a startled gasp before he's gobbled up by the savage creature. It's a sad end for a character with as much potential as a film like Kong will allow. 2) Kong Versus “The Big One” The climactic brawl between Kong and the fully-grown Skullcrawler happens shortly after the former kills Packard; the colonel, temporarily triumphant against Kong, looks up in horror as “The Big One” emerges from its subterranean lair. This provides the subdued ape with the opportunity to kill Packard and duke it out with the monster that wiped out his kind. The protracted fight sequence packs more than enough thrills to keep the willing entertained; the unwilling must've stumbled into the wrong movie. The battle embraces its action scene tropes and loses itself in its self-indulgence, falling victim to countless cliches and loving every minute of it. It's a self-aware film brimming with moments that can only exist alongside the gleeful excess that characterizes this entertaining yet middling movie. What's more, Kong ripping the innards from a colossal reptile takes the cake as the most “blockbuster” moment of 2017 so far and sets an appropriate tone for the forthcoming films in the MonsterVerse. That being said, if he rips out Godzilla's stomach in 2020's Godzilla Vs. King Kong, we riot. 1) Hank Marlow's Introduction To say John C. Reilly is the real star of Kong: Skull Island is to understate his contribution to the film. His character, Hank Marlow, single-handedly pushes the plot forward, quickly becoming the only player about whom we truly care. Reilly has always displayed uncanny skill when it came to balancing humor with emotion in his characters, and his performance here proves no different. The film fleshes out Marlow's story within ten minutes of his introduction and explores him more than it does the others combined. It's horribly uneven character development, even if it does showcase Reilly's talent in a flattering way. Watching Reilly act while his fellow performers just stand there wearing expressions of feigned concern often proves frustrating, especially because the other people involved have limitless reserves of talent from which to draw. Brie Larson starred in Room, a critically-acclaimed film that blew the world away and established her as one of the most sought-after actresses in the industry. Samuel L. Jackson has been in almost everything, and Tom Hiddleston melted us all with his stunning performance as Loki. Why, then, do we only get an actual performance from Reilly? These talented actors and actresses are about as lively as air-filled dummies when they could've contributed to a film that stands out amongst a slew of forgettable blockbusters. Tangential quibbling aside, Marlow's initial appearance injects a life into Kong: Skull Island that may have been absent otherwise. The film is lucky to have him.