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.
