Movie Review: Just Another Passable Action Flick!- Kong- Skull Island

***Spoiler Alert!***

King Kong has been the world's beloved monster for generations now. Hollywood is not bored with the big bad ape even after seven movies. The latest one comes with an all-star ensemble cast. With fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston playing the lead and respectable actors Sam L Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Toby Kebell and underrated John C. Reilly playing supporting roles, the movie seemed to have good potential. The trailers showed Kong, much bigger in size than any movie adaptation before, packed enough hype to pocket great openings. The music used in the trailers was bang on and it actually tricked me into believing that this movie is going to be another Guardians of the Galaxy. Ask me if I was wrong!

In 1942, during WWII, two plans crash onto an uncharted Island which was hidden from human civilization until then. While the two pilots are trying to kill each other, they're interrupted by a bigger and stronger force. Now, after 24 years, Bill Randa (John Goodman) finds the unexplored island, Skull Island and wants to study it for unlimited resources it can offer. With a little persuasion, he gets a go ahead from the government and so gathers a team of scientists along with a navigator James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) and war hungry officer Preston Packard (Sam L Jackson) and his team. Though the team seems tightly knit, there's a secret Randa is keeping from the team that's going to cost them a lot. As they drop seismic charges on the island, Kong is enraged and destroys their convoy of choppers and heli-carriers resulting in death of Packard's men. The rest of the movie is how the shattered team re-groups to find some shocking truths about the island and how Kong is guarding the inhabitants there from deadly monsters while Packard is plotting an evil plot to take revenge.

Good things first, the cinematography is stunning! Yup, stunning! It's right there at the top with Mad Max Fury Road. The frame looks rich, haunting and beautiful at the same time. Action sequences are brilliant and can't get any better. Music is great. It adds adrenaline to beautifully choreographed action, be it when Kong is fighting choppers or Skull Crawlers. Performances are decent. So is script. The biggest flaw in the whole movie is with character development. Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson are wasted. Randa is given motive and maybe Packard has some motive or it's just his descent to madness, but, no other character appeals. There's nothing added to their characters throughout the course of the movie. Both Tom and Brie are just two shallow characters. What's worse is John C. Reilly gets forgotten. Though his performance is best of all, at certain point of time, it seems he can be replaced by any other actor and it wouldn't have made any difference. It is quite evident that the makers were clear on what they wanted to make, a fun popcorn action flick. Though the movie achieved that, it doesn't add anything to it's viewers and that's disappointing. The cheesy climax with Hank going back to his family didn't help either. Kong- Skull Island will be withered and forgotten in time and it would make no difference to the movies or the audience.

Highlights:

• Cinematography
• Music

Drawbacks:

• Poor Character Arcs and Character Development
• Thin Plot
• Climax

An action movie doesn't need to be just a mindless action movie. Like Mad Max Fury Road, it can be a movie with something new for audience to hold on to and cherish for long after the movie has ended. Though there's no wrong in making just a mindless action film, that will not be remembered for long. Who would want to make a movie that can be forgotten while they can make one that's unforgettable!

Verdict: Passable fun popcorn film!