Customer Ratings & Reviews

Chance of a spoiler. Well, I guess with this film and the recently released Marvel film, “Logan,” summer blockbusters have moved up to early March now. This story originated in 1933 with the RKO masterpiece that saved the studio from bankruptcy. This re-telling is different from a story line perspective but consistent with the idea. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has only one other big screen film to his credit. That was the excellent low-budget indie, “The Kings of Summer” (2013). Needless to say, he gets a lot more money to play with here. Bill Randa (John Goodman) and his science partner Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) have discovered a new island in the China Sea. It is constantly surrounded by violent storms and has never been explored. He needs money and approaches a U. S. Senator (Richard Jenkins) to get funding for an exploration. He also needs a military escort, not knowing what they might find. The film is set in 1973 as Nixon was closing the curtain on the Vietnam War. A gung-ho Lt. Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) isn’t too happy pulling out without winning, but is given the chance to lead this expedition. Randa also wants a “tracker” and enlists a former British special forces officer, James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) for the job. A wartime photo-journalist named Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), goes along to document what they find. Things move along quite quickly as the ship, outfitted to carry several helicopters, closes in on the mysterious Skull Island. Unlike the original 1933 film and remake of 2005, we don’t have to wait long to see Kong. As the Huey’s break through the storm to a quiet tropical island, we’re reminded of “Apocalypse Now” but instead of “Flight of the Valkyries” we get some Credence Clearwater Revival. In fact we get a playlist of hits of the time throughout the movie including Jefferson Airplane, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Hollies, The Chambers Brothers and more. As the helicopters drop some seismic charges to the surface (to check the geology or something), it also stirs the 100 foot Kong to find out what’s what. Under Packard’s lead the helicopters charge the giant gorilla instead of retreating. Bad idea, the first of several by the delusional commander. While I had a hard time adapting to the fire-breathing Jackson as Packard, I had no problem with John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow. Marlow and his Japanese counterpart had nearly killed each other, having crashed on the island in the later part of WW II. They somehow survived, taken in by some natives. Marlow brings some needed comedic relief to the film. He also knows a lot about the island, something Packard usually dismisses. When asked about the high walls surrounding the village, Marlow says that it isn’t to keep Kong out. Kong is perceived as a god protecting them from the giant “skullcrawlers” who look like a light skinned, larger and quicker moving crocodile. Other various creatures tend to pick off the surviving crew as you might expect, which leads up to the epic battle between an already seriously wounded Kong and the largest of the skullcrawlers. And it’s a good one. Using a variety of special effects tricks, it all comes across realistically. And yes, there are moments of Kong’s loneliness and lack of a mate, especially when he confronts the beautiful photographer. Toby Kebbell gets some good moments as one of the military officers, injured and alone. Shea Whigham plays another Army grunt with a quick wit. Tian Jing plays San, one of the scientists. She isn’t given much to do but would appear to be bait for the Asian audience. The film isn’t perfect but it is much better than it could have been. The acting is very good and the action sequences are excellent. Recommended.

Well, I guess with this film and the recently released Marvel film, “Logan,” summer blockbusters have moved up to early March now. This story originated in 1933 with the RKO masterpiece that saved the studio from bankruptcy. This re-telling is different from a story line perspective but consistent with the idea. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has only one other big screen film to his credit. That was the excellent low-budget indie, “The Kings of Summer” (2013). Needless to say, he gets a lot more money to play with here. Bill Randa (John Goodman) and his science partner Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) have discovered a new island in the China Sea. It is constantly surrounded by violent storms and has never been explored. He needs money and approaches a U. S. Senator (Richard Jenkins) to get funding for an exploration. He also needs a military escort, not knowing what they might find. The film is set in 1973 as Nixon was closing the curtain on the Vietnam War. A gung-ho Lt. Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) isn’t too happy pulling out without winning, but is given the chance to lead this expedition. Randa also wants a “tracker” and enlists a former British special forces officer, James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) for the job. A wartime photo-journalist named Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), goes along to document what they find. Things move along quite quickly as the ship outfitted to carry several helicopters closes in on the mysterious Skull Island. Unlike the original 1933 film and remake of 2005, we don’t have to wait long to see Kong. As the Huey’s break through the storm to a quiet tropical island, we’re reminded of “Apocalypse Now” but instead of “Flight of the Valkyries” we get some Credence Clearwater Revival. In fact we get a playlist of hits of the time throughout the movie including Jefferson Airplane, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Hollies, The Chambers Brothers and more. As the helicopters drop some seismic charges to the surface (to check the geology or something), it also stirs the 100 foot Kong to find out what’s what. Under Packard’s lead the helicopters charge the giant gorilla instead of retreating. Bad idea, the first of several by the delusional commander. While I had a hard time adapting to the fire-breathing Jackson as Packard, I had no problem with John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow. Marlow and his Japanese counterpart had nearly killed each other, having crashed on the island in the later part of WW II. They somehow survived, taken in by some natives. Marlow brings some needed comedic relief to the film. He also knows a lot about the island, something Packard usually dismisses. When asked about the high walls surrounding the village, Marlow says that it isn’t to keep Kong out. Kong is perceived as a god protecting them from the giant “skullcrawlers” who look like a light skinned and quicker moving crocodile. Other various creatures tend to pick off the surviving crew as you might expect, which leads up to the epic battle between an already seriously wounded Kong and the largest of the skullcrawlers. And it’s a good one. Using a variety of special effects tricks, it all comes across realistically. And yes, there are moments of Kong’s loneliness and lack of a mate, especially when he confronts the beautiful photographer. Toby Kebbell gets some good moments as one of the military officers, injured and alone. Shea Whigham plays another Army grunt with a quick wit. Tian Jing plays San, one of the scientists. She isn’t given much to do but would appear to be bait for the Asian audience. The film isn’t perfect but it is much better than it could have been. The acting is very good and the action sequences are excellent. Recommended.

I love this movie when it first came out now I have it in 4k amazing

They did a really great job with this movie, from how the monsters looked and how they fought to the great casting for the characters. I look forward to whatever future additions to the series we may have in the future.

Compared to all the other Kong movies, this is by far the best one. Great action, good story line, and very modern. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. It comes with a digital copy that you can redeem in your Vudu account.

King hasn’t been around since before I was even born, but you can’t help but fall into each new movie and or remake. It’s become a classic and a must have for anyone who sees interested in a movie filled with action and suspense. Highly recommend watching.

I really enjoyed this movie, it has a different spin on Kong as we know him and the movie itself is different but really good. I purchased over 2 years ago, very action packed movie with Samuel Jackson!!!!

Had to buy a new blueray player, and the gentleman at the Westminster store suggested the Sony Blueray Player. It's really wonderfu! The color and picture quality has improved, even with my regular dvds.

An updated tale of the classic king of beasts. Follow searchers who encounter a gargantuan creature whose island they have trespassed, and the consequences for upsetting the delicate balance in his kingdom.

A classic from everyone's childhood, the movie is great on a big screen TV

Kong was great. The special effects were superb...such as the fur on Kong is so real l ooking even when wet. Kong's expressions up close are amazing. The acting is good. My favorite Kong so far.

In the vein of Marc Webb going from (500) Days of Summer to The Amazing Spider-Man and Colin Trevorrow from the quaint Safety Not Guaranteed to Jurassic World, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have plucked indie director Jordan Vogt-Roberts from the safety of his summer getaway that he so lovingly crafted in his 2013 break-out, The Kings of Summer, and thrust him into the world of blockbusters with literally one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history: King Kong. In an effort to re-boot the property that hasn't been touched since Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson's epic attempt in 2005 and build a cinematic universe a la Marvel with Gareth Edwards 2014 iteration of Godzilla, WB and Legendary have given Vogt-Roberts the keys to Skull Island AKA the home of the titular Kong and several other species of creatures, most of which are prehistoric in nature, but in other cases-are species that come straight from the pages of an old school horror/fantasy novel. A place where those who own the earth really reside, the place that God forgot to finish. The place where not only a human tribe somehow still resides, but so is there proof of dinosaurs, of more than one Kong, and of devils from the deep that the best character in the film affectionately refers to as "skullcrawlers". And so, the question is-what has the director done with such an environment to elevate the mythology it inherently carries? What has he done to give this mythical island a real sense of place and of substance and of tangibility? Well, the answer to that question is more positive than what the response might be to, "How good is the movie overall?" as the movie itself is pleasant and fun enough, but the real value in the piece comes from seeing that of Kong do what audiences want to see him do on a large scale and creating a full-on world in which these unbelievably thin characters and rote plot exist. It is because this world in which these things exist does indeed feel so lived in and palpable that much is forgiven. Even the special effect that is Kong himself holds more weight and authenticity than one might expect with the film eliciting a real soul from the beast which is more than it can say for the majority of its human cast. This is all to say that Kong: Skull Island certainly has its issues and could benefit from having at least one protagonist other than the movie's eponymous monster that we could sympathize with, but in a strange turn of events the spectacle holds more significance than the non-existent emotions and ideas it seems to have never had any ambition of carrying. In that regard, this is very much decent enough popcorn entertainment-fine if not completely forgettable.

This launches a new story line for giant monsters. I guess since Godzilla 2014 did OK they filled in a few blanks and are building a compelling series out of them. I hope it continues.

This film is part of the monster reboot, Godzilla, Godzilla King of Monsters and Kong vs Godzilla. Great action sequences and a great film overall. Must own with the sound turn wayyy up!!!

This movie is very entertaining. The first time we watched it, we had borrowed it and knew it was one we needed to add to our collection. Now we can watch it whenever we want!

Off the bat: If you're expecting anything remotely close to Peter Jackson's 2005 movie, you're probably going to end up disappointed. This isn't a movie interested in telling a great story, although it hits the mark if you confine it to "giant monster action movies". It's not even the same species as the Kong from PJ's retelling. As a setup for the eventual crossover between Godzilla and Kong, Skull Island hits the marks, and in some ways, does so better than the recent Godzilla film. There's less downtime and more humor. (And, if you're a Chicago Cubs fan, there's several meta-jokes you'll get a kick out of, as well). The action is extremely satisfying, although I found the monster vs monster fighting (and original monsters,) of Godzilla to have the edge over Skull Island. The cast is amazing; Samuel L Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman are all at their best, and John C Reilly is even better than the previews showed in his comic relief turn. There's not a ton of originality here; you'll likely find that many of the scenes will have you recalling other films. At their worst, they come off as respectful homages, and at their best, as interesting takes on old films. (Everything from PJs Kong to Predator can be found throughout). Where Godzilla and PJs Kong both require a timesink to appreciate the story, Skull Island comes across much more like Stephen Sommers' Mummy films: After viewing the movie once for the story, you can pop them in even when you're distracted as background noise to entertain between chores and still enjoy it all the same; and there's a place for these kinds of films- some of my favorite types. All this said, there's one knock against it (personally,) and one high point left to mention. If you've seen the previews, you've seen the "main baddies" (monster-wise) the Skullcrawlers. I found the design didn't ring with me that well. They just didn't bring the fear. If you found the design to your liking via the previews, there's no issue. Perhaps they'll grow on me, but they just seemed "meh". On the high note of the Special Effects department, a tip of the hat to the EFX crew- Kong spends a ton of time in and around water, and the varying shots of Kong getting wet, water pouring off him, etc must have been a nightmare to pull off, yet the crew makes every shot involving Kong and water impressive. Skull Island is a fun ride to take, and one that appropriately sets the stage for the upcoming battle with Godzilla.

Kong: Skull Island was an awesome new entry in the Kong mythos. It brings the giant ape into the 21st Century in a big way. I can't wait to see him in Kong vs. Godzilla next year!

If you’ve seen and liked the movie, you’ll love this Blu Ray. Picture and audio are fantastic! The movie itself is really fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Recommended.

Plays well. Kids love the movie and watch it all the time.

Great way to start the monster movie franchise again. Intense yet fun story line. All the characters were compelling. King Kong is bad to the bone with his end fight scene. Can’t wait for the next one coming out soon