movie: Kong: Skull Island

The other night, I was kind of at a loose end, so I decided to catch a late movie. And the one that was convenient was Kong: Skull Island. Now, going into this movie, you expect to see monsters, headlined by this big-ass gorilla, and see a fair amount of shooting and blowing things up. Deep philosophy? No. Action and wow-factor? Yes. Fodder for your inner 9-year-old.

I have to say, this movie delivers. You get to see Kong within the first couple of minutes of the flick, and he is definitely front and center a lot of the time throughout. There is action galore, and the inner child leaves well-satisfied. So if you are in the mood for that sort of movie, this is a really good one to choose.

The reviews have generally been unkind.

Last year I gained copies of the 1933, 1976 and 2005 versions so I may be more critical than most.

It doesn't attempt anything like the original King Kong. This Kong is mean and scary, and even when you find him fighting for the good guys and getting hurt, there's very little pathos or gentleness on display. But the movie doesn't really try for that: the plot is nothing like the original.