KONG: SKULL ISLAND Reviews - What Are The Critics Saying?
The first wave of reviews for Kong: Skull Island are here, but what's the verdict on this MonsterVerse movie? Well, it sounds like it's a step ahead of Godzilla if the critics are to be believed.
The first wave of reviews for Kong: Skull Island are here, and while there are a couple of middling verdicts, it sounds like Warner Bros. has a hit on their hands. Considering the fact that this is a big step in the creation of a MonsterVerse which will ultimately see the titular monster encounter Godzilla, that's good news for the studio and fans excited to see how this world now develops.
Be warned that the reviews from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter spoil the movie's after-credits scene, but the highlights below are all free of plot points, so don't worry about being spoiled!
Sandwiched between Logan and Beauty and the Beast, Kong: Skull Island isn't going to have long to make a significant impact at the box office, but that probably won't stop the studio moving forward with the planned Godzilla sequel and King Kong vs. Godzilla. Anyway, check out the review excerpts below and then be sure to let us know your thoughts on these verdicts in the usual place!
Ultimately, the focus on CGI monster attacks pushes the characters too far into the corners of the story. And Kong’s alone time only features monster battles, so there’s no extra heft afforded to the King. So even though Skull Island features some truly breathtaking moments that incorporate the elements that everyone loved in Godzilla—the tense, still and smoky seconds where an unseen monster lurks (cinematographer Larry Fong deserves a shout-out; as does a particular ingenious use of a malfunctioning camera flash)—it feels like a movie that was made in a focus group chemist lab and never its own thing. [C] - Collider
So is Kong: Skull Island a satisfying monster movie? Hell yes. Legendary Pictures currently have a whole string of other kaiju flicks planned for the coming years, with Godzilla: King Of Monsters due in 2019. If they’re of this quality, then all we can say is, bring them on. [****] - Den of Geek
King Kong lives! But only just. This is an uneven adventure that’s saved by the spectacle of its towering title character and the various beasts with whom he shares his island home. [***] - Empire
Thrives in its playful, irreverent approach, endearingly kitsch and gloriously overstated, with an unwavering commitment to entertainment. [***] - HeyUGuys
All the requisite elements are served up here in ideal proportion, and the time just flies by, which can rarely be said for films of this nature, which, in a trend arguably started by Peter Jackson, have for years now tended to be heavy, lumbering and overlong. A post-end credits bit suggests that Warner Bros. already has some famous opponents lined up for Kong's heavyweight belt, beginning perhaps with [SPOILER]. Whoever undertakes any follow-ups will have a high bar to clear. - The Hollywood Reporter
There’s a moment in Kong: Skull Island when one of the soldiers plays some '70s music for Reilly’s Marlow, who responds by asking, “How can you swing to this?,” confused by the heavy emphasis on electric guitars rather than a piano or saxophone. Some King Kong purists may feel that same frustration with Skull Island, but while the aesthetic of this new adventure may be very different, it ends up evoking the same feeling that made King Kong such an icon in the first place. Even if this time, it’s coming to you with roaring electric guitars and napalm rather than Empire State Buildings and damsels in distress. [8/10] - IGN
Overall, KONG: SKULL ISLAND is a fun, fast-paced adventure flick, and a good way to continue the Kong franchise. It's a lot better than the GODZILLA reboot, thanks mostly to the attention that’s been paid to assembling a good, human cast. Some clunky exposition and the aforementioned self-consciously cool bits aside, this is a blast. [7/10] - JoBlo.com
Watching the movie, it’s hard to not wish there was a little more time given to the political undercurrents of the film, which largely amount to: “Vietnam was bad, we shouldn’t go into dangerous jungles and start shit, the monster is us.” But the fact there is any of that stuff in the movie, especially in a studio film meant to stand as a pillar for a much larger franchise, is commendable in and of itself. Vogt-Roberts knows that a stylistic elevation and attempt at politicization are keys to the character’s success, and he houses those in a fantastic, monster-strewn adventure. These days, getting out of the muck of the real world and into a fully realized, escapist romp, feels positively essential. [B+] - The Playlist
My biggest complaint about Kong: Skull Island is that it isn’t even more ridiculous. Just when you start to think it’s going there, it pulls in the reins for whatever reason. Even though this is a movie in which Tom Hiddleston fights monsters with a samurai sword and Brie Larson’s character is momentarily inside a dragon-looking thing’s esophagus, it still wants to make a statement about the atrocities of war. Which, look, is noble, but also feels a little out of place in a movie with a gas masked, sword-waving, slow motion Tom Hiddelston. Regardless, again, Kong: Skull Island is still a hoot. It was a movie that was not at all on my radar as something I was dying to see and yet I had way too much fun watching it. I just wished it had embraced its craziness just a little bit more. (But, yes, there’s still plenty of crazy to go around.) - Uproxx
The surprise is that “Skull Island” isn’t just ten times as good as “Jurassic World”; it’s a rousing and smartly crafted primordial-beastie spectacular. The entire film takes place on Kong’s jungle island home (he doesn’t scale any skyscrapers — in New York or Dubai), and you could say that it’s more action-based and less ambitious than either of the “King Kong” remakes: the snarky, overblown, justly reviled 1976 knockoff or Peter Jackson’s good but still not good enough 2005 retread. - Variety
Kong: Skull Island is a grand cinematic adventure powered by furry fury, as the horrors of war blend with chest-beating creature confidence. [****] - We Got This Covered