Where the beast is the real hero

Despite a striking cast, the strength of Kong lies in its special effects

A good part of my childhood was spent not watching monster-centric films. That also meant that I saw almost no good film for several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s because there were so many of them. And yet, here I was watching Kong: Skull Island, first day, first show, no less. 

If you, like me, do not have the stomach for gory monster-related plotlines, Kong is to be avoided. It is nothing like its predecessor, where King Kong, a pre-historic ape who is the film’s central character, falls in love with the female protagonist. The emotional aspect of the film, explored both in the 1933 original and its 2005 remake, is only touched upon briefly.

But there’s a lot on offer if gigantic, mythic characters are your cup of tea. Kong’s plot opens in 1973, just as the US military is beginning to withdraw troops from Vietnam. Nearly 20 minutes of the film are spent laying the groundwork for what is to follow. Government agent Bill Randa (John Goodman) is busy lobbying a senator to fund a mission to explore an uncharted island. He enlists the help of James Conrad, a badass British special agent essayed by Tom Hiddleston who knows his way around “jungles and forests”. Randa and his deputy, Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins), enlist the help of the army to make their way to Skull Island, which is enveloped by a constant storm. The US army team, led by Samuel L Jackson, has helicopters equipped to venture into the island. Photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) joins this pack, in a bid to expose unscrupulous government funding of the Vietnam War. 

All seems in order once they brave the nasty hurricane and breach into an idyllic island, untouched by humanity. And within a minute of that deceptive calm, mayhem breaks out. Kong makes his first appearance as the giant who crushes sophisticated army machinery like regular-sized people would swat flies. You almost feel sorry for the soldiers who lose their lives, especially because director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writers Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly spend so much screen time making them seem more “real”. Almost, because the dialogues are loosely written and inspire little or no emotion from the audience.

The cinematography deserves credit for making an average film look stunning. The scenes where the natural beauty and bounty of Skull Island feature are particularly breathtaking. The special effects are spot-on, especially where Kong’s body and expressions are concerned. The brief, human moment between Weaver and Kong is perhaps the only saving grace and where Kong truly shines as the real hero of the film. Except Goodman and Jackson, all other characters, including those essayed by Hiddleston and Larson, have little to do. 

If you apply the slightest mind to the film, the American superhero-complex will irk you. The ruthlessness with which humans loot and plunder the earth could have been an aspect that was better explored, especially considering how lawmakers go out of their way to deny climate change and environmental chaos. And yet, the only lesson the Americans take away is that some monsters are good and are necessary to keep other bad monsters at bay. The film’s portrayal of a native tribe, as expected, is quite problematic.

There are enough scenes that justify watching the movie in 3D. The scenes where Kong is battling hideous monsters are particularly gripping, or as I see it, stomach-churning. Watch the film for its special effects, but not for its plot or the acting. And if you do watch it, make sure to wait till the very end of the rolling credits, which seem excrutiatingly long when the cinema hall staff is staring at you. Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse has a surprise for you.