I usually don't comment on massively budgeted blockbusters, but "Kong: Skull Island" is such a joyfully tongue-in-cheek homage to giant monster B-movie cinema that I simply had to make an exception! This is a tremendously over-the-top and silly creature-feature, but the undemanding popcorn-entertainment value is just irresistible. The original King Kong, from 1933 already, is a monumental piece of cinema and still very powerful today. The more recent (2005) and expensive Peter Jackson remake was, at least in my humble opinion, a very boring and overlong romantic drama. "Kong: Skull Island" nicely falls right between these two extremes. By no means, it's great cinema, but at least it provides thrills, chuckles and adrenaline rushes from start to finish. The intro and scene-setting are already incredibly dumb, but oh so fun! We're supposed to believe that there exists a secret government agency (yes, another one) named Monarch, and their area of expertise is searching around the world for monsters and oversize animals. In 1973, The agency's CEO (an energetic John Goodman) benefices from the US-army's retreat out of Vietnam to recover soldiers and assets for a mission to the secretive Skull Island; a place where - and I quote - God left his creation unfinished.

"Kong: Skull Island" certainly doesn't waste any time! The helicopters have barely begun circling over the island, and there already emerges the humongous ape King Kong to slap them out of the sky like tiny ping-pong balls! The few remaining soldiers, led by the frustrated platoon leader Samuel L. Jackson, continue on foot and swear to destroy King Kong, but they soon learn that the island homes lots of other giant and unspeakably evil monstrous creations, and that Kong isn't even such a bad fella. It's a mission impossible to take this film seriously, but with the right mindset (and perhaps a few six-packs of beer) you'll have a great time. Seeing the story takes place in 1973 and has an abundantly clear Vietnam collection, it also somewhat feels like a long-feature "Tour of Duty" movie with a downright awesome 70s soundtrack. The special effects are cheesy and exaggerated, the dialogues are deliciously tacky ("hm, a mushroom...that means there must a river nearby!") and the casting is perfect. I already mentioned John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson, but there's also John C. Reilly as the bewildered WWII veteran who's been stuck on the island since 1942.

This is a really cool movie! It's not deep or complex, but it's visually great and a lot of fun.

A strange movie. It is kind of all over the place with its themes and influences but it has a distinct enough personality and some solid setpieces.

This is a straight adventure story with giant monsters, and the way it's shot and the hammy dialogue are mostly B-movie and comic book derived (check out those Dutch angles and blistering colors and 10 times too big sun, moon, aurora...).

But there's also a clunky Vietnam metaphor that's a straight-up over the top "homage" to Apocalypse Now, et al. The song choices even more so. It makes sense in theory (VietKong anyone?) but I don't think it ever really works and it's just an excuse to make Sam Jackson a bad guy to counterpoint Kong's "human" side.

Characters are fine for the most part. They serve their cardboard purposes and that's what's expected. Hiddleston and Larson in particular feel vastly underdeveloped. Everything they say and do fall instantly from memory and their disappearance from the movie all together wouldn't have changed it that much.

But what we want are monsters and we get them. Most of them are wonders to behold (the water buffalo, spider legs, and octo tentacles yum) except the generic Skullcrawers (the scene where Reilly names them is embarrassing - I don't think Larson or Hiddleston had any idea what to do the dialogue is so ferociously dumb. Reilly almost saves it however).

This Kong feels like a very different movie than the new Godzilla. This is very much an entertaining B-movie with strong comic book influences worn loud and proud. It will be interesting to see how these two worlds collide. If any franchises deserve an extended universe, it's these! That's what they're all about.