It just seemed like we were getting a remake of King Kong 11 years ago, helmed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. Well, we’re getting another one, this time with the star-studded Skull Island. While Jackson’s 2005 outing was a direct remake of the 1933 stop-motion classic, Skull Island seems to tip its hat to the 1976 King Kong, which starred Jessica Lange and a very un-Dude-like Jeff Bridges.
Set sometime in the 1970s, based solely on the look of the helicopters and the camera equipment, Skull Island stars Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson (who should really consider taking some down time) and John Goodman, who spends the trailer John Goodmansplaining how Earth doesn’t belong to us. It’s this similarity that’s reminiscent of 1976’s Kong, which had its own message about the destructive role mankind plays in the environment.
The moral undertones aside, the cinematography in Skull Island looks extraordinary, given to us in split-second flashes of this world’s massive scale, from bloody paw prints to towering skeletons. Though we never see Kong in his entirety, what little we do get is pretty damn awe-inspiring.
The best part? It’s brought to you by the producers of Godzilla, so start making your plans for the inevitable crossover flick by 2019, thanks to corporate synergy and every movie studio’s frothing desire for their own shared cinematic universe.
One Response