Kong: Skull Island is a movie worthy of the King’s iconic standing in motion picture folklore

REVIEW: Movie-goers have been waiting patiently for another production worthy of King Kong’s iconic standing in motion picture folklore - and this is it.

Kong is a savage with a soul.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND (M)

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer)

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, Toby Kebbell.

Rating: Four stars

Going absolutely ape in fine style

IT could have been an absolute calamity.

Instead, you can consider this a triumphant coronation : Kong is king once more.

Since becoming the subject of Hollywood’s first great creature feature more than eighty years ago, King Kong has been waiting patiently for another production worthy of his iconic standing in motion picture folklore.

Now, with Kong: Skull Island - a pulpy action-adventure spectacle that captures both the ferocity and the fun so intrinsic to the King Kong experience - the wait is finally over.

This is a loud, chest-thumping, seat-shaking B-movie that just keeps racking up A-grade results in all the departments that matter.

Kong is king once more. Picture: Village Roadshow

At all times, the special-effects are jaw-dropping, the pacing is pulse-raising, and the plotting throws enough crazy curveballs into the mix to keep an audience alert and amused.

The year is 1973, and with the US government distracted by the ongoing war in Vietnam, a shady black-ops analyst Bill Randa (John Goodman) somehow wins approval for a risky expedition to a former nuclear test site in the South Pacific.

An old-school conspiracy theorist, Randa believes that nukes weren’t merely being tested in the region. The American military were actually trying to kill something they perceived to be a major security threat.

An elite unit of fighters led by patriotic nutter Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) is sent over from ‘Nam to provide cover for Randa’s entourage, which includes ex-SAS tracker-for-hire James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) and decorated combat photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson).

Tom Hiddleston in a scene from Kong: Skull Island. Picture: Village Roadshow.

To its credit, the movie wastes no time in getting to its highly atmospheric setting of Skull Island, a previously uncharted chunk of land hidden inside a permanent storm system.

Away from the prying eyes of the world, nature has taken a radical detour and the island is home to any number of in-bred and out-sized species.

Which, of course, brings us to the real star of this show: the mighty Kong himself. First impressions are everything in a movie like this, and the initial look we get at Kong - who it must be said is not the type who enjoys an unannounced visit from anyone - both impresses and intimidates in a lasting manner.

Not only is Kong the size of a modern-day skyscraper. He is also an agile and resourceful fighting machine (traits made all the more convincing by some tremendously fluid and innovative effects rendering).

Kong is a savage with a soul.

Best of all, in stark contrast to his previous screen incarnations, this Kong is not about to change his ways and get a crush on the first pretty blonde that climbs into his hairy clutches. This Kong is a savage with soul.

Under the inspired direction of young, up-and-coming filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts, this highly enjoyable new entry in the Kong chronicles never takes itself all that seriously, and is all the better for it.

The most fun for action fans comes with the compulsory culling of lesser cast members. Each kooky kill — not just by Kong, but by the many freaky critters clambering all over Skull Island — is executed with just the right notes of comedy and creativity.

For a deliberately disposable dose of escapist fare, Kong: Skull Island simply won’t be forgotten in a hurry. At least not until the year 2020 is marked in your calendar, when Kong is scheduled for a mouth-watering showdown with his Warner Bros. Monsterverse stablemate, the one and only Godzilla!

Samuel L Jackson in a scene from Kong: Skull Island. Picture: Village Roadshow.

Originally published as Kong: Skull Island is a movie worthy of the King’s iconic standing in motion picture folklore