Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: March 10th, 2017
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I feel like I’m one of the few people who actually liked Peter Jackson’s King Kong, even though (let’s be honest) it was a little lengthy. Kong: Skull Island is the latest attempt to bring the big, bad gorilla back to the silver screen, possibly for franchise purposes. Can the movie monster reign supreme once again? -LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: The name of the game in modern Hollywood is “cinematic universe” and the Godzilla and King Kong franchises have now been tapped to begin one of their own. I wasn’t entirely thrilled with 2014’s Godzilla, so my expectations for Kong: Skull Island are somewhat tempered. Still, this will be an entirely different cast and crew from that film, so there is a lot of room for my expectations to be surpassed. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. Everything here is stunning, boasting a great cast and sweet special effects. However, all of that is tarnished a bit by John C. Reilly, who has an over the top silly nature that doesn’t seem to blend with the proceedings. Hopefully it is not too much to pull audience members out of the movie. His comedic relief purpose could completely backfire. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. Apocalypse Now with giant gorilla monsters. The tone is way, way different from what I expected. There is a lighthearted, almost campy nature to this trailer that is far different from the seriousness of the Godzilla film. This is exemplified by the welcome appearance of John C. Reilly as comic relief on top of a cast that includes John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson as stock science/military men. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has a history with comedy, and I’m wondering how well he was able to blend the sillier elements with the more serious ones. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. Kong: Skull Island looks pretty sweet. Despite Reilly’s out-of-place jokes, this could be a great ride nonetheless. I’ll slap down some cash for it. -LJF
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks? Rent. I’m worried the tone shifts of the trailer might be an issue for the entire movie. I don’t know if I’m completely sold on this new cinematic universe, but this is still a movie I’d like to check out down the line. I think I’ll wait for streaming until I see this one. – JTM
