Kong: Skull Island (PG-13) 2017- Fantasy/Science fiction film (It should be R-13)

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Parents need to know that Kong: Skull Island is a very violent, action-packed reboot of the King Kong story. Set in the 1970s, the movie follows a group of scientists on a mission to survey a mysterious island in Southeast Asia. That's where they encounter several dangerous giant creatures, including an ape trying to protect his habitat (there are also giant birds, a spider, an octopus, and reptilian creatures). Things get pretty brutal, with victims being dismembered, stomped on, eaten, and tossed around; helicopters also crash and are ripped apart. So you can expect a high body count, with scene after scene of jump-worthy action, death, and gore. The language can also be strong, with one use of "f--k," plus several uses of "s--t," "ass," "bitch," etc. There's also some social drinking, but sex is limited to embraces and very brief implied prostitution in a couple of scenes set in Vietnam and Thailand. Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Oscar winner Brie Larson co-star, accompanied by a diverse supporting cast; themes include teamwork and courage. -COMMON SENSE MEDIA 

#reboot
#reimagining
#monsterverse
#anotherdimension
#namseason
#landofthelostislandseventiesseries

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This is a poster for Kong: Skull Island. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to Warner Bros. Pictures.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts 

Screenplay by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly

No matter how much "flaws" the critics saw, I still liked the film as a whole and I'm glad some people share my opinion.

Here's my take on the PG-13 rating:

When I saw that the MPAA rating of this movie was PG-13, I wanted to bring my nephew along and was actually regretting the fact that he was still in school when we went to the mall where we watched this, but when I was watching this and saw "the real enemies"(besides the intruders, that is), I think he should watch this later in life, even if he is a very sensible young man of ten.  A little boy of seven was very blessed that his parents were great in explaining.  He seemed to have enjoyed the film.  He imitated Kong after the movie and then discussed the film with his folks. 

👦👧

Anyways, this is my opinion of the film and some of the actors:

• The special effects were good.  I felt like I was really there, trapped in that island and that scared me a bit.  Good thing there was some sort of balance between the good and scary creatures.

• I hated the fact that many lives were senselessly killed when some could have been prevented and that Samuel L. Jackson seemed suicidal from the start.  The truth is, I was actually blaming his role, Lt. Col. Packard, for being so trigger happy.  He could have saved the "survivors" or lessened the casualties, but he was somewhat suicidal and this was established from the start of the film(repeating myself to drive a point) when he stared at his medals and wondered what all those were for when he had no one to share them with. In the vernacular I muttered, "Nandamay pa talaga!"  Nevertheless, he, as always, played his role well.  He is, pardon me, damn good!

• Jing Tian/Tian Jing's role, San Lin, was a tad disappointing.  Hopefully she would be given more scenes when Kong meets Godzilla, because here, although she proved that she was no bimbo as a biologist at Monarch(implying she and Corey Hawkins' role, Houston Brooks, have something going on), her role was kind of lame. She deserves to have better roles.  

• Toby Kebell's scenes as Major Chapman were somehow interesting, but why did he...? Notwithstanding those "facts", he was very effective.

• John C. Reilly is really very versatile.  He can be funny and fierce.

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• I like the chemistry of Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston(there's a sequel, by the way---Godzilla vs. Kong---if you wish to stay beyond the credits, there's an Easter Egg), but do we really have to have a love story or two(not Kong and "his girl", but San Lin and Corey Houston Brooks)? Anyway, Tom is handsome here and I liked how he used the sword.  ;-)

Sometimes the people/creatures whom we think are the enemies are actually just fighting for the people/things/fellow species/other creatures /places they care about.

We always have to see the "bigger picture".  Not everything is what it seems to be.  

There were many lives wasted because in the mind of Kong, "we" are the enemies, but thankfully, towards the end, the casualties were "lessened".  Just guess who among the "fit" would survive.  :-p  

CAST FROM WIKIPEDIA:

• Tom Hiddleston as James Conrad, a broken but noble former British Special Air Service Captain who served in the Vietnam War, hired as a hunter-tracker for the expedition by Randa.Hiddleston described his character as man who holds "no political allegiance in the conflict" but "understands conflict", further stating, "He’s a former soldier who has been formed by an understanding of war, but his specific skill set is something that’s attached to the power of nature; and I think that’s something people haven’t seen in a long time."
• Samuel L. Jackson as Preston Packard, an United States Army Lieutenant Colonel and leader of the Sky Devils helicopter squadron, hired to chopper the group of explorers on the expedition. Jackson compares his character to Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick, stating, "He does have to exact some measure of revenge for the people he’s lost. That’s just the nature of how we operate—eye for an eye!”
• John Goodman as William "Bill" Randa, a senior official in the government organization Monarch who is in charge of the expedition.
• Brie Larson as Mason Weaver, a feisty and altruistic photojournalist and peace activist. Larson stated that her character has her "own sort of motive" as to why she joined the expedition, stating, "That’s the interesting thing about this movie. It’s a group of misfits that are all coming from different angles looking at the same thing. You get to see how many different views in regards to nature and how we should handle it are dealt with from many different perspectives."Larson further added that Weaver has an "interest and respect for nature" and "Through that she has a closer, more loving, and intimate relationship with Kong".
• Jing Tian as San Lin, a young biologist working for Monarch.
• Toby Kebbell as Jack Chapman, an US Army Major and right hand man to Packard.
• John Ortiz as Victor Nieves, a senior Landsat official on the expedition.
• Corey Hawkins as Houston Brooks, a young geologist and graduate of Yale University recruited for the expedition by Monarch for his groundbreaking theories on seismology.
• Jason Mitchell as Glenn Mills, a young loyal warrant officer and helicopter pilot of the Sky Devils.
• Shea Whigham as Earl Cole, a seasoned Captain of the Sky Devils with a "unique" perspective on the mission.
• Thomas Mann as Reg Slivko, a warrant officer of the Sky Devils known for carrying a portable record player.
• Eugene Cordero as Reles, a warrant officer of the Sky Devils who is a door gunner.
• Terry Notary as King Kong (motion capture performance), a 100 foot tall ape who is worshiped as the king and god on Skull Island by the Iwi natives.
• John C. Reilly as Hank Marlow, an eccentric lieutenant who spent 28 years stranded on Skull Island since World War II. He knows the creatures of the island, and he is a friend of the Iwi natives. Will Brittain portrays a young Hank Marlow.

Additionally, Marc Evan Jackson portrays Steve Woodward, a Landsat employee on the expedition and Thomas Middleditch provides the voice of Jerry, Richard Jenkins appears as Senator Willis, and MIYAVI appears as Gunpei Ikari.