Brought to you by Warner Bros.
We’re gonna need a bigger banana.
KONG: Skull Island is about to hit our cinemas and we couldn’t be happier to see the return of one of cinema’s most iconic characters.
What are we so excited about, you say? Well, we’re glad you asked!
It’s got a giant fricking ape
Let’s be honest. That’s what we’re all here for.
Kong has become a cultural icon because something about the idea of a giant ape clearly resonates with our subconscious. And we’re more than happy to feed that subconscious desire to watch an enormous ape break stuff.
The star-studded cast
The cast of KONG: Skull Island has more big names than the guest list at a Schwarzenegger family wedding.
You’ve got Oscar winner Brie Larson, man of the moment Tom Hiddleston, perennial scene-stealer John Goodman, comedy stalwart John C Reilly and a serious supporting cast of emerging stars like Toby Kebbell and Corey Hawkins.
Not to mention Samuel “Monkey-fighting snakes” Jackson.
The 70s soundtrack
Clip via TangerineSequel
The Vietnam-era soundtrack means that you can expect some serious tunes to go with the onscreen action. The early trailers have already made brilliant use of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Eric Burdon & The Animals.
A quick glance at the soundtrack shows that we can also look forward to Black Sabbath, Bowie, The Stooges and Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit,’ a song that makes everything seem a little bit deeper.
It’s building up to Godzilla crossover
One of the aims of this film is to create a shared cinematic universe which will ultimately lead to Kong vs Godzilla. We’re in. Seriously, sign us up.
Although we’re obviously expecting a bit more than the Halloween costume handbags of previous films.
John C. Reilly is in it
We love John C. Reilly. He’s just a funny, funny man.
And as anyone who watched our interview with him will know, he’s actually Irish. Like properly Irish, as opposed to having a great grandfather who once owned an Aran jumper.
Keep an eye out on JOE for our upcoming interviews with the rest of the cast.
Kong looks amazing
Creating a larger than life character like Kong doesn’t always go well, but the early footage shows that the special effects guys have nailed this. There’s a real sense of scale and it does everything it should to transport you to a world where a 30-metre tall ape is just another reality.
Kong’s the original cinematic antihero
Every film these days seems to be going for that antihero vibe, but Kong was doing this stuff back in the 1930s. Sure, he kidnapped the odd blonde and swatted away a few planes, but you were still on his side in the end.
Forget your Logans or your Deadpools. This is the return of the OG.
It looks like a romp
This has all the makings of a great creature feature. The action shots look epic, the addition of the Skull Crawlers adds a new dynamic to things, and there’s a real sense of people landing into an alien world that doesn’t like visitors.
The trailers showcased some beautiful action shots but the film also does a mean line in pithy dialogue. So you’ve got Vietnam War flick stylings, dry humour, fish-out-of-water action, giant monsters and great tunes.
There could be a flaw, but we just can’t see it.
Clip via Warner Bros. Pictures
KONG: Skull Island is in cinemas now.
Brought to you by Warner Bros.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
