Kong: Skull Island (2017)
- During the filming of Kong: Skull Island, Tom Hiddleston improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- The original script for Kong: Skull Island was written over a decade before production finally began in 2017.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
Kong: Skull Island is a 2017 American monster film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, a reboot of the King Kong franchise set in 1973 at the end of the Vietnam War. A team of scientists and soldiers, led by tracker James Conrad played by Tom Hiddleston, war photographer Mason Weaver played by Brie Larson, and the obsessive Lieutenant Colonel Packard played by Samuel L. Jackson, travel to the uncharted Skull Island under the guise of a geological survey.
They quickly discover the island is home to Kong, a massive ape standing over 100 feet tall who serves as the island's protector against far more dangerous creatures living beneath its surface. Jordan Vogt-Roberts brought a distinctive visual sensibility heavily influenced by Apocalypse Now, using the Vietnam War setting to frame the monster movie as a commentary on American military hubris. The film's color palette โ saturated oranges, greens, and the iconic image of helicopters silhouetted against a massive sun with Kong rising before them โ created some of the most striking imagery in modern monster cinema.
Samuel L. Jackson's Packard, whose obsessive vendetta against Kong mirrors Captain Ahab, provided the film's most compelling human performance. John C.
Reilly's turn as a World War II pilot stranded on the island for 28 years brought unexpected heart and comedy. Kong: Skull Island earned $566 million worldwide and established the MonsterVerse franchise alongside Godzilla, leading to the crossover Godzilla vs. Kong.
