Not many cinematic monsters are more iconic than the gigantic gorilla, King Kong. Appearing in many movies since his first debut in 1933, including a surprising amount of remakes and a few epic monster crossovers, most recently of which, pitted the gorilla against the almighty Godzilla once more, in Godzilla vs Kong. With that, the King Kong movies come with a varied degree of quality; the original and Peter Jackson’s King Kong are nonetheless epic movies, but some of his crossovers in the 20th century weren’t as great, as fans watched as someone in a gorilla costume prance around and occasionally punch his monstrous opponent in the face. While many fans rightfully adore Peter Jackson’s King Kong, it has to be said the more recent Kong: Skull Island is quite possibly the best King Kong movie to date, and here’s why.

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Incredible Action

     Warner Bros. Pictures

There is no denying that the stylized action in Skull Island is simply breathtaking. The many slow-motion shots, sound design, choreography and cinematography lead to some truly exhilarating action scenes. Sure, the iconic fight where Kong fights off two T. Rexes, breaking one’s jaw, is undeniably brilliant, but the action found in Skull Island is much more fun and explosive. Kong vs the helicopters is the stand-out, and is quite easily one of the best action scenes of 2017.

A Powerhouse Cast

When it was revealed that a new King Kong movie was being made, everyone was skeptical at first. But then the film’s cast was revealed, immediately turning everyone’s skepticism into excitement. With the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson, Corey Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, and John C. Reilly starring in the flick. This cast was already a recipe for success, and the film certainly doesn’t waste its A-list cast.

John Goodman’s character may be pretty detestable, but his performance is definitely admired. Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson, as always, delivered great performances, but John C Reilly is most definitely the stand-out, bringing genius jokes with his expert comic timing, while also delivering a very emotional and layered performance.

Engaging Characters

With the film’s phenomenal cast, there must come characters that audiences should fall in love with, and once again, Kong: Skull Island did not disappoint. A major criticism of Peter Jackson’s King Kong is that not many, if any, of the characters were likable. Sure, the cast of that film was brilliant, but as for the characters, they weren’t well-written or developed enough for audiences to truly care for them. Instead, Kong: Skull Island does more than enough to make audiences care for them.

Skull Island gives the film’s characters enough depth and nuance to make them easily likable and forces us to care for them. Quite simply, some of the best characters have to be the Vietnam soldiers helping the scientists. Characters such as Jack Chapman (Toby Kebbell), Cole (Shea Whigham), Reg Slivko (Thomas Mann), and Mills (Jason Mitchell), are undeniable favorites, with their interesting, emotional backstories, and talking about their families back home, makes audiences immediately connect to them and love them.

Similarly, John C. Reiley’s Hank Marlow is quite easily the best character in the whole film. Having him stuck on the island for years makes his character tragic, interesting, and pretty cool; adding on top of that, is Hank’s hilarious wit and sense of humor. This makes room for the best character in the film and quite possibly the best in any Kong movie. He also carries a Samurai sword, which belonged to an old friend, who he once fought against in the war, but after being stuck on the island, they both became best friends.

An Original Story

     Warner Bros.

For many of the King Kong movies, they all tell the same story as the original. While undoubtedly iconic, after so many retellings it starts to feel a little tiresome. Thankfully, Kong: Skull Island offers an original story. We all know the original story is set in 1933; however Kong: Skull Island is actually set in 1973, already having a unique and original take on the film. Likewise, because Skull Island is set in the Warner Bros. Monsterverse, (of which we will get to later) with that, the film follows Monarch (the organization that studies giant monsters), as they and a group of well-trained Vietnam soldiers travel to the treacherous Skull Island to investigate and study the strange and terrifying creatures that inhabit the island. After being stranded on the island, the scientists and soldiers discover Kong and an ancient battle that puts the island and the world in grave danger.

Expands WB’s Monsterverse

Since the MCU, many studios have attempted to build interconnected stories and cinematic universes. While many franchises have failed, WB’s Monsterverse is certainly among the best universes that attempted to recapture the magic of the MCU. Godzilla (2014) was the first film in the universe, building up the organization known as Monarch and revealing that the world has been home to giant Titans for centuries, and it’s revealed in Kong: Skull Island that Kong is one of them and the last of his kind. Kong: Skull Island doesn’t necessarily do much in expanding the modern day timeline created in Godzilla (2014), but instead shows us how Monarch was created. However, there is a reference to Godzilla vs Kong, and it’s incredibly exciting.