Everything GREAT About Kong: Skull Island!

thank you to audible for sponsoring today's video everything great about Kong Skull Island World War two dog fight sounds style logos anything that reminds me of Megamind is clearly a win so obviously they looked at younger pictures of john c reilly but just so you know they nailed his nose this is him as a younger man to dutch tilts letting us feel is off kilter with our new friends one of my favorite winds were reflections of crucial things in eyes and other surfaces I feel like Jordan vogt-roberts connect late Georgian Jordan seems like Jordan might have a solid understanding of film language and the value of holding back a little while still enchanting his audience and a quick three-minute cold-open that establishes the island one of our main characters and Kong I guess is also a main character the color grading and lighting prepares your brain for the feel of Skull Island all ending on this brushstroke title card keeping with the kaiju naver's Skull Island opens with dates mixed into the credits and newspaper clippings moving us forward from 1944 to 1973 also henry jackman is always win he created a beautiful foreboding score hear that but what why is a sense of familiar if I just watch this movie too many times must be anyway pieces of Godzilla 14 score with fewer horns and more uneasy discovery strings also Elfman's Hulk score has a different tempo and is one of my favourite scores anyway Plus no woodwinds that's low aspect ratio change right before it begins to fade out 1973 appears Center frame in focus so your eyes barely notice the edges of the screen moving out bringing us to a more modern day anamorphic to forró with the grain slowly dissipating as we round the top of the cab to Bill's face it'll never be a more screwed up time in Washington you poor poor unfortunate soul you can't even imagine the Robot Wars that are coming to monarch ranks right up there with a search for alien life yeah but those guys are not excused talk about a visualization of obsession and loss of purpose dude sits there all night just staring at his medals feel like White Rabbit is always a win do we establish that was trick white rabbit is ultimately about drug use but hallucinations and the ever building crescendo of the song are such great choices for our second fantasy sequence who the heck was that maybe not but in a movie with giant Apes gets a win let me list all the ways you're gonna die him rain heat mod disease-carrying flies and mosquitoes he's not wrong I mean haven't even started on the things that want to eat you alive just more of those than the former 14 so the real surprise is that Jerry here is an immortal being that's been pulling the strings behind monarch for decades he later changes his name to Sam and gets a little more involved happy conk shadow so I think I see the vaguely a fish skull with the two eyes facing to the right but I can't be the only one that sees the huge headed troll face guy with missing teeth right where's that the actual skull the image that spawned a thousand loci Carol Danvers fanfictions I'm guessing a chillin on the ship montage is the fastest way to get to Sam Jackson antihero walk whoopsy now you got a day you know it sort of seems like there are way too many helicopters to fit on that boat but I have heard from a reputable source that the ship is indeed made of helicopters just stuffing out problems it is starting to think Jordan has a thing for Icarus why else would Marlowe be fallen from the Sun the celebration of flying through the mountains over the ocean seeing authors some kind of crazy wide-angle lens big bug shadowing not only is that brutal and a totally unique surprise but I love the way this scene is set up there are story beats that we the audience come to expect after watching thousands of movies the conflict in this act was the storm this is our tense moment even though they got through it now we're on the island choppers are landing we now get to watch them work and we feel like we can take a breath the explosions do add an edge of unease especially this one right before the tree because we're shown a fauna being killed over a survey then black sabbath's perfectly tricky yet perfectly appropriate paranoid cuts out in the real conflict begins also showing us the animals right before the tree and deers us to Kong as an antihero immediately he was leaving the humans alone until they started killing his little buddies crazy spot for a long take and it sells this first encounter in a way that cutting back and forth wouldn't we experience the insanity with the doomed soldiers that a match cut to allude to a human eating Kong I didn't say subtly lewd but subtle really isn't a word you want to be used in your Kong movie anyway look at that shot it's like simulated anti Boca since Kong is the subject but in the background and out of focus that doesn't matter what matters is the connection made between the audience and the soldiers seeing any hundred foot tall living thing would make your eyes cross and make everything go blurry not to mention his affinity for standing up in front of the Sun creating a heat haze around his fur giving him the appearance of a mirage and like I get it this is mostly for stylisation but it works for the narrative his will and the shadow is being cast across their faces also yep why are the choppers flying so close just fly up up up but these soldiers immediately went into war mode as ordered by their colonel you got to be on a similar plane and within range to shoot a quest dude runs fast dumb school will not save you you will still die anti stormtrooper aim [Music] come on with this framing in slow motion those reflected in each other's eyes monsters exist John Goodman the determination in his face it's not many men who could deliver a speech about monsters so convincingly put it down smart people convincing others to stop threatening these beasts is like a theme in this universe oh gosh that's brutal why why would the spiders Kong filmmakers they cut the spider pit scene from 1933 for a reason maybe it's time to let it go I actually think the switch from a multitude of terrible swarming insects and arachnids to just one awful nightmare fuel spider is a fantastic change bamboo looking legs are obviously unique and a believable evolutionary advantage this species would develop for hunting prey and their bamboo forests it's a different type of horror than the claustrophobia of the earlier versions of the scene good then without the tendrils though move-out packard is still our bad guy to come but there is a statement in here about what war does to people what war demands of soldiers other than this is not normal right way to calm right now which backwards soldiers aren't surprised by his unfazed attitude this is just how he is because he has to be to lead taking an Aadhaar day you're good to go I'm good to go sir even before we're told about their communication style Marlow gives a nod to say they're all right this nonchalance of conscience battling a giant squid eating a few senticles and then dragging him away for later another day another helicopter fight followed by squid fight okay so this is either a dr. steve brule rules for your health segment or kannada had a similar saying on the back of his jacket both wins and what happens the water we win which one that makes sense yeah feel that burned humanity but I call them skull crawlers why cuz it sounds neat at this point I realized I'd been writing skinwalkers in my script notes which I urge you not to google skull crawler makes more sense as a combination of no-face evangelion x' first angel and Q own little visual rhyming here with the skull Walker skin crawlers trying to sneak up on Kong just like the Vietnamese pool loser tried to sneak up on Conrad was the last of his time but he's still growing tomorrow way of leaving the door open for some growth in the next 47 years so he can be at least it's in the same ballpark as 300 foot plus Godzilla it's called the gray fox but of course it is you Frank Yeager cyborg ninja love and war is no reason to end a friendship son of a [ __ ] so she does have Captain Marvel power though I think look at that scale probably a good idea to leave the love story in the past yeah there's a covers of baby bear full-grown tiger can eat a baby bear honestiy enemy doesn't exist do you're looking for sometimes even if you're a jerk they still just walk away feeling bad for a bug again I spent way too much time confirming this but from what I gather Indonesia where Skull Island is roughly placed at least in 1933 while not the best place to see the southern lights or aurora australis you most likely could see them and who cares this is stunning it's funny after the trailers if someone had asked who do you think you'll walk away caring about the most i would not have said john c reilly but again have an idiot i mean let's be honest none of us really want to see a vietnam-era movie without credence it just feels wrong a good group of boys I'll tell you that much okay I got Jeremiah Johnson feels when they went into the ship that was hallowed ground and I chuckled her the question about who won the war because Jeremiah my son's middle name sake by the way asks who won about the mexican-american war but this clinches it for me going through the nono spot rather than around though it heads slightly differently for Jeremiah and his family I know it's scary but with Nick Fury Loki Captain Marvel and corpsman dey all fighting together what chance to the skull whispers actually have oh wait Corey Hawkins was a navy Abin Iron Man 3 and Shea Whigham was an agents of shield all right were you not tracking Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch and Godzilla 14 Randa was a man who appreciated a good reflection as well since he must have seen the skull creeper above him in the glass of the flash obviously Loki is gonna be automatically good with the blade but come on this is the type of speed ramping insanity that's gonna get some my rolls but if you're here for monsters that little twelve-year-old inside of you is coming a light who doesn't want to slice devil dinosaur birds with a world war two katana and slow-motion wearing a gas mask saving your two new buddies but check-offs later try this weapons enough to kill it let's talk about this not super significant but well-constructed twist that again reveals mr. glass is the bad guy it's not that simple this time but one of the first interactions we see packard have is with chapman what are you gonna do when you get back to the world jatin oh I'm already set up with the Eastern Airlines Racing Billy all moved in in Atlanta just waiting on me Chapman's answer makes it personal by mentioning his family's names without qualifiers but all packard meant was what our soldier is supposed to do when they're not at war then throughout the movie we allow every decision Packard makes to hinge on down one conversation believing it's at least mostly about Chapman to the boy that you can even start to believe he must be alive but now his motives are revealed he wants to stay at war he needs an enemy and he needs weapons to fight it it really never had anything to do with Chaplin he even tells Chapman to stay where he is because the sea stallion has enough munitions to kill Kong to be fair he mentions the weapons in addition to Chapman a couple times there's enough munitions on that down sea stallion to finish the job unnerving radio sounds in a Dutch tilt on Packard to definitely let us know he's losing his marbles and hits a thing in the monster burrs to have eyes going in the fog yep even Cole knows that's messed up guys are not scientists and you're not a soldier you met some skull crawled up on them you know it's the wrong thing to do some slivko is like the only character to get an ark but he's got one he starts out the only one terrified and then he has to be told multiple times to put his gun down how he's making a choice Jolley zoom for the boat not waiting for him that's infuriating useless self-sacrifice but hey you tried Thank You Cong thank you for trying something different something that as Jordan likes to often say we haven't seen before maybe the tree won't end the fight but I can't imagine that anyone who questioned why Kong would waste his time with the tree since it knocked the skull sneaker back okay how was a pretty signal helmets to the rescue breaking his chains to save the humans this time I [Music] stormtrooper aim high [Music] you might be a thoughtful gentle giant but he's got a little Lenny in him I mean she's dead but rule of cool applies cut up this way to Key West let's throw a cliche dodge on there for Mills being the first to say we should tell it when I see you in the next 48 and then wind day away and also be black in an ensemble cast where lots of people die which is not only usually a death sentence but historically a first death sentence especially given that he was really close to the beginning of act 2 hey and cons alive it applies because he usually dead by now another connection between Kong and the humans in this movie is hands overall hatred for getting eaten hugging and some deer duck twisting emotion who knew Marlo would end up being the main character after all and he finally got that beer and hot dog and he only had to wait another forty three years to see the Cubs win more cave painting credits depicting some of our Titans we need a spoiler your stinger I know I've already done it so I can't be too excited but come on we all thought no way they're gonna use all them in the next movie right fun setup even some dead human shadowing under Ghidorah Jordan vogt-roberts could probably make fun of my dog and I'd still be a fan because he's currently our best shot at a quality Metal Gear Solid movie I mean the man put a subtle homage to mgs one's opening with these narrow walkways and boxes stacked up also Pete gets points for his beautiful beard clearly the number of references in general that are in this movie is pretty astounding from the Apocalypse Now nods here and there to the more tonal references like fights that would be right at home and anime I mentioned the influences and the brain stalkers but there are even more references to Miyazaki with the water buffalo being similar to the for spirit and Princess Mononoke as well as gun paced sword has the two symbols from that knife he likes all the things I like so it's hard not to love him and if I don't get a bunch of comments saying I'm sucking up to Jordan in this video be a little disappointed to be fair I do the same thing for David F Sandberg recently bed GU right M night Shyamalan Sam Raimi but look the point is that I love watching films made by people who have a passion for what they make you know the type of person that would be willing to publicly defend it from Bad hate nitpicking breaking down why something is bad faith isn't a sign of thin-skinned it's a sign of adoration and devotion to creation look if I were gonna question the decisions in this movie it would be about these three super weird edits I'm sure it which is a line from a different cut they wanted there but the background is different my line is completely lost who is he him talking to that's that's not my edit and then these are interesting choices if they were deliberate but my actual best guess is that they were very late stage cuts stuff happens we adapt also a giant ape at the giant lizard for the tree but Jordan wasn't the only one deserving a phrase you got to give it up for John Goodman as well when Walter Sobchak can also hit subtle deadpan humor like this like the Bermuda Triangle or like that aluminum foil hat that I like to wear it's more like the triangles in the Hat but we like to think it's much more than that but there's actually quite a bit of humor in this movie it's more of a cold war cold war like like they think the summers off including some dark Toby Kebbell was fantastic on screen and behind Kong's face I sang Jhansi Reilly's praises already but it's such an important reminder to not judge a book by its cover or will be by its trailer most people rolled their eyes when they saw him assuming that he'd be relegated to comic relief they were half right he is the source of a lot of comedy but his puppy-dog eyes and gruff but soft face are the heart of this film they barely meet but he's Packard's antithesis he became brothers with a man who was his sworn enemy during their war the thoughtfulness of love juxtaposed with Packard's thoughtlessness and war vietnam is interestingly just a backdrop to tell an original story about soldiers and how all-consuming war can be and this isn't be passing judgment on a war even packard as a colonel but packard is no longer following orders he's not fighting for a cause he's using his fallen brothers as an excuse to chase a prize for his own personal glory of satisfaction vengeance is part of it and would be a bad enough reason but it's only secondary to his desire to keep fighting it's actually something that comes up a few times Randa essentially accuses Conrad of the same thing when they first meet and go to war and search for something mr. Conrad if you'd found it you'd be home by now and then Conrad's somewhat comes to terms with it in a way after verbalizing the mythic hero that his war hero father was I suppose no man comes home from war probably in comparison to a man that actually never came home from war and yet still managed to leave it behind I started thought I would get a lot of you're just making excuses for king of the monsters in that video because I said the story wasn't the most important thing but well how did he agreed I have similar feelings about this film not that there wasn't a story because there was one and the unraveling of Packard becoming the real villain in a movie that contains a hundred-foot Hydra monkey is more than you can ask for the easiest legitimate complaint is that there were very few character arcs Weaver Conrad rooks land in pretty much the same place they launched Marlowe does most of his character growth off screen but still has the most compelling story but I'll say again that the visual language in this movie is what makes it work and keeps it entertaining the 70s callbacks with constant red and orange colored rating Jordan puts Kong in front of the moon or Sun or fire whenever he can even subtle attention to detail like the rotten tree collapsing under the weight of the head flail or excel beyond all that it's the kind of movie I know I wanted as a kid actors kicking the snot out of each other is exactly what you want a movie with Kong in the title Kong is back - or maybe for the first time elevated to mythical status other incarnations have given us the softer side of Kong with a human love story / captive thing but this time he's like a ronin the last of his kind just wandering his world Kong gets purposeful development without speaking a single word glances of acknowledgment to Weaver and Conrad holding hands a judgment of his reflection in the water ripples or contemplating the Southern Lights how do you think it's interesting that Jordan isn't how did Li shape the direction of the monster first would this take on Kong audiences aren't gonna want to see him lose his for lack of a better word humanity there's a logical progression I think we're all expecting in Godzilla vs. Kong that I hope they don't deviate from just for shock value looking forward to it even more now and if I'm being honest I think the worst part of being trapped on an island with locals that don't talk would be the loneliness if only Marlowe had had access to today's sponsor audible he could have had his pick of audiobooks including a bunch involving King Kong and audible members get more than ever before including one free audiobook every month regardless of price and two free audible originals which include documentaries and scripted shows exclusive for audio you can also exchange any book you don't love at any time and if you sign up at our link audible.com slash cinema wins which is at the top of the description or text cinema wins - 500 500 you can get 30 days free and we all like free stuff we've been listening to the Handmaid's Tale since Margaret Atwood decided to write a sequel which you can also listen to now on audible if you love the show the audiobook is they must listen especially given that it's narrated by Claire Danes features a full cast of voice actors really really excited to get into the sequel as well so if you want to listen along with us go to audible.com slash Samoans or text cinema wins - 500 500 for a free 30-day trial with one audiobook and two free audible originals and start listening today so thank you audible for sponsoring this episode and thank you all for signing up it's a great help to Lee's channel because yes you guessed it this is not Lee speaking right now Lee's not feeling so great and his voice doesn't sound the best so he jokingly asked me if I would record this for him and much to his surprise I said absolutely so here we are my question to all of you fans out there is who is this talking right now leave who you think in the comments and honestly I will be very disappointed if you don't get it right on the first try Billy Billy Billy [Music]

Channel: CinemaWins

Views: 1,502,344

Rating: 4.9552627 out of 5

Keywords: Kong: Skull Island, Everything Wrong With Kong Skull Island, EWW Kong, EGA Kong Skull Island, Defending Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Defend Kong, Cinema Wins, CinemaWins, EGA, Movie Wins, Film Wins, king kong, kong

Id: z6K9FNkmegM

Length: 21min 33sec (1293 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 27 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/DoubleOhSeven68]

So cool to see this! For a while I thought that he wasn't going to do it because of the whole "Cinema Sins vs Jordan" thing that went on a while back.

[u/[deleted]]

I always enjoy Cinema Wins. This should be a treat.