"Kong: Skull Island" (2017) - the story of a monster, not without meaning. What is the success of the picture? Who worked on its creation? What reviews does Kong: Skull Island get from viewers? About all this and not only - further in our article.
The beginning of the story
The adventure story "Kong: Skull Island" has become a kind of sequel to the long-known story about a team of researchers and a huge monkey. The film was shot in Vietnam and Australia from October 2016 to March 2017.
Initially, the creators planned to start work earlier, but the long preparatory period and difficulties in the work process forced several times to postpone the start date of the work. As a result, the franchise premiered in March this year. What is curious: in Russia, the film "Kong: Skull Island" was released a day earlier than in America. Release Date - March 9, 2017. This moment was waiting for millions of viewers. And their expectations were not deceived.
Kong: Skull Island: actors
A real team of professional actors took part in the film, but it was not easy to form. Initially, the producers could not decide on the candidacy of the director, who was later entrusted with the selection of actors. But even the professionalism of Giordano Vot-Roberts did not immediately help him decide. Some performers who passed castings and corresponded to the types of the main characters voluntarily refused to work because of difficult working conditions and dangers.
So special attention was paid to the fact that the period of work in Australia implied a danger to all members of the film crew from poisonous plants, insects and snakes. The organizers conducted lengthy briefings and even issued special brochures to all employees. And if the men were more loyal to possible troubles, then the potential female lead Bree Larson seriously thought about breaking the contract. But the director of “Kong: Skull Island” managed to reassure the girl, and did not have to look for a new actress.
Forced replacements
Actors "Kong: Skull Island" Michael Kitton and J. Simmons were only initially full of determination and willingness to work. Their creative fuse was enough for several months, after which they unilaterally broke off the contract. And the director with the scriptwriters urgently had to look for a suitable replacement for them, so as not to delay the work and not break the deadlines. Much easier was the situation with the choice of the protagonist. Tom Hiddleston was immediately approved for the main role, and turned out to be one of the most successful hits.
"Kong: Skull Island": plot
The main actions of the film take place on a distant and uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean, resembling a skull in shape. For a talented and curious biologist, Bill Rand becomes an obsession to get there before anyone else. And when he finds out that soon a reconnaissance apparatus belonging to the USSR will have to fly over the territory of the island, he finds how to put pressure on the authorities correctly.
Bill, on the pretext of having to get to the island first, asks the influential Senator Willis for help in equipping the expedition. A geologist really assesses the situation, realizing how much any primacy can mean in the midst of the Cold War. Therefore, the bureaucrat has to agree with the arguments of the scientist, helping him to go on a trip.
The company to the brave man is agreed to be made by the faithful assistants of Houston Brooks and Lin Sun. Provided with professional equipment and technical equipment, travelers are in a hurry to meet with the military unit, which will accompany them all the time during work. Of course, at the meeting it turns out that Colonel Packard does not burn with the desire to circle no one knows where. Having passed the war in Vietnam, he simply seeks to quickly appear in his native walls. But having received an order, he cannot disobey it, adjusting plans for new conditions.
Culmination of events
"Kong: Skull Island" reviews almost enthusiastic receives for a fascinating climax. As a result, a team of desperate people arrives on Skull Island before their eternal rivals. That's just despite all their preparations and courage, they are not ready for the realities of a foreign land. The territory is filled with large animals and insects, for which all life is associated with potential food. And in the very first days of their stay on this piece of land, researchers are attacked by huge spiders, meeting with a powerful buffalo and dangerous plants. But all this fades after meeting a real ruler - a huge monkey that has long defended the area.
King Kong is not particularly enthusiastic about the appearance of uninvited guests, seeking to turn their lives into real hell. A huge creature opens the hunt for miserable little people, to once and for all show everyone who is the boss. And every day, unfortunate travelers are less likely to survive and return with their full complement to the mainland.
Similarities and differences
The growth of the huge monkey in the movie Kong: Skull Island was 31.5 meters, which is much more than the previous monsters of the franchise. For example, in the first film about Kong, shot in the 30s of the last century, the gorilla reached only 7 meters. But if the creators decided to experiment with growth, then the animal’s passion for attractive blondes was left unchanged. As a result, the terrible creature will melt again at the sight of a cute girl.
At the same time, the creators of "Kong: Skull Island" (the genre - adventure, action, fantasy, fantasy) decided to use the successes of other authors that have already passed the time. For example, the costume of one of the main characters was completely copied from the first film adaptation of the adventures of a monster, released almost a hundred years ago. And the creators slightly transformed the title poster, taking as a basis the already existing picture of the film "Apocalypse Today" directed by Coppola.
Financial aspects of the issue
The budget of the film Kong: Skull Island amounted to almost 200 million dollars, which was one of the largest investments by producers in the cinema. Most of the costs are due to filming in remote corners of exotic countries, because it required special equipment and living conditions for the crew.
But in such locations not a single film has been shot yet, which significantly fueled the interest of potential viewers in the adventure story. And later, the entrepreneurial tourism department in Vietnam organized excursions to the places where the film was shot, lasting ten days for everyone. And the most curious travelers, along with devoted movie fans, were able to touch the exotic.
Hidden meaning
After the release of the film “Kong: Skull Island” , the authors admitted that it helped them create images of dangerous monsters. It turned out that the work of Hayao Miyazaki made an indelible impression on them. Therefore, taking the main theses of philosophical reasoning from "Princess Mononoke", they tried to give their characters not only a frightening appearance, but also proud grandeur. Thus, the creators once again tried to emphasize the strength and wisdom of nature, in which mankind periodically tries to intervene.
Interesting Facts
Despite the fact that several months have passed since the official release of Kong: Skull Island (2017), new interesting facts about the process of creating a movie masterpiece continue to appear. One of them is that the first scenes of the film were shot in Hawaii, near the area where Colleen Trevorr worked on the Jurassic Park in 2015.
In addition, since almost all nature scenes were shot in Vietnam, after a successful rental, director Jordan Wot-Roberts received an offer from the country's authorities to become an ambassador for tourism at the international level. The director did not refuse such a chic offer, while it turned out that he was interested not only in the beauty of the living world. Jordan has been fond of computer games for a long time, which found a response in his work. Some characters according to the script were supposed to wear jackets with the slogans of famous manga and the latest toys.
At the same time, Terry Notari, who remained behind the scenery, turned out to be a brilliant performer of a huge monkey, which brought him new shootings in similar projects. So in 2017 the story “Planet of the Apes” was released, and before that there were three more films in which the actor embodied the image of wild animals. But for him the lack of self in the frame in his own guise was not a problem, but on the contrary opened up new perspectives.
Many of the actors involved in the film had previously collaborated in other projects, so everyone managed to find a common language quickly and easily. They worked in difficult conditions, knowing almost nothing about the director’s final concept. Before the work began, the artists did not even know what size a wild monster would be.
By the time history was released in Vietnam, everything was designed in such a way as to once again emphasize the country's involvement in the creation of a masterpiece. For this, a five-meter statue of Kong was created, surrounded by a flame of fire, which looked intimidating and original. The authors of such an unusual presentation tried to ensure complete safety for all visitors to the entertainment center, and they managed to do it.
Random misses
But, as often happens, "Kong: Skull Island" received reviews and a negative plan. Particularly zealous critics were still able to add a drop of tar in a barrel of honey, finding minor blunders in the frame. For example, the main characters often use weapons and equipment that were released as early as the 2000s, while the plot of the events in the picture unfold immediately after the end of the Vietnam War. The ship, on which the team of researchers gets to the mysterious island, was created only in 2003, and periodically flashing in the frame the slogan banning smoking became relevant only in 2009.
Not without annoying mistakes that could capture only the most attentive critics. For example, a vessel with an expedition escorts only six helicopters, while during the battle with Kong there are already ten of them.
Officer Packard uses the M14 rifle all the time , aiming at the enemy through an optical sight. But this type of weapon is not equipped with optics, which only real professionals know. But the fact that the warrior is aiming in the same frame with his left hand, and already puts the rifle with his right, did not go unnoticed by attentive spectators.
The main character Mason in the first frames tells about the hard work of a journalist attached to a military unit participating in the conflict. But in fact, such a practice began to appear in America only after 2003 during the war in Iraq.
General picture
After the release of the worldwide rental film "Kong: Skull Island" was able to compensate the creators of the losses incurred by high box office. Viewers positively accepted the picture, appreciating the atypical approach to work. The creators of this particular interpretation tried to show how events with already beloved heroes could have developed if everything had happened at a different time.
Basically, everyone who saw "Kong: Skull Island" reviews are positive. Gorgeous special effects, dynamic plot development and a non-standard visual range motivated potential viewers with interest and special trepidation to watch the adventures of a brave team on a distant island. Moreover, the creators tried to maintain a degree of tension throughout the film so that no one could predict a possible ending. As a result, everything turned out wonderful, and it is interesting to observe the difficulties of researchers from the first frames to the final credits.