With a little over two weeks before Legendary Pictures releases their much anticipated Kong: Skull Island, the magnitude of exactly what is on its way continues to grow. To date we know that not only is Skull Island inhabiting the same world as 2014’s Godzilla, but also that Legendary has two more films planned in its MonsterVerse after this latest cinematic iteration of King Kong – 2018’s Godzilla: King of Monsters and 2020’s Kong vs. Godzilla.

What’s more, recent news has expanded our knowledge of what awaits the intrepid explorers who find themselves on the fabled Skull Island. As much as past King Kong movies have focused on Kong’s conflict with the humans who discover him, Skull Island appears to highlight the giant ape’s battle for supremacy against other creatures that also inhabit the mythical island. Most specifically, it seems that in order to truly be crowned King, Kong must first battle the hordes of Skull-crawlers that call Skull Island home.

The latest taste of what’s to come when Kong: Skull Island hits theaters this March has just arrived, courtesy of Fandango. The featurette – entitled All Hail the King - can be seen above and clocks in at just 2 minutes. With a variety of creatures big and small on an island never before inhabited by man, the featurette definitely highlights the gargantuan battles that are set to take place and gives credence to Tom Hiddleston’s (who plays Captain James Conrad) statement that “This film will be an immersive spectacle.”

In addition to Hiddleston’s statement in the above featurette, Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts sums up the sheer enormity and presence of King Kong by saying: “When people step foot on this island, their first visceral response is to look at that thing and say ‘That’s a god.’” And while some of the creatures on display in the featurette are no match for Kong, the band of humans on the island - which includes Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly and John Goodman - all seem to be facing down threats to their survival at every turn. But of course, literally the biggest challenge of all is Kong – although the Skull-crawlers and wide assortment of other bizarre creatures visible in the featurette look tremendous.

Much has been said about Legendary’s MonsterVerse and the degree of anticipation for a shared universe that will culminate with Godzilla fighting King Kong. While those prospects are exciting for any monster movie fan, there is the danger of too much too soon. The focus should first and foremost be on Kong. The film has already given ample reasons why it will be a spectacle, so before we get too carried away with what will eventually be, it’s perhaps worth taking the time to focus on a monster movie that looks to be far and away beyond anything that the genre has produced to date.

Indeed, Skull Island seems to be the complete package – a monster movie that employs classic elements, mixes them with modern technology and perhaps most importantly of all, doesn’t appear to take itself too seriously. The movie so far it does look as though it’s got a very good shot at being the largest in scope. And for a film about a giant ape called King Kong, nothing could be more suitable.

Source: Fanadango

Next: Kong: Skull Island Is ‘Not Really’ An Origin Story

  • Kong: Skull Island Release Date: 2017-03-10