Kong: Skull Island [Blu-ray] [2017]

If you ignore the fact that the helicopter pilots could quite easily avoid destruction by not flyingSo close to Kong then this film has a lot to commend it. While the landscape and effects are breathtaking some of the characters are a bit cliched, especially Samuel L Jackson's character. Ignoring this it is a good, enjoyable romp through the jungle that is well worth a look. Watch right to the end of the credits for an unexpected conclusion.

This is absolutely brilliant.If you have any affection for any Kong film going back to the 1933 film you will probably love this as much as I did.Kong is bigger and better than ever as CGI has come on so much in the last few years.The movie is set in 1973 for plot purposes I suppose but in truth the plot and indeed the cast are a bit superfluous as this is all about the creatures.Kong is joined some nasty varmints.The worst of which are The Skullcrawlers which are some kind of crawling T-Rex.Anyway s scientific expedition go to the island to see if the creatures exist as the island is surrounded by constant storms so we are not sure.Of course once they get there man does what man does best.Buggers everything upwith the help of the military escort.As I said cast not important.I will say Tom Hiddleston is a little too effete as the ex SAS guide and Samuel L Jackson is pretty much himself as the over the top colonel in charge of the armed escort.Brie Larson is wasted in the token female role originally played by Fay Wray in the 1933 movie.This is about the fights and explosions and about Kong.You will believe he is reall.Kids will be amazed but beware that it is a little violent and there is some ripe language with one use of the F word.This is uttered by John C Rielley who comes out best in the cast as a soldier that's been trapped on the Island for 24 years and is a bit mad.There are some good extras for us geeks which include technical details of hoe the big guy was created and some deleted scenes.The picture quality is also crystal clear.

** SPOILER FREE + UHD/4K REVIEW **Despite being a digital 2K upscale, the image quality of Kong: Skull Island's UHD BD is impressive and demonstates a clear improvement over the HD Blu-ray, especially the wider colour palette.Overall image quality is excellent, and fine detail is remarkable; animals' fur, creatures' scales and human skin texture down to their sweat and pores all look stunning. HDR is what truly shines within the UHD BD however, everything from the body decorations of the indigenous people, to the multiple shades and depth to smoke and for, all the way to the bark on a variety of trees, the colour palette is incredible.As for audio, if you have an appropriately equip sound system, Kong: Skull Island offers an almighty roar due to the Dolby Atmos soundtrack, which perfectly accompanies this monster movie.

I rented this using the fantastic Amazon Prime rental deal which was great value (please keep it up). First off on my calibrated plasma screen and 5.1 sound setup the quality of the video stream in both sound and vision was excellent. The film itself was great, a proper summer block buster with a great cast. Sure there are a few flaws in the characters actions but since when did Hollywood films follow any type of logic. The special effects and monster design were super, I particularly liked the sound design at the very start of the film as the sound effects fly around the sound stage. I cannot wait for the King Kong vs Godzilla movie. All in all a great popcorn flick.10 out of 10.

Kong: Skull Island doesn't try to be anything special. This is a straight ahead action/adventure movie. The real standout here is the CGI, as you'd expect, and the lavish Skull Island itself (full of weird and wonderful beasts). Tom Hiddleston plays the very forgettable lead along with Brie Larson, Jon Goodman and Samual L Jackson. Nobody really stands out here, apart from perhaps the comedy skits from John C Reilly, but we're here for Kong. The film has a loose premise about war and its effect on nature, but it's very loose. When we first meet Kong its a real spectacle, along with the other dangerous inhabitants of the island. By keeping the action going along with the wonderful CGI this film moves along at a exciting pace and the finale is very entertaining.It's not a film that offers anything very deep and meaningful. It's a popcorn flick that will keep you entertained though. For that it's worth a watch. If you enjoyed films like the recent Godzilla movie you'll like this.