KONG: SKULL ISLAND

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(Action fantasy epic)

King Kong lives!

He's on a forgotten island where, in 1944, an American soldier was abandoned.

Switch to 1973, an American scientist (John Goodman) gathers a team to check out the forgotten, unexplored, difficult to reach island. He convinces a senator (Rhode Island's own Richard Jenkins in a brief opening scene) to send a squad of soldiers, led by a mean, lean Col. Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) to fly helicopters to the remote island.

Who is there to greet them? Kong himself, upset by the commotion to the point of knocking half of the choppers out of the air.

The groups split in two and each one has its adventures and disasters. One group meets up with that forgotten soldier, who is now living amongst the natives (John C. Reilly) in a protected compound. The other group is out in the jungle, fending for themselves.

There's a lot of action and enough characters to fill a season of "Survivor,” complete with backstories and personality disorders.

The groups encounter Kong and his biggest rivals, a gang of very mean monsters dubbed skullcrawlers. There are also giant spiders, a giant octopus and giant birds that slowly reduce the visitor population.

The two groups, whatever is left of them, meet up and take a journey by boat to reach safety, while being chased by all the giant prehistoric animals, including Kong.

A female photographer along for the ride (Brie Larson) has her Faye Raye moment with Kong before the survivors make it to safety. You can pretty much guess who will make it without getting eaten or brutally torn apart.

The violent movie has some messages about violence before its very corny conclusion. If you like a lot of action and sci-fi moments, this one should fill the bill for you.

Rated a big PG-13, with loads of gore and violence and some profanity. Stay after the credits to see hints at other famous giant monsters, including the roar of a certain lizard monster.