Due to a suprisingly high rate of TV reviews I had decidedly to inflict upon myself (what can I say, I’m a hard taskmaster), I hadn’t had time to properly dig into the particulars of Neflix’s addition to Legendary’s MonsterVerse aside from “Big Monkey” and “Island full off man-eating monsters” . However, upon diving into the behind the scene credits to find that the show was created, written, directed an produced by Brian Duffield, the man who provided scripts for Underwater, The Babysitter and – most pertinently – the endearingly fun Love And Monsters which makes a lot of things make sense.
This now makes two things abundantly clear: 1) I obviously suck at doing due diligence for my TV reviews and 2) the tone that Skull Island is shooting for is now way easier to pin down. Plus, we get our first glimpse of the show’s iconic lead – which is nice considering how camera shy other titans-who-shall-remain-nameless tend to be in their animated endeavors…
Once again, Charlie and Mike are fleeing for their lives through the jungles of Skull Island after apparent witnessing a weirdly elated Annie get pounced on and hurled into the air by a snarling creature that looked like Lockjaw from The Inhumans had gone too hard on the booze. As their flight takes them across the path of another one of Irene’s surving mercenaries, all three survivors fall foul of yet another one of Skull Island’s native species in the form a blue-hued crocodile that can rear up on its hind legs like a bear and who gobbles the nameless goon without a second thought.
However, far more alarming is that after their extended chase ends with Charlie and Mike alive, it only comes at the grace of a gargantuan, 100 foot tall ape that calls a stop to matters thanks to his weakness for crocodile flesh. While everyone stares dumbfounded at the sight, Annie returns to reveal that the canine/bear/lion monster that appeared to snatch her up in its jaws is not only friendly, but is her pet who she has named “Dog” (bit on the nose, but alright) who has swam over from one of the islands where Annie and he originally lived before her abduction.
And what of her abductors? Well, Irene and her rapidly shrinking group of mercenaries are trying to formulate a plan and second on the list is trying to recapture Annie for reasons that are still rather hazy, but first item on the agenda (aside from not being eaten by a giant bird) is to guarantee a way off the island. However, the helicopter they summon falls foul of the giant Kraken that stranded them there in the first place. Swift switching to a plan C, Irene figures that the most important matter to address is how to remove Dog from the playing field – if only there was a giant, carnivorous bird living in the area that could do their job for them…
Anyone familiar with some of Duffield’s output (especially Love & Monsters) will find many recognizable themes located within the treacherous fauna of Skull Island. The quick wit and muted, comical reactions in the face of hungry, drooling, death are familiar enough, but he really does enjoy bestowing his creature cast with a sense of personality – something that a Kong cartoon desperately needs. Ok, the killer croc that lunges repeatedly at our heroes may hardly spit wittisims worthy of Oscar Wilde, but for a dead-eyed eating machine is shows little beats of character here and there, be it taking to dry land to avoid toppling over a waterfall or launching itself, Olympic diver style off a cliff to renew the chase.
Duffield is still referencing classic monster movies tropes of yore thanks to the inclusion of friendly monster, Dog, that riffs on everything from old Sinbad movies to that friendly ant from Honey I Shrunk The Kids and the show’s sense of full-speed pacing is still keeping things very watchable, but there’s is still a feeling that show is spinning its wheels a little. I realise that we’re only three episodes in and Kong movies in general, when stripped down their most basic core, are people wandering throughout jungle and getting eaten, but despite it’s fun, perky appeal, Skull Island is perhaps playing things a bit too safe. Charlie and Mike (who is proving that constantly fleeing for ones life is a great way to get over the dead of a father) are decent enough with good, buddy movie banter and Annie is a cool, kickass, female lead, but in a show that’s essentially the fifth instalment of a franchise that’s been going since 2014 (and the latest appearance of Kong who has been going since the 30’s), things feel their unfolding at too languid a pace. Hopefully once the show addresses Annie’s origin, reveals more about Irene’s obviously questionable misson or gives us a bit more Kong for our buck, Skull Island is doomed to just be a good show with some cool bells and whistles thrown in.
That’s not to say the show is bland or boring. The voice talent is still top rate, the animation is polished and I’m really enjoying the extended “single takes” the show employs in its many chase sequences, but something big needs to occur to make the show stand out.
“Something Big” is a fitting phrase to describe our first sighting of the Island’s hulking royalty and while we get to lay our peepers on the big guy only in silhouette thanks to some glaring sunlight, he’s still got that screen presence of old but he needs to do more than loom if he’s going to stop the show from being just another animated diversion floating around in Netflix’s algorithm. Other monster themed shows on the very same platform have struggled with the monster/plot equation in the past (anyone actually make it to season 2 of Pacific Rim: The Black?) and if the God of Skull Island truly is the protector he’s made out to be, he needs to bust out some of those patented fighting moves to elevate the show to another level.
The title of the next episode is Breakfast Fit For A Kong so I guess it time for popular culture’s funkiest monkey to take the stage and I guess it might just be make or break time.
Kong has squared off against mighty foes before, dinosaurs, the military and even Godzilla, but if the fist slinging simian is going to win this battle, he’s going to have to do something truly spectacular to raise the bar.
Still good, but a king deserves better.
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