Kong: Skull Island and Private Benjamin - Untapped potential

Kong: Skull Island

When writers, directors, producers and the rest of the Hollywood machine set out to create a film that transcends genre, sometimes you get a genre-bending classic in the vein of Ben Wheatley's Kill List, or perhaps something more Hollywood, in the form of Vanilla Sky or even Ghostbusters. Though the other times, you end up with a hot mess, like Kong: Skull Island. What does this movie want to be is a question you are asking yourself throughout the 2 hour running time, and you won't have an answer long after the cash-grabbing post credits scene.

Kong is more than a by-the-numbers action movie. In fact, the screenwriters seem to completely replace character development with humour. As a result the movie, seemingly randomly, becomes an action-comedy. This leads to a lack of character and payoff which I'll touch on later, but the core structure of this movie is only halfway explained. Because not only is this an action film sometimes action-comedy, it's a Vietnam film. That's right. And if you're wondering how you fit Apocalypse Now into the action-comedy genre, here's the answer - you don't. Instead Kong takes the approach of a middle aged American southerner who yearns for the good old days of Jim Crow and cold beer. It's some weird pastiche of the Vietnam era that is heavily romanticised and referenced to.

Oh and also it's a King Kong movie. King Kong turns up and kicks some butt around once every twenty minutes. Now with a better screenplay, this movie may have worked out to be something coherent, and genre bending, rather than genre skipping. Sadly it turns out to be the latter.

One of the biggest problems with the screenplay is the odd direction it takes to character. It's emphasis on comedy means that there is no time for anything resembling a character arc. Perhaps the closest we get is Brie Larson's relationship with Kong himself, although that is simply lifted from every King Kong story ever made. Sam Jackson plays a derivative version of Captain Willard,There are over a dozen characters in this film. There are 5 principle characters, as well as 8 supporting characters, not to mention Kong himself. This bloats the film and gives no time for any development of Sam Jackson or anyone else's arc.

There is a scene near the start of the movie, where Brie Larson and Sam Jackson have a brief quip-off about the Vietnam War. A conflict is set up, and this is NEVER touched on again. Not once. This is what happens when a film is as convoluted and bloated as Kong after having too much octopus for lunch.

That's not to say that the cast puts on a poor performance though. The 5 central performances (Hiddlestone, Larson, Jackson, Goodman, Reilly) are all as good as they can be. Hiddlestone is great as the genric action hero, but that's all he can really do and be in this movie. Larson is a little more developed, the (anti-) war photographer damsel in distress maintains a good delivery and comic timing in the first Reilly scene. Despite this her character is pushed into the damsel role perhaps a little too heavily, although a feminist case can be made for Larson's character's role in this movie. Reilly is the shining star though, his antics are so absurd they fit into the melting pot the movie is. His delivery is on point with every joke and keeps the film alive into the third act.

But going back to the nostalgia filled dutch angle take on the cinematic Vietnam genre, we have to see that there is nothing inherently wrong with this. In fact the screenwriters have clearly adapted the genre to fit the style of the film. Not successfully, but it works in a few key ways. The first being the cinematography. Larry Fong perfectly captures a nostalgic image of the Vietnam film in nearly every single shot. The iconic Apocalypse Now sunset is used often and rightfully so, with primary colours of orange, yellow and blue bathing the greens of the island. As a result the movie certainly looks very Platoon, and keeps up with it in simple plot devices.

In the case of Kong: Skull Island, the Vietnam feel is developed even more, but in fun and inclusive ways for the audience to enjoy. Blasting Black Sabbath out of a helicopter as they begin an attack, or having to take a boat up a river to get to their destination, they capitalise on what the genre has given them in the past. Beyond this is the soundtrack, and again we see the Kong: Skull Island giving us the fun and entertainment of the genre. Bad Moon Rising and Run Through The Jungle being particular standouts. The score itself is barely memorable, and it particularly questionable at certain points in the 3rd act that I won't give away, but you'll know it when you hear it.

The action sequences are mesmerising. Genuinely visually astounding. The CGI of Kong fighting with these various other monsters as well as the humans is fantastic entertainment, and are shot without the 200 cuts a second style editing. You can see what's happening and it's very, very exciting, even if you aren't that invested. Sometimes the sequences go on for a little to long, and by the end you may feel worn, but that's the purpose of the movie in the first place - to show King Kong plucking helicopters out of the sky. The helicopter sequence is one of the better parts of the movie, primarily because of Larry Fong's cinematography and the editors excersising restraint in the cuts. 

As a result of this embrace of the lighter aspects of the Vietnam genre that an incredibly nostalgic view can give you, Kong: Skull Island actually turns out to be quite fun. The lack of character development, arcs and payoff is massively problematic, but you will still have fun. Because you are laughing often and hard, particularly when Reilly is onscreen. Because the CGI action is often so jaw-dropping and at times hilarious (a certain spot from the final fight sequence is both amazing and funny) that you are having too much fun and laughing too much to not enjoy the movie because of its incoherence and lack of payoff.

The star studded cast do their job in what is ultimately a melting pot of a film that is fantastic fun, despite its incoherent, bloated nature. Funny and a light take on what was a very dark period of history. From the Nixon bobble-heads to the Sam Jackson doing everything in his power not to swear, the film is fun from start to finish, mostly. Beautifully shot, just don't expect any payoff, and turn your brain off when you start. It's sadly, not genre-bending, just a hot and messy melting pot of a movie.

Private Benjamin

Private Judy Benjamin is a fish out of water when she joins the army, having been used to the spoiled and upper class lifestyle from birth. And inevitably, hilarity ensues. Private Benjamin is a comedy with a splash of romance, that is well constructed enough to be a passable 100 minutes of cinema.

At its core is the irresistible Goldie Hawn. Easily the best part of the film, she embodies the silver-spoon rich girl perfectly, and carries traces of it through the movie in much of what she does. Now you start the film struggling to sympathise for any of the characters, but Hawn will win you over, even if it comes a little too late. With her largely good comic timing, she carries the movie on its back through the second act whilst some flimsy plot is thrown at the screen. That's as much as can be said for the middle of the movie, really. The jokes are ever-present though, and that's what makes the movie stick. It easily passed any number-of-laughs tests and it is a testament to the comedy aspect of the film that the jokes sustained it.

The movie also carries with it a deeply feminist subtext, and portrays the active empowerment of woman in the face of opposition, and Judy's character arc is impressive in carrying this subtext so well whilst continuing with the film. For this reason the movie was better than being a bang average comedy. The film decisively loses momentum though, when its best character goes missing for the 2nd act. Captain Doreen Lewis (Eileen Brennan) is a malevolent figure for Judy, but a massive opportunity is lost as she is simply not in the film half the time. It is a shame that the character with the most potential and arguably best performance is put aside by the screenwriter. But nonetheless the film sows up neatly. Private Benjamin is a passable comedy, funny enough and interesting enough to sustain its premise, with a clever subtext, but had plenty of untapped potential.