Kong: Skull Island

Pitting Godzilla against King Kong, something that has already happened once before in movie history, may sound like a simple matter. But no, you can’t just write “Godzilla vs. Kong” on a blank piece of paper and expect it to happen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary has recruited no less than seven screenwriters and assigned them to the task of turning their parallel Godzilla and Kong franchises into a singular cinematic universe.

According to Johnny Rockets’ website, the hamburger chain was founded over 30 years ago in the hopes of creating a place where customers could “escape from today’s complicated world.”

With viral marketing nearing its peak, it’s become increasingly vital for movies to get a little creative with their campaigns. The upcoming Kong: Skull Island, which hits theaters in a week, has been tossing out cryptic clues and hints about the movie and the so-called MONARCH organization behind the expedition to find the giant ape. Now, you can do some ape-hunting yourself from the comfort of your own home, as Skull Island has been officially added to Google Maps.

Kong: Skull Island may be set in the early 1970s, but it’s clearly engineered for modern sensibilities. The film’s trailer drew comparisons to Apocalypse Now, but director Jordan Vogt-Roberts seems less inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War film than its iconic poster of a fiery setting sun, an image Skull Island returns to over and over. Even if it bears superficial similarities to Coppola’s classic, it’s little more than A-picture gloss on a big-budget B-movie. Naming one of your characters after Joseph Conrad doesn’t make your film Heart of Darkness; the only thing at this movie’s heart is the (admittedly accurate) belief that when a giant ape punches a giant lizard in the face with a boat motor it looks totally freaking awesome.

He’s big. He’s mean. He has a thing for blondes. He’s King Kong, and he’s back in theaters this month in Kong: Skull Island from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Legendary. The average life expectancy for a gorilla is about 40 years; at 84 years old, Kong’s still going strong, and arguably looking better than ever. If you’re significantly younger than Mr. Kong and new to the franchise, here’s what you need to know about his past, present, and future, along with his many imitators. (Note that there are a few SPOILERS about the old Kongs, but not Skull Island.)

The high temperature in New York City last Sunday was 44 degrees. The official start of summer is still 113 days — almost four full months — away.

If you saw 2005’s King Kong, you saw the great ape take on a giant T. rex. But did you know that scene was a close recreation of a similar battle in the original 1933 King Kong? In fact, both versions end with Kong playing with the jaw of the dead dinosaur. (Spoiler alert.) That’s just one of the facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

Each new trailer for Kong: Skull Island offers a little more humor than the last, and in the final trailer for the King’s revival, it’s not just John C. Reilly who’s monkeying around. Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Corey Hawkins also get a few comedic beats in during the latest sneak peek, which is cleverly set to The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” And there are plenty of good reasons to get the heck off of that island.

Kong: Skull Island is a kind of sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, and, since it’s also about a giant monster, has a lot to live up to in terms of creating a ridiculously huge sense of scale. Kong is bigger than anything should be allowed to be, and it’s sometimes tough to make a monster look big without making it look silly and unbelievable. A few new clips from Kong: Skull Island show us that this movie will have the same sense of wonder and awe as Godzilla — and maybe even more.

Summer movie season starts a little earlier every year, and in 2017, it has consumed May, April, and even our beloved March. Logan will kick off the big-budget bonanza in the first weekend of March, and then cede the floor to the gargantuan Kong: Skull Island the weekend after. Even so, these two releases in particular inspire hope rather than dread when reflecting upon the studio-fronted franchise releases encroaching beyond their summer stomping grounds. All the previews have suggested that these two films will have something original to bring to the table, and the latest clip for Kong: Skull Island confirms that if nothing else, we’ll have some delectable character acting to enjoy.