(CNN) After fairly dutiful remakes in 1976 and 2005, "King Kong" gets a somewhat more creative makeover with "Kong: Skull Island." Yet this attempt to launch a new franchise of creature features suffers from a weak script and uninspired design, yielding a net result closer to "Kong: Numbskull Island." Admittedly, nobody expects oodles of logic from this sort of exercise, and "Skull Island" does earn points for the economy of its structure. Setting the story in 1973, in the closing days of the Vietnam war, also adds an underlying "Apocalypse Now" riff to the proceedings, certainly in terms of the musical soundtrack. "Kong" assembles a pretty impressive cast, only to leave them slumming, basically handcuffed by the periodically groan-inducing dialogue.

Source: CNN March 09, 2017 17:03 UTC