Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Page 41

The Apes of Wrath
Spotting the references in ‘Kong: Skull Island’
Words: Valur Gunnarsson Photo: Art Bicnick
If, like me, you felt the only thing
missing from ‘Apocalypse Now’
was a big-ass monkey, well, my
friend, we are in luck. The ape has
arrived. But ‘Kong: Skull Island’,
which is now in theatres, is not
just a scene-by-scene retelling of
Francis Ford Coppola’s epic. It is a
veritable smorgasbord of cinematic
references.
This is only Jordan Vogt-Rob-
erts’s second film, after the en-
joyable but slight ‘The Kings of
Summer’. But he manages the
transition to the big leagues bet-
ter than Gareth Edwards did with
‘Godzilla’ (though Ga-
reth made good with
‘Rogue One’). Given an
almost unlimited bud-
get, Jordan takes us on
a journey through his
cinematic upbringing.
As an aperitif, he
starts us off with a
dash of ‘Hell in the Pa-
cific’ (meets Kong), be-
fore transporting us to
Watergate-era Wash-
ington. Yes, things
have never been so
crazy there, which sounds like a
reference to the present day. Like
Kong, Hillary Clinton may be a
monster, but without her we are
all prey to far worse ones.
Finally, we are in the jungles
of Vietnam (and the Vietnam-like
Skull Island), and full-on ‘Apoca-
lypse’ fury. Like in that film, the
most stunning setpiece is a heli-
copter battle early on, and no, King
Kong don’t surf either. Before too
long, we’re sailing down a river
into (or rather out of) the heart of
darkness. Inevitably, characters
carry reference names like Mar-
low and Conrad. Kong, then, is the
crazed Captain Kurtz who does
what he has to in an impossible
war. There are even short-lived wa-
ter buffalo.
But we also get a semi-plausible
Kong backstory, which draws on
both ‘Pacific Rim’ and Jules Verne.
These tend to be unnecessary, but
here it is relatively well-handled.
Less so are the characters. Brie
Larson and Tom Hiddleston are eye
candy but devoid of personality.
Even Kong, who is known to have
a Trump-like interest in young
blondes, seems unimpressed. We
get no Kong on ice here. Perhaps
a big hairy guy grabbing a girl and
making off with her is no longer
palatable in the present age.
The only human character who
seems, well, human,
is John C. Reilly, who
makes a Dennis Hop-
per-like entrance to
liven things up. Sam
Jackson is his usual
bad self as a deranged
Vietnam vet. I am
sure some fan theory
will suggest that all
the monsters on the
island exist purely in
his mind.
It is in the period set-
ting that the genius of
‘Skull Island’ lies. And the film-
makers never tire of reminding
us that this was the best period
in popular music history (Bowie
and Iggy). There is even a “Run
Through the Jungle” thrown in for
old times’ sake.
We haven’t really seen a proper
Vietnam film since ‘Casualties
of War’ in 1989, before American
war trauma was transported to
the Middle East. But Vietnam is
making a comeback in action-ad-
ventures such as ‘Watchmen’, ‘X-
Men: Days of Future Past’, ‘Rogue
One’ and now here. It makes for
one hell of a backdrop. Now with
added monkey.
SHARE: gpv.is/kong05
Film “The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll is as
eccentric in its telling as the tale it celebrates.”
David Fricke, Rolling Stone.
The museum is located in Keflavík
only 5 minutes away from
Keflavík International Airport.
Open daily from 11am - 6pm

For more go to rokksafn.is
Visit Iceland's largest music museum and enjoy our history
of Icelandic rock and pop music. Browse through the timeline of
Icelandic pop and rock music with the Rock 'n' Roll app on Ipads,
spend time in our soundlab, cinema, karaoke booth, gift store,
exhibitions or simply grab a cup of coee at our café (free wifi!).
THE ICELANDIC
MUSEUM OF
ROCK 'N' ROLL
The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll
41The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05 — 2017
“Perhaps a
big hairy guy
grabbing a
girl and mak-
ing off with
her is no lon-
ger palatable
in the present
age.”