Best Kaiju Movie Of All Time?

Is Kong: Skull Island the best kaiju movie of all time?

After watching Kong this morning and thinking about it as I drove around the city doing errands, I'm coming to the conclusion that it just might be.

Written by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly, and wonderfully directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts,  the movie goes out of its way to address many of the issues laid at the feet of kaiju movies.

Of the cardinal sins, waiting to see the monster is among the greatest. (Look at 2014's Godzilla for a good example of this.) Here, we see Kong almost immediately. In fact, he maintains a very strong presence throughout the film. If he isn't lumbering towards the protagonists, they're very much looking over their shoulder for him.

There are no boring debate scenes. At no point in Kong do people in suits sit around a large table and discuss just what the hell they should do about the giant monster destroying the suburbs. (See Shin Godzilla for a recent example.)

There is also an actual story beyond just the monster losing its shit.

Set in 1973 at the end of the Vietnam War, Kong tells the story of two members of Monarch, Bill Randa and Houston Brooks (John Goodman and Corey Hawkins), a U.S. government group tasked with finding giant monsters setting out on what could be their last job: investigating a mysterious place called Skull Island. Called in to provide military support is Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), a colonel who is unhappy about the U.S. 'abandoning' the war in Vietnam. An expert tracker is also hired, James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), as well as war photographer, Mason Weaver (Brie Larson).

Upon arriving at the island, things go south very quickly. The team learns the true reason they've found themselves on this island filled with monsters, and worse, Kong sees them as hostile invaders.

Kong is also gloriously free of a love story. In a shocking twist, no one falls in love with anyone else. There are no long, drawn out character studies. The only real growth all characters share is their relationship with the environment they find themselves in. From Packard's desire to conquer it out of revenge for his lost men and to win an actual war that was denied him in Vietnam, to everyone else who is sane realizing that they are messing with a very dangerous yet necessary eco-system.

There is another sub-plot involving a WW2 vet (John C. Reilly)  who has been stuck on the island for 28 years that is rather harmless. I had feared this would be scenery chewing comedy at its finest, but it actually wasn't bad.

The special effects are wonderful. Vogt Roberts also frames some very beautiful and iconic shots of Kong and the wonder of Skull Island. There is a scene with the Northern Lights flickering above the island that was so well done.

The cast do their jobs very well, with Jackson looking crazy as a motherfucker, Hiddleston looking very concerned and sweaty, and Larson being both wide eyed and determined. She is only rescued once, and it's because she was off being heroic. Everyone in the cast carries their weight, both in terms of story and acting skills. There may not be a lot of chemistry between them, but Kong doesn't allow for much time for any chemistry to arise outside of a shared need for survival.

Like Russian Doll, Kong: Skull Island surprised me with just how well it took a potentially tired trope and made it fresh and exciting. And yeah, it probably is the best kaiju movie. Or, at least, the best one I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot.