A ‘scientist’ – John Goodman – wants to go to Skull Island, the last uncharted territory on earth. He says it is for geology, but it is to actually to look for ‘monsters’.
Kong makes an appearance early on, as a way too large protector of the animals and indigenous people from the prehistoric reptile like creatures which prey on them.
He destroys the helicopters and kills half the team and so the mission ends up being about getting back to the rendez-vous point on time, to meet the extraction team.
With the help of a US airman shot down there 28 years earlier, the team succeed, even though Samuel L Jackson and his men tried to thwart them at every step with their ‘kill it because we don’t understand it’ attitude (so typical of many people).
Kong, as always, is a loveable giant that you end up feeling sorry for.
As a writer, the film succeeded in keeping it real (Kong’s size and how he survived aside) in an unbelieveable world. This is paramount if you want to keep your audience engaged in your story.