---
title: "Kong: Skull Island: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/kong-skull-island/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/kong-skull-island"
critics_score: 60
critics_reviews: 30
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Kong: Skull Island (2017): what the critics said

Critics' score 60 from 30 reviews: 13 positive, 9 mixed, 8 negative.

The reviews lean towards qualified enjoyment, with praise clustering around the creature effects, energetic monster battles and John C. Reilly’s warmth and comic timing. Kong’s encounter with the helicopters is a recurring highlight, while several critics find the ape expressive enough to compensate for thinly written human characters. Reilly earns approval even from some detractors, giving the adventure humour and feeling that the other performances have less opportunity to supply.

The spread is wide, however, running from enthusiastic approval to complaints of tedious action and weak storytelling. Underdeveloped characters are a common reservation even in favourable reviews; the Vietnam-war parallels divide opinion over how effectively the film handles its politics. Critics also disagree about the creatures themselves: Variety praises their imaginative variety, while Slant Magazine finds them dependent on size and gore. The central split is over whether the monster action supplies enough pleasure to make the screenplay’s shortcomings forgivable.

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2017. 

McCarthy finds the film highly entertaining, brisk, and unusually well-balanced for a franchise blockbuster. He especially praises John C. Reilly’s warmly funny, multidimensional performance and the inventive monster-action sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/kong-skull-island-review-982156/)

## Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2017. 

Gleiberman finds the film a rousing, smartly crafted creature-feature and a welcome improvement on earlier remakes. He especially praises its imaginative array of island creatures and John C. Reilly’s dry, sly performance.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/kong-skull-island-review-1202000823/)

## Radio Times — Terry Staunton

Rating 4/5. 

The four-star rating indicates a positive verdict on this adventure. The review highlights Kong and the island’s other creatures as the source of its life-threatening thrills.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-53wieh/kong-skull-island/)

## The i Paper — Matthew Turner

Rating ★★★★. 9 March 2017. 

Turner finds the film a monstrously entertaining and thrilling creature feature. He praises its spectacular creature effects and imaginatively staged monster battles, while noting that the human characters are underdeveloped.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/kong-skull-island-review-51720)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Rating B. 7 March 2017. 

Dowd finds the film an entertaining monster mash, though its Vietnam-war parallels are heavy-handed and its tonal shifts can be jarring. He praises the inventive creature action and the striking helicopter encounter with Kong.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/king-kong-goes-to-war-in-the-vietnam-themed-monster-mas-1798190742)

## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2017. 

Newman finds the film a fast, playful pulp adventure that holds its own without matching the depth of earlier King Kong films. He especially praises Kong’s opening helicopter battle and the imaginative monster designs.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/kong-skull-island-review-roaring-pulp-mash)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2017. 

The review finds the monster adventure entertaining, though not especially frightening. It praises the spectacle while finding the human characters less compelling.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/movies/kong-skull-island-review-brie-larson.html)

## Empire — Jonathan Pile

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 24 March 2021. 

Pile finds the adventure uneven but entertaining, with its spectacular monsters compensating for weak human characters. He especially praises Kong’s convincing presence and personality.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kong-skull-island-review/)

## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2017. 

The available standfirst presents the film as a chest-thumping commercial spectacle, but gives no clear verdict. It singles out the film’s role in the MonsterVerse franchise rather than a specific creative strength or flaw.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/kong-skull-island-review/5115434.article)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Rating 3/5. 21 November 2017. 

O'Sullivan finds the reboot spectacularly OK, with its strongest moments coming from Kong and the action. She praises John C. Reilly's comic supporting performance while faulting Tom Hiddleston's vacant presence for draining the film's profundity.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/kong-skull-island-review-long-live-king-kong-the-ape-who-never-dies-a3680251.html)

## The Guardian — Wendy Ide

Rating 3/5. 12 March 2017. 

Ide finds the film enjoyable but overblown, with characters that lack nuance. She praises the thrilling first encounter between Kong and the helicopters, while noting Brie Larson seems ill at ease in the effects-driven adventure.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/mar/12/kong-skull-island-review-tom-hiddlestone-unsubtle-adventure)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2017. 

Lane finds the film entertaining and visually inventive, but says it loses momentum in its second half. He especially praises its comic set pieces and striking visual flourishes.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/kong-skull-island-and-raw)

## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf

Rating 3/5. 2 March 2017. 

The review finds the film enjoyably spectacular but overblown and lacking subtlety. It singles out the spectacle as a strength, while noting the film’s excess and lack of restraint.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kong-skull-island)

## Total Film — Jordan Farley

Rating 3/5. 2 March 2017. 

Farley finds the film derivative and somewhat silly, but consistently entertaining. He praises its energetic direction, kinetic action, and tactile effects.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/kong-skull-island-review/)

## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward

Rating 3/2/2. 2 March 2017. 

The review is sharply negative about the film’s derivative, muddled blockbuster approach. It singles out John C. Reilly as a bright spot amid the missteps.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/kong-skull-island)

## Film Comment — Michael Sragow

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 

Sragow gives the film a negative verdict. He faults it for stripping Kong of his appealing, simple-minded charm.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-kong-skull-island/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2017. 

Turan finds the film lively at first but ultimately overfocused on monsters, leaving Kong and the story diminished. He praises Kong’s visual design and the period soundtrack, while criticizing the tedious creature encounters and Brie Larson’s underused role.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-kong-skull-island-review-20170309-story.html)

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Rating 1/4. 8 March 2017. 

The critic finds the film clumsy and uninspired, with monsters that rely on size and gore rather than imagination. John C. Reilly is singled out as the film’s only consistently pleasurable element.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/kong-skull-island/)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2017. 

Edelstein finds the film lavish but stupefyingly predictable, with hack storytelling that squanders its political message. He praises Kong’s convincing sensitivity and the rousing moments in its final battle, but says the monsters rarely stick in the mind.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/kong-skull-island-movie-review-stupefyingly-predictable.html)

## /Film — Ethan Anderton

Rating 9 out of 10. 12 March 2017. 

The critic calls it a thrilling, refreshing monster adventure that never loses steam. They praise its striking visuals and action, and single out John C. Reilly’s performance for bringing heart and humor.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/549590/kong-skull-island-review/)

## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 March 2017. 

The critic finds it a savagely enjoyable, visually distinctive monster movie with effective political themes. The vivid creature designs and John C. Reilly’s performance as Hank Marlow stand out for praise.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/03/film-review-kong-skull-island/)

## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie

Rating 4/5. 2 March 2017. 

Lambie calls it a hugely enjoyable, satisfying monster movie, despite some overly explicit messaging. He praises the exciting, inventive action and Vogt-Roberts’s assured direction.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/kong-skull-island-review-2/)

## Digital Spy — Rosie Fletcher

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2017. 

Fletcher calls it a thrilling, efficient monster-movie romp, despite flaws in its human characters. She especially praises the creatures, eye-popping action, and John C. Reilly’s standout performance.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a822495/kong-skull-island-review/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 March 2017. 

Hammond finds it a fun, energetic monster movie that embraces its B-movie roots. He particularly praises the inventive creatures and state-of-the-art visual effects, while noting that Brie Larson’s role is largely decorative.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2017/03/kong-skull-island-review-tom-hiddleston-samuel-l-jackson-1202037789/)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic finds the film an entertaining source of supersized thrills, despite some silly moments. They praise its refreshing simplicity and period details, while objecting to the dialogue and the limited backstory for most characters.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/kong-skull-island-film-review-2005250)

## Paste — Jim Vorel

Rating 6.5/10. 8 March 2017. 

Vorel finds the film an uneven but entertaining monster-action spectacle, with its over-the-top fights delivering the main appeal. He especially praises John C. Reilly, whose comic timing and pathos make him the standout among the human characters.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/kong-skull-island/kong-skull-island-review)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2017. 

The critic finds the film polished and entertaining, but predictable and quickly forgettable. The effective, expressive CGI Kong and tactile monster action stand out, while the characters and ideas feel underdeveloped.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/kong-skull-island-review-brie-larson-tom-hiddleston-samuel-l-jackson/)

## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic finds the film entertaining in places but ultimately held back by a weak screenplay and underdeveloped characters. John C. Reilly is singled out for bringing humor and pathos to the film.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/kong-skull-island-review/)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2017. 

The critic finds the film unconvincing and uninteresting, with its plot stalling after the characters reach the island. He complains that the oversized creatures and action feel excessive, contrasting them unfavorably with the more compelling world of Avatar.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/kong-skull-island-2017-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2017. 

Collins finds the film a lame, expensive imitation of B-movie magic, with spectacle that cannot make up for weak writing. He praises Vogt-Roberts’s handling of the actors and Kong’s imposing presence in the action scenes.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2017/03/09/movies/kong-skull-island-review-7013fcfa92df)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/kong-skull-island.md