History Film / KongSkullIsland

* AdvertisedExtra: In China, San Lin was given her own character poster, even though her role in the film is pretty minor. The reason for this has to do with the fact that her actress is from mainland China, where local stars are given tremendous amounts of publicity regardless of their actual role. However, San Lin has a fairly larger role in the novelization, where she gets involved in an incident with a sacred Iwi well, and helps defeat a Mire Squid that attacks Slivko.

* BareHandedBladeBlock: In the opening scene, Marlow catches Gunpei's shin-guntō with his hands. His hands get bloody and he screams in pain, but he manages to pull the sword out of Gunpei's hands.

* BreakingTheBonds: Kong finally manages to breaks the chains that hold him back during the climactic fight.
* BullyingADragon: This is pretty much Packard's modus operandi with anyone and anything. Granted, the first time, no one was aware of Kong, so his rampage was justified, but even after learning the ape is pretty gentle when not angered or bothered, he apparently doesn't give a damn.

* CatchphraseInterruptus: A meta example. [[spoiler:Kong squashes [[Creator/SamuelLJackson Packard]] before he can finish saying "motherfucker".]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: Conrad is in just the right place at the right time to see the Skullcrawler that [[spoiler:killed Chapman regurgitate his skull and dogtags]].

* TheCrocIsTicking: An unusual non-comedic variant, played for suspense. As the Skullcrawler circles the surviving characters through the dense fog in the Boneyard, the only thing they have to track its location with is [[spoiler:Randa's camera flash going off inside its belly]].

* DeathByGenreSavviness: Right before the climactic battle between Kong and the big Skullcrawler, [[spoiler: [[ShellShockedVeteran Cole]],]] who was carrying a "blooper" and plenty of 40mm grenades gets the idea to buy the other survivors some time by priming two hand grenades, [[HeroicSacrifice and release the spoons once he gets eaten.]] The Skullcrawler charges, opens its mouth, [[spoiler:and swats him with its tail, and he blows up when he impacts a nearby cliff, while the Skullcrawler continues its charge]].

* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler:Chapman is built up as a major supporting character, who survives for a good long while on his own and seems poised to rejoin the other protagonists, but gets killed by a Skullcrawler shortly before the third act.]]

* EpicFlail: During his fight against the alpha Skullcrawler, Kong improvises a ball-and-chain flail with [[spoiler:a ship propeller attached to a chain]].

* EurekaMoment: [[spoiler:While trying to escape from the wrecked ship Ramarak knocked him into, Kong notices the ship propeller and the chain it's gotten tangled in. He promptly uses it to gain the upper-hand on Ramarak and weaken him enough to finish him off.]]

* FeedItABomb: [[spoiler:Attempted by Cole, with the bombs [[HeroicSacrifice attached to himself]], but Ramarak is [[ItCanThink too smart for that.]]]]

* GiveMeASword: During the group's first battle against the Skullcrawlers, Conrad asks Marlow to toss him his shin-guntō. Marlow obliges and Conrad puts it to good use.

* HypocriticalHumor:
** When Senator Willis compares Monarch's search for monsters to the equally abortive search for UFO's, Randa protests that ''those'' people are the ones who're nuts.
** Randa chides Cole for lighting a cigarette in an area with highly flammable volcanic fumes, while Randa himself continues to use a camera with a visible, sparking flash.
* IdenticalGrandson: Marlow's son is played by Will Brittain, who also played young Marlow in the prologue.

* InsistentTerminology: Weaver wishes Conrad to know that she's an ''anti''-war photographer, not a war photographer.

* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Packard]] never gets to finish [[spoiler:his]] PreMortemOneLiner before Kong turns [[spoiler:him]] into paste.

* KillTheGod: Packard seeks to kill Kong, who is revered as a god by the Iwi natives.
* LastSecondChance: Conrad offers Packard a last chance to leave with him, but he denies and is subsequently smashed to pieces by Kong.

* MercyKill: Averted. It seems like Conrad is going to do this for Nieves when he's being [[spoiler:torn apart in midair]], but he's apparently trying to aim for the killer flyers that have him and can't draw a bead on them. Either way, he doesn't fire his weapon.

* MobySchtick: Packard's obsessive enmity for Kong has a definite "Ahab" vibe. His fixation on Kong as ''the'' enemy becomes more obviously-monomaniacal once the island's Skullcrawlers and various other predators prove they pose a far greater danger, yet he continues to make killing Kong a priority over dealing with those threats.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: Weaver manages to score a shot at [[spoiler:Ramarak by shooting it in the right eye with a FlareGun]].

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Hank Marlow calls the huge reptilian creatures lurking on the island "Skullcrawlers", and [[spoiler:the classified Monarch reports]] designate them as "hypervores" in the viral marketing. Both seem to indicate [[HorrorHunger how insatiable and vicious they are]]. Also lampshaded by Marlow.
-->'''Marlow:''' Look, I just made that name up. I'm trying to scare you.

* NotQuiteDead: Thought dead, the Alpha Skullcrawler comes back for a final attack during the climax when it attempts to swallow Mason whilst she's still clutched in Kong's hand. [[spoiler:Then Kong kills it for good by ripping its organs out.]]

* ShipTease: There's lots of moments throughout the film that seem to imply Weaver and Conrad getting together by the end of the film. [[spoiler: They don't.]] Examples include:
** While boarding the helicopters, Weaver wordlessly orders Conrad to scooch over and he does so with a tiny smile on his face.
** She grips his hand tightly when they meet Kong face-to-face.
** Conrad is immensely worried when she falls into the deep marsh and even saves her camera for her. When she regains consciousness, he cradles her head gently and she hugs him after the trauma of almost drowning catches up to her.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: The killing of the [[GiantSpider Mother Longlegs]]. First Mills slices off the tendrils that are dragging him into its mouth, then the others [[AnArmAndALeg slice off its legs]], then once Mills is out of the way, the entire squad ''[[MoreDakka unloads]]'' their entire clips into its exposed underside, and after it's fallen to the ground, Packard shoots it five more times at point-blank range, just to be sure.

* WaitHere: Conrad intends to leave his team and scout the environment alone, but Weaver protests and demands to tag along, which he gruntingly accepts.

* YouWillNotEvadeMe: [[spoiler:Kong uses a ship propeller and anchor chain by throwing the propeller into Ramarak's back, then dragging him back to him with the chain.]]

* HammyVillainSeriousHero: Slightly {{downplayed}}. Packard, the GeneralRipper main human antagonist, is played by Creator/SamuelLJackson, and although Packard ''is'' played with quite a brooding demeanor and a near-chronic DeathGlare, it's pretty clear that there was no stipulation saying that Sam L. could only play the character as a ColdHam. Conrad, Weaver and Randa, by contrast, are a lot more broody, calm and no-nonsense, and at least two of them have very dark backstories to reflect this.

* MexicanStandoff: There is a standoff between Conrad, Weaver, and Marlow versus Packard and his men as they quarrel over Kong's unconscious body. The situation gets resolved when Slivko changes sides.

-->'''Marlow:''' And what happened with [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the war]]? Did we win?
-->'''Slivko:''' [[UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar Which]] [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar one]]?
-->'''Marlow:''' That makes sense.
-->'''Cole:''' Sometimes, an enemy doesn't exist till you go looking for one.
-->'''Conrad:''' I guess no man comes home from war. ''Not really.''
-->'''Packard:''' We are soldiers! We do the [[DirtyBusiness dirty work]], ''so our families and our countrymen don't have to be afraid!'' [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow They shouldn't even know a thing like this exists!]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: A bit more bitter than sweet. While Kong manages to defeat Ramarak, and Conrad and the few survivors manage to escape the island unharmed, the vast majority of the expedition team, including Randa, Packard, both Landsat scientists, and all but three of the Sky Devils are dead. And while Marlow is safely reunited with his family, Conrad and Weaver are recruited by Monarch, with Brooks and San informing them that [[TheStinger there are other "Kings" yet to come...]]]]

** The impact of war on the soldiers who fight in it it is a prevalent theme. Kong is practically in a ForeverWar against the Skullcrawlers to keep himself and his kingdom balanced and unthreatened, one which has claimed the lives of all the rest of his kindred, which has left him profoundly lonely. Most of the human cast are military men: James Conrad is an ex-military man who spends the movie gradually learning to see the wonder and hope in the world again without jade-tinted glasses, most of the Sky Devils are young Vietnam veterans whom are looking forward to going home to their families and post-military careers, and Hank Marlow likewise is a WWII soldier whose life mission now is to get home to a wife and son that have believed him dead for years. Packard, on the other hand, represents how, as Conrad puts it, no soldier ever ''completely'' comes home from war, at its absolute worst; his headspace has never truly left the Vietnam War, and he doesn't know any other way to live his life, [[spoiler:leading to his tragic descent into an insane GeneralRipper and ultimately his death by his own actions]].

* DramaticDrop: Several. Gunpei in the {{distant prologue}} drops the knife he was trying to stab Marlow with in shock when Kong appears. The first soldier to be killed in the bamboos [[spoiler:by the Mother Longlegs]] drops their water bottle when they're impaled, alerting the rest of the surviving Sky Devils that something has happened. In the epilogue, Marlow's wife drops a tray with glasses when she notices him at the door.

* DueToTheDead: Packard and the core Sky Devils markedly hold a brief makeshift funeral for those of their comrades whom were killed by Kong, [[spoiler:and the surviving soldiers also make sure all the way to the movie's end to ensure that the late Chapman's last letter to his son Billy makes it off the island so it can be returned to his family]]. Packard also makes a point of collecting and holding onto the dog-tags of every one of his men whom are killed. Gunpei after his death was given a grave inside the ''Wanderer'' where his belongings were stored atop a mound and his katana used as a headstone: Marlow respectfully kneels in front of this grave and tells Conrad and Weaver about how he and Gunpei became FireForgedFriends before he takes Gunpei's katana to honor their vow that [[ThePromise neither would ever leave the other behind]].

* NiceDayDeadlyNight: Skull Island's wildlife is hostile enough to human life to make Australia look like absolutely nothing during the daytime, but according to Marlow, it gets ''even worse'' at night if you're caught out in the open in the wilderness.

* BlueIsHeroic: Conrad wears a blue shirt throughout the movie, and he's definitively a heroic character who leads and defends most of the cast as much as possible. Dr. Brooks similarly wears a dark-blue shirt at the end [[spoiler:when he introduces Conrad and Weaver to Monarch]].

* CentralTheme: Cole's statement that "Sometimes, an enemy doesn't exist till you go looking for one" sums up the central theme of the film: Kong is merely defending his territory against hostile intruders and doesn't attack humans unless provoked, but is needlessly antagonized by Colonel Packard, who is shown to be extremely bitter about the US military's withdrawal from Vietnam and sees Kong as a new enemy to focus his anger and frustration on.

* DramaticDrop: Several. Gunpei in the {{distant prologue}} drops the knife he was trying to stab Marlow with in shock when Kong appears. In the epilogue, Marlow's wife drops a tray with glasses when she notices him at the door.

%%* DueToTheDead

* FatalFamilyPhoto: Several characters often mention that they have families back home and are eager to go back to them. This includes Mills, Chapman, and Marlow. Notably, Chapman has a note he's writing to his son Billy back home, which becomes a RunningGag for other soldiers to say "Dear Billy" whenever they encounter something strange on the island. [[spoiler:He's also the only one who doesn't make it back.]]

* JawDrop: Several of the cast's jaws are visibly slack when Kong [[DynamicEntry shows up violently]] for the first time, even Randa's [[spoiler:despite his foreknowledge of Titans]].

* ATeamFiring: In the opening, both Marlow and Gunpei fire all their bullets in their respective guns at each-other (at a distance), and not a single bullet hits either of them. Gunpei at least has the excuse that his gun onl fires ''one'' bullet before running out, whereas Marlow's bullets blast the sand all around Gunpei but fail to hit Gunpei himself.

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: The movie doesn't pull punches when showing the expedition's deployment of seismic charges into the jungle blowing the native mundane wildlife to giblets -- it serves to make Kong's massacrous outrage and retaliation against the Sky Devils [[spoiler:for carpet-bombing his home]] seem more pathic and understandable to the audience. Later in the movie, Packard shooting a distant Leafwing that was minding its business on sight, though semi-pragmatic, is one of the early signs that he's [[SanitySlippage losing his marbles and on his way to becoming a danger to the rest of the cast]].

* DeathGlare: Creator/SamuelLJackson as Packard delivers several glares that could make Hell chill over -- as the character's vengeance consumes him and his SanitySlippage progresses, the glares get more and more frequent.

* DramaticDrop: Several. Gunpei in the {{distant beginning}} drops the knife he was trying to stab Marlow with in shock when Kong appears. In the epilogue, Marlow's wife drops a tray with glasses when she notices him at the door.

* OrangeBlueContrast: In an extreme long shot when the Sky Devils are about to fly into Skull Island's PerpetualStorm barrier, the clear sky and the ocean on the left side of the screen are lit in blue, while everything on the right side is lit in burnishing orange light from the sun being at the storm's edge.

* PerpetualStorm: One of these surrounds Skull Island, which is why it has remained uncharted for so long, as it not only cloaks the island from the naked eye on the outside but also all but ensures that any seaborne vessels which got too close over the centuries got shipwrecked and had no way of returning.

* ReflectiveEyes: The camera zooms in on Kong's eyes reflecting what's in front of him that he's glowering at, [[{{Bookends}} at both the start and end of the movie]]. An extreme close up on Packard's eyes during his HeldGaze with Kong shows plumes of fire and smoke from Kong decimating the Sky Devils reflected in Packard's eyes, emphasizing that the Vietnam War hasn't truly left Packard even if he left it, and that he's now singled out a new "enemy" for himself.

* SlasherSmile: Gunpei does the trope name justice when he grins with his mouth while trying to run Marlow through in the DistantPrologue, and when he almost stabs Marlow through the throat. During the carpet-bombing of Skull Island, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Captain Cole]] is grinning like he stepped out of a horror movie and donned a spare military uniform, with the explosions reflected in his shades. [[GeneralRipper Packard]] is grinning like a maniac when he throws the torch to set the napalm-covered water alight [[spoiler:an an attempt to burn Kong to death]].

* SquashedFlat:

* DramaticDrop: In the epilogue, Marlow's wife drops a tray with glasses when she notices him at the door.

* MassOhCrap: The reactions of the team when they see a ''hundred foot tall gorilla'' ready to attack them.

* PerpetualStorm: One of these surrounds Skull Island, which is why it has remained uncharted for so long.

** The shot of Kong standing in silhouette with the sun behind him is a [[https://twitter.com/VogtRoberts/status/1144861495454388224 reference]] to both ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' and ''Film/ApocalypseNow''.

* TrampledUnderfoot: A handful of characters get crushed, stepped on, or pounded into the ground by Kong and the other monsters on the island. [[spoiler:Notably, this is Col. Packard's final fate, as he doesn't get to finish his PreMortemOneLiner and detonate his explosives to kill Kong before Kong slams him with his fist.]]

* CurseCutShort: [[spoiler:Col. Packard's last words are, "Die, you motherf-". An extremely pissed-off Kong smashes him into the ground before he can finish]].

''Kong: Skull Island'' is a 2017 {{Kaiju}} {{Action|Genre}} {{Adventure}} movie by Creator/LegendaryPictures, written by Max Borenstein (who also wrote for ''[[Film/{{Godzilla2014}} Godzilla]]''), and acting as an origin story to the Eighth Wonder of the World himself, Film/KingKong, as well as his homeland, Skull Island. The movie is directed by [[Creator/JordanVogtRoberts Jordan Vogt-Roberts]] and stars Creator/TomHiddleston, Creator/BrieLarson, Creator/JohnGoodman, Creator/SamuelLJackson, Creator/JohnCReilly, Creator/SheaWhigham, Creator/TobyKebbell and Creator/CoreyHawkins.

** A flare gun is not an actual weapon, and it's most definitely not a precision tool. Weaver is an [[InsistentTerminology anti-war photographer]] and therefore unlikely to have any weapons training whatsoever. Combine the two of them and you get [[spoiler:a precision shot into the raging Alpha Skullcrawler's tiny eye over a distance of several hundred yards]]. Even [[Franchise/TheAvengers Hawkeye]] would be impressed.

* DeadlyDodging: At one point, when two helicopters attack him from each direction, Kong leaps out of the way, causing them to shoot each other down.

* EyeAwaken: After the giant Skullcrawler appears and all the humans except Packard run away, the unconscious Kong opens his eyes.

* GameBreakingInjury: In the BehemothBattle between Kong and the Alpha Skullcrawler, Kong ''would'' be the favorite, but he is weakened by the burning he received earlier, which brings the two to eye level.

* HelicopterFlyswatter: Several helicopters fall prey to Kong.

* MeaningfulLook: At the end, Kong shares one with Conrad and Weaver before he walks off back into the jungle. According to Jordan Vogt-Roberts, it's meant to symbolize the notion of gods and humans having to remain separate.

* OutOfTheInferno: An epic moment when Kong emerges from the sea of napalm flames. However, he doesn't make it far before passing out due to the severe burns inflicted.

* SpaceWhaleAesop: One of the arguments against killing Kong made by the main characters is that his existence is the only thing that's keeping the Skullcrawlers from running rampant on the island (and possibly beyond). It's essentially an environmental message about the need to protect keystone species whose extinction would have devastating consequences for the entire ecosystem, which would be perfectly applicable to real life -- except in this case, said consequences would be giant monsters emerging from the earth and eating everybody.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: When Senator Al Willis compares Monarch's interest in mythological creatures to the search for alien life, Randa dismisses belief in aliens as nuts. This is especially hilarious when you consider the origins of [[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters King Ghidorah]] in this universe.

* DaylightHorror: Almost all of the ''really'' horrifying scenes (like the [[GiantSpider Mother Longlegs]], the Boneyard [[NothingIsScarier Skullcrawler hunt]], and [[spoiler:Nieves']] [[SurprisinglySuddenDeath death]]) take place in broad daylight, against [[SceneryPorn gorgeous tropical scenery]] to boot!

* DeadlyGas: A cloud of green toxic gas is unleashed during the fight scene in the Boneyard.

* MoreDakka: The expedition brings a lot of automatic firepower with them, ranging from 5.56mm assault rifles to 7.62mm [=M60s=] to crew-served .50 cal machine guns to chopper-mounted [[GatlingGood miniguns]]. [[NoSell All it does is piss the giant monsters off.]] Only the salvaged bomber machine guns on Marlow's jury-rigged boat show any effect at all, and even that's limited to getting the target's attention instead of actually dealing damage.

* ReusableLighterToss: During the fight in the boneyard, Weaver tosses Conrad's lighter into the crater to ignite a gas pocket. {{Justified}} as it was the only source of fire she had available. In the novelization, Conrad uses his father's lighter instead of Weaver.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Leads [[Creator/BrieLarson Mason Weaver]] and [[Creator/TomHiddleston James Conrad]], and supporting character [[Creator/JingTian San Lin]] all go through the movie from beginning to end without suffering any blemishes worse than some minor bumps, cuts on their cheekbones, slightly disheveled hair and dirty clothing, so their actors' good looks are still emphasized. Bear in mind that Weaver in particular endures a helicopter crash, falling down a waterfall, [[spoiler:and being held in Kong's gigantic fist which is briefly ''dragged down the Big One's oesophagus with her still in it'' before Kong drags said fist back out along with the Big One's entrails)

** Weaver was "embedded with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Assistance_Command,_Vietnam_%E2%80%93_Studies_and_Observations_Group MACV-SOG"]] during the Vietnam War, before joining the expedition. That unit was highly classified. It is very unlikely that any reporters even knew about them at the time.

An animated series SpinOff on Netflix entitled ''WesternAnimation/{{Skull Island|2023}}'' is currently set to premiere June 22, 2023.

* TheStinger: [[spoiler:Weaver and Conrad are in Monarch custody, and San and Brooks reveal to them cave paintings of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Ghidorah, and the final cave painting shows Godzilla fighting Ghidorah. Just as the scene ends, we're treated to the sound of Godzilla's infamous roar. This sets the stage for ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Kong defeats Ramarak, and Conrad and the others manage to escape the island unharmed. However, most of the expedition team, including Randa, Packard, both Landsat scientists, and all but three of the Sky Devils are dead. And while Marlow is safely reunited with his family, Conrad and Weaver are recruited by Monarch, with Brooks and San informing them that [[TheStinger there are other "Kings" yet to come...]]]]

* TakeThat: There's a direct reference to ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'''s infamous outrun-the-wheel moment, recreated with two soldiers and Kong, shot identically —- and a soldier tells the other to "RUN TO THE SIDE, YOU IDIOT!", one of the criticisms of the film. When he keeps running straight, Kong promptly stomps on him.

An animated series SpinOff on Netflix entitled ''Skull Island'' is currently [[https://www.ign.com/articles/skull-island-anime-series-announced-by-netflix in the works.]]