Line #24 Fridge/KongSkullIsland


1	!!FridgeBrilliance
2	* As mentioned on the main page, Marlow's makeshift boat is named ''Gray Fox'', which is a ShoutOut to a character with the same name in the VideoGame/MetalGear saga. Gray Fox is a Cyborg Ninja, combining elements of both American and Japanese cultures. The boat ''Gray Fox'' is created using scrap parts of both Marlow's plane and the Japanese pilot's plane and is decorated with ornaments of their personal items. Marlow himself also fights using his Japanese friend's shin-guntō sword, reflecting the 'Western Ninja/Samurai' image like Gray Fox does.
3	* As an example of CaliforniaDoubling. Much of the scenes on Skull Island were filmed in and around Vietnam, while Packard and his men are stationed at a USMC military base in Da Nang, so the first fifteen minutes of the movie had the main cast literally traveling from Vietnam ''to Vietnam''.
4	* The presence of giant spiders and, according to Marlow, ants on the island and their {{Planimal}} nature makes a lot of sense: creatures like them decreased in size due to lower oxygen levels. Given plants ''generate'' oxygen as part of their respiratory process, they wouldn't have that limitation and thus could grow far larger.
5	* Kong finishes off the Alpha Skullcrawler by ripping its stomach out by its tongue. However, Kong wasn't holding the tongue, the Skullcrawler's tongue was wrapped around Kong's arm. If it had been willing to let go, it would have survived. Kong killed it by turning its HorrorHunger against it.
6	* Almost every creature (or at least those that are shown onscreen) on Skull Island has the ability to camouflage themselves and blend in to their surroundings, from Mother Longlegs, Spore Mantis, Sker Buffalos, and Leafwings. This is to disguise themselves from the apex predators like the Skullcrawlers and Kong himself. Even the natives on the island also learned to blend into the environment to avoid detection. This also relates to the FridgeHorror below.
7	* The Alpha Skullcrawler's ItCanThink moment makes sense even if it isn't ''that'' intelligent: the natives probably attempted similar methods of killing it, albeit with poisons rather than explosives, once it became clear the giant apes were losing their struggle against the creatures. Too bad it most likely threw up the native volunteer before it could expire.
8	** Also, look at how Ramarak reacts to Cole's attempt at self-sacrifice; hesitant, confused, and even frustrated. The skullcrawler, like most predators, is probably used to prey that chooses either fight or flight. So having prey that does ''neither'' and is even calmly walking ''towards'' it sends up a big red flag, as this unusual behaviour just does not compute with its predatory instincts. This could also be based on how certain diseased prey will behave erratically, and predators having learned to avoid such prey (such as the infamous memetic video of a cat being chased by a rat: the cat is frightened of its usual prey as it doesn't understant the unnatural fearless behavior of the rodent.)
9	* The MONARCH Organization is a MeaningfulName when we take into account its members' views regarding the giant monsters. Both Randa and Brooks have an almost reverent respect for them despite the threats they posed to humanity, a trait that Dr. Serizawa and his assistant in ''Film/Godzilla2014'' also shared. All of them look at these monsters as akin to some higher being, such as a King or a God, hence why the name MONARCH makes sense. The general definition of monarch is "a ruler, a person or thing that holds a dominant position", something that definitely applies to beings like Kong and Godzilla.
10	** Alternatively, given that their logo is two triangles resembling a butterfly, it could also be a reference to Mothra, whose coloration is similar to a monarch butterfly.
11	* Kong's intelligence and ability to quickly adapt to a fight and take advantage of his surroundings, as well as having practiced on smaller Skullcrawlers for years, may explain why he manages to best Ramarak when his parents couldn't. Like his parents, Kong himself is not strong enough to defeat the creature (he fails to break its jaws despite trying with all his might), but by utilizing the giant boat propeller, he can pierce Ramarak's skin, weakening it, and by taking advantage of the later opportunity to access its soft insides, he is able to kill it.
12	** It's also possible that Kong's parents intentionally made themselves vulnerable to Ramarak's attacks, specifically to lure the alpha Skullcrawler away from their young son. Kong has no vulnerable baby apes to defend, hence can pick his fights at his own discretion rather than having to stand between the alpha and his offspring even if it leaves him at a disadvantage.
13	** Note that Kong's parents would have learned how to hunt and fight from other giant apes, which probably didn't use weapons other than fists, teeth, and brute strength. Conversely, the only creatures with hands or intelligence that Kong would've had available to learn from were the ''Iwi'', whom he probably witnessed using weapons and thrown objects in self-defense.
14	* In relation to the above, there’s a good chance that in their fight with Ramarak, Kong’s parents very nearly killed it, or at the very least left it heavily wounded, before being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Ramarak’s offspring. The brilliance in this is two-fold: that Ramarak went underground for years to simply heal from its wounds (as opposed to ravaging the Island once it was unopposed), and that Kong was not only fighting the smaller Skullcrawlers for experience, but was culling the population, therefore effectively ensuring that when he would be large and strong enough to take Ramarak in a fight, Ramarak would be forced to fight alone.
15	* One may wonder why Ramarak doesn't try to eat Kong either of the times Kong is seemingly defeated by it, instead deciding to continue going after the humans. However, recall that Kong's parents' bodies also seem to have been left largely intact (judging by the state of their skeletons). Kong, to them, is not prey, but a rival to be driven away or killed, much as a number of real-world predators like lions will readily kill other large predators like leopards and hyenas but rarely ever eat them.
16	* Weaver is mainly the reason why Kong becomes an ally to her, Conrad, and the others. Remember the scene where she ''tries'' to move a chopper that a poor Sker Buffalo happens to be underneath? Kong, being so large, obviously saw her and casually moves the chopper for her, letting the Sker Buffalo freely walk off. The second time he sees her again, though accompanied by Conrad, he doesn't even attack her at all. She managed to earn his trust because she was being passionate enough to save a defenseless animal, just as how Kong tends to do the same for the other inhabitants, as he showed anger when a Skullcrawler killed one of the buffaloes. Weaver placing her palm on his muzzle seals the deal, which is why he saved her from nearly getting eaten by Ramarak. He even takes great pains to ensure her safety during the fight with the alpha Skullcrawler, despite the fact that doing so would be an added handicap.
17	** The gentle touch from her possibly reminded Kong of his mother, hence another reason why he saves her.
18	** Or if we discount the prequel comic, maybe she reminded him of a baby sibling whom his parents died trying in vain to protect. We don't ''know'' that this version of Kong was the last giant ape born on the island, only the last one left alive.
19	* Packard seems unusually quick to forgive Randa for lying to them, which resulted in the massacre of the helicopter attack force, but Randa's story about being the sole survivor of a monster attack on a naval vessel and then dedicating himself to protecting humanity from monsters and doing what's necessary for that is something Packard himself can relate to. Both are military men who survived an attack and both want vengeance on their attackers.
20	* ''Film/Godzilla2014'' had fairly clear parallels drawn between monster and the human hero, Ford, most notably in the moment when they both collapse at the end of the fight and their use of fire as a weapon. ''Kong'' doesn't seem to have the same parallel when it comes to its heroes, Conrad and Weaver — except that they're likely meant to parallel Kong's ''parents''. They protect him from Packard and Ramarak the same way that Kong's parents protected him from Ramarak when they died, Kong looks at the aurora to mourn his parents at the same time that Weaver and Conrad are looking at the same aurora and bonding, the tie-in comic makes the scene where Weaver touches Kong's nose definitely feel more motherly given that Kong had bonded with his mother before she died, and Weaver and Conrad (and Slivko) even end up in relatively the same position as the parents' skeletons at the end of the boneyard scene. It's not as direct of a parallel as the one drawn in ''Godzilla (2014)'', but it explains a lot as to why Kong is so willing to protect them both in the final battle.
21	* At certain angles, this movie's version of Kong has hints of a ''green'' tint to his fur, and even to his skin under certain lighting conditions. With so many of the Monsterverse denizens of Skull Island being a symbiosis of plant and animal, it's entirely plausible that Kong himself might have a healthy crop of symbiotic algae living in his pelt, like a sloth. His pelt is also a terribly scruffy mess, which is only to be expected: most social monkeys and apes rely on mutual grooming to keep their fur clean and sleek, and Kong has no companions to groom or be groomed by.
22	* The entire conflict between the soldiers and Kong is one massive case of StealthPun; being Vietnam veterans, they have battled against the Viet Cong. Now they're facing ''King Kong''.
23	* Kong surviving the events of this film in contrast to other film versions of Kong is arguably not just due to AdaptationalBadass. Some film scholars have argued that the original King Kong died because he was removed from his natural habitat and thrown into a hostile and unfamiliar environment where he was more vulnerable. This version of Kong, however, never leaves Skull Island and retains his home field advantage.
24	-->'''Marlow''': "Kong is God on this island!"
25	* Gunpei's sword doesn't resemble an ordinary shin-guntō, being in a shirasaya mounting, but when you remember that some soldiers brought katana that had been passed down in their family, and that shirasaya mountings are used for sword storage, it could be that he brought his family sword and never had it put into the shin-guntō hilt.
26
27	!!FridgeHorror
28	* As stated in the marketing, Kong is only a ''teenager'' by the time of this film, which makes one wonder just how large he will become in the present day, and when he and Godzilla ''do'' face off, how much will humanity suffer from their battle, exactly?
29	* Kong isn't like Godzilla, the Mutos, and Shinomura, who were ancient monsters slumbering beneath the ground. He, the Skull Crawlers, and the rest of Skull Island's residents are breeding populations that are alive and well in present day (or was in the case of Kong, since his parents died). In other words: Kaiju in this universe aren't limited to the super ancient past, there are considerably younger ones than that. The Earth could be filled with monsters without humanity ever even knowing it.
30	** Actually, from the [[http://www.discoverskullisland.com viral marketing website]], if you look at the cryptozoology section, and click on the Mother Longlegs, it says this following quote; " The Mother Longlegs has evolved sharpened spikes at the end of its powerful legs. " Think about that for a moment. Not only have these monsters been ''breeding'', but apparently they have been around for so long, that they actually '''evolved'''. Who knows what other horrific killing abilities can it develop from a few more years of evolution?
31	*** In 50 years? You can relax, evolution ain't this fast.
32	*** If by 2020 (47 years from the year this movie is set in) Kong can grow ''3.5 times bigger'', enough to be able to have a even match against ''Godzilla'', I wouldn't put it past the rest of Skull Island's freaks to become even ''more'' deadly.
33	*** Growing larger and evolving — not the same thing.
34	*** [[FridgeHorror I wonder what the Skullcrawlers will be like by then...]]
35	*** The Skullcrawlers and Kong's species have apparently been on the island or had access to it from underground for thousands of years if not millions. It's unlikely much will change regarding their max size anytime soon.
36	* If Marlow is the same age as his actor (51) and given how he was eventually reunited with his family in the ending, it's not out of the question for him to be alive when Godzilla and the Mutos appeared. How on Earth would he have reacted to that?
37	** Likely with horror and admiration. Horror for the Mutos as they likely reminded him of the Skullcrawlers and admiration for Godzilla as he can see a certain resemblance to a big hairy ape he knows.
38	** And hopefully, if he lives a few years after that, he gets to see the Cubs finally win the World Series.
39	* As mentioned above, most of the creatures that are not apex predators on Skull Island have evolved in such a way that they can perfectly blend in to their surroundings. Adding that to the fact that according to Randa and Brooks, Skull Island is one of the entry ways for the gigantic creatures living inside the Earth, this means that whatever is hiding in the Earth, it is terrifying enough that ''evolution itself made the creatures on the island the way they are right now.''
40	** Either that, or the Skullcrawlers have decimated their ecosystem by devouring every indigenous animal that '''didn't''' already have nigh-perfect camouflage for protection. What additional kinds of nightmare beasts might've predominated on the island ''before'' the current generation of 'crawlers emerged from underground?
41	* The native population of Skull Island is 100% doomed to extinction there, even though their protector survived this movie's events. We know that Kong is likely to leave the island for the 2020 movie, and even if he winds up back home again, they'll have no protector while he's away. Furthermore, Kong is the LastOfHisKind, and he can't live forever. Even if we assume the Alpha was likewise the last of the Skullcrawlers, there are plenty of other man-eating predators on the island, whose numbers will balloon now that the dominant carnivore species has been culled if not exterminated.
42	** Not necessarily, given that humans survived on the island for thousands of years before Kong's species decided to start protecting them. Life will be much harder (assuming Kong is truly the last of his kind and there are not more of them in the underground world), but if their ancestors survived then they may too.
43	** The tie-in comic reveals that by 1995, [[spoiler: the natives didn't just survive, they also began speaking again and know English]].
44	*** Its been circulating that Skull Island MAY end up as the modern Monster Island. It hasn't exactly been confirmed but I'd say its a good bet that the "controllable" monsters end up there and even the Big G may call it home. It's far enough away from the world of man and is likely more to the taste of many prehistoric or modern monsters... So even if Kong kicks it they could possibly end up with Mothra, Rodan, and any other monsters who lean toward the good spectrum (Rodan is iffy though). Bonus points if they end up with Godzilla, who is potentially an immortal beast. So barring King Ghidorah being a massive jerk in the third installment, the natives seem to be in good hands.

Context Fridge / KongSkullIsland