Kong: Skull Island has done the legwork necessary to prove America really does need a reboot of this franchise set during the 1970s. From the first trailer it was apparent director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is playing this new iteration with a twist. The 2005 King Kong was a respectful remake that set Jack Black and Naomi Watts in a lush period piece, but this new Kong lives in a truly alien world hiding in plain sight.
The final trailer for Skull Island puts the focus directly on the monsters that Kong lives among (and finally gives Brie Larson more to do). The Skullcrawlers get enough screen time for me to finally wonder what they are and where they come from. Past trailers and clips have loosely tied this film to the 2014 Gozdilla film, so it’s possible the Skullcrawlers are remnants of that world. They could also be evolved prehistoric creatures as they kind of resembled land-based plesiosaurs or affected by the radiation from the nuclear tests in the Pacific. Regardless of origin though, they definitely terrifying. Just how large is the ecosystem of this island to sustain apex predators of this size?
The trailer also includes an extended look at the giant spiders that are actually giant land crabs and the many ways they can stab victims, Kong being attacked by what looks like a kraken, oversized-bats, that cute (and very dead) bison, and a stick-bug that looks like it always ate its Wheaties.
What is most enjoyable about this last glimpse into the island before the film hits theaters though is just how well the trailer is cut together. Whoever is in charge of marketing this film deserves a shot at editing a whole movie.