Helmed by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, Love and Monsters), Skull Island takes place 20 years after the events of Kong Skull Island and follows a group of well-meaning explorers who venture out to sea to rescue a girl named Annie (Mae Whitman) from the ocean. In doing so, they find themselves shipwrecked on the perilous Skull Island. Together, they fight to survive the dangers of the mysterious isle, which is home to large creatures and terrifying monsters including Kong.
This animated series marks the fifth installment of Legendary’s Monsterverse, meaning that this is canonically part of the same universe as Godzilla (2014), Kong Skull Island, Godzilla King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs Kong. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series given its extreme lack of marketing; with only two trailers the details of the plot and how it fits into the universe were left largely unknown. Is this even a necessary watch for this universe to set things up for the future or a filler for certain gaps in the overall story?
After binging all eight episodes I can say that Skull Island is a surprisingly solid self-contained installment of the Monsterverse that I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. It is a series that not only expands the lore of this universe but also tells its own thrilling adventure story full of unexpected directions, as well as some shockingly brutal action, that makes it stand out among the Monsterverse films. While it may not have any major impact on the films either in the past or the imminent future I do feel this is worth watching given how it does try something new in this universe, and it appears that this series could run for another season that could offer even more opportunities worth exploring.
Skull Island follows two different groups that end up on the titular monster-filled island for completely different reasons but their paths become intertwined. The first is a group of mercenaries that are seemingly on the hunt for this runaway girl named Annie (Mae Whitman) and her kaiju pet given the odd name of Dog. The second group is a sea exploring crew in search of some mysterious island with a young kid named Charlie (Nicolas Cantu) who just wants to do his own thing outside of the shadow of his father, Cap (Benjamin Bratt).
After finding Annie in the middle of the ocean and saving her from a mercenary chasing her, Charlie and Cap’s ship is brought down by a terrifying sea monster. When Charlie and his friend Mike (Darren Barnet) escape the sea and finally realize what’s happened, they’ve arrived on the titular Skull Island. From there the series follows Charlie, Mike, Annie, and the group of mercenaries led by Irene (Betty Gilpin), as they try to survive the monstrous environment around them.
Through these mostly likable characters, who are given good performances from their respective cast members as well as decent amounts of emotional connection, you get to see Skull Island further explored, featuring new environments full of unique monster designs with more elaborate abilities and dangers as the episodes go on.
As a result, the series ends up being fun and thrilling at every turn while also setting up serious stakes with a shocking showcase of violence and gore not really seen in the Monsterverse films except in Kong Skull Island. I’m not kidding when I say that this series doesn’t hold anything back when it comes to its action, featuring some very graphic kills. Given that this series was made by Powerhouse Animation Studios, the same crew behind the Castlevania series, it doesn’t surprise me how far this goes in terms of gore, but it is surprising to see it attached to a mostly PG-13-rated franchise.
And speaking of Powerhouse Animation Studios, they made some damn good animation in this series that looks gorgeous and has visually pleasing action that is much larger in scale compared to previous projects. The action scenes are dictated by the surrounding environment rather than brought about by the actions of the characters, as the humans are often reacting to the otherworldly threats they find themselves needing to survive and showing that they are truly in an alien world with danger at every corner. On top of that, the series is paired with a great score inspired by the films that add to the plentiful thrills.
It is an entertaining survival story as it is but I felt things really kicked up a notch when it came to Kong being brought into the fold as the main focus in the final two episodes. There’s a great amount of time spent exploring the more emotional side of the beloved ape in a small but compelling arc expanding upon his story in between the events of Kong Skull Island and Godzilla vs Kong. This arc emphasizes what makes Kong such a compelling character in this universe, showing the surprisingly heartbreaking nature of Kong’s role as king and protector of the island. On top of that, you get to witness some excellent and brutal action with him as he takes on various monsters including a new alpha Titan he has a personal vendetta against. I do wish we had a lot more of him in this series given how beautifully written his story is in comparison to the more simplistic human characters, but at the same time I do understand they were trying to do something different with this series in terms of direction and for the most part it does well on that front. There were moments when I thought certain characters would be going in a predictable route only for it to take a completely unexpected turn along the way, especially in its surprising cliffhanger ending that makes viewers want to see more.
This is honestly a really interesting installment to the Monsterverse that is worth checking out especially if you’re a fan of the franchise or if it catches your curiosity. It’s not really a required watch as it feels like more of its own thing, but at the same time I feel this series does have something of value to offer and I really wouldn’t mind seeing more of it going forward. I’m going to give Skull Island a B+ = 89.
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