6) Kong’s Brutal Introduction
It’s a sequence that was teased in each of the film’s trailers: the “Oh, shit!” moment when the military forces invading Skull Island are greeted with angrily-chucked trees and an oversized ape. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts clearly had some serious fun with Kong’s brutal introduction; the special effects-heavy battle pulses and pops with frenetic energy and serves as a fitting first scene for the eponymous ape.
None of the main players bite it here, but that’s not to say the loss of life isn’t significant. Hell, it’s enough to send Samuel L. Jackson’s Colonel Packard into a quiet, seething rage that propels his story forward until his sudden death during the film’s climax – more on that later.
5) THAT Spider Scene
Skull Island blindsides viewers with some of its best moments, adding a welcome element of profound shock to a film that so easily could’ve fallen victim to predictability. One such moment occurs shortly after Kong’s initial killing spree, when the military forces sent to the island are ambushed by a gigantic spider with legs that resemble stalks of bamboo. The sequence, while brief, showcases the unforgiving environment into which they’ve ventured with stunning effectiveness.
Vogt-Roberts kicks the scene off with a horrifying shot of a soldier standing, transfixed, as a spider leg shoves itself down his throat and kills him instantly. The moment deviates from your typical giant spider attack sequence; the filmmakers cleverly use the environment to trick the characters (and the viewers) into a foolish sense of security before reminding them how unsafe they actually are.
Skull Island boasts many scenes that horrify and surprise in a similar manner, but none of them top the unexpected excellence on full display here.