The antihero is always an experimental proposition in storytelling, simply because it is difficult to find the right balance to make the character worth your while. If the character is too dark and too angry, few can identify with him or her and they drive the audience away. If the character is too far on the light side if you will, the story and the gravitas that the antihero was supposed to bring forth...is simply lost. 

In my travels there have only been a handful of antihero stories that manage to pull it off perfectly, and one of my all-time favorites ended up coming forth from the early Marvel Cinematic Universe when Thomas Jane became the iconic and dark character Frank Castle...a man also known as The Punisher. 

Frank Castle is finally free of a world of crime as he says goodbye to his career as an FBI agent after working one final and ugly case, one so extreme his death was faked to protect his identity. But this last case also saw the death of crime boss Howard Saint's son and in his anguish,  he spends plenty of money to find out that Castle was involved in his son's death, and is still alive. As Frank prepares to enjoy retirement and has a party with his family...Saint's goons strike, killing everyone that Frank has ever loved and leaving him for dead. But Frank has managed to survive the assault and with his life in tatters, and nothing left to lose Frank will have his revenge and make sure that Howard Saint and everyone around him will suffer a great and grand punishment for all of their crimes. 

​So, let's get this out in the open...I have no idea why this particular film got such a bad rap when it first came out, because it was lambasted by critics and well...abandoned by fans and I find that unfortunate because I freaking loved this motion picture. It was so gritty, so dark and man, Thomas Jane absolutely nailed the part of Frank Castle/The Punisher. He played the role with a gravity and pain that the character was missing from its 1989 iteration and that performance alone sold the film for me. 

But my love for this film goes beyond just Thomas' performance, John Travolta is equally as impressive as the villainous Howard Saint, bringing a zest and zeal to the role that allows for the right amount of over the top to balance out the sheer darkness of Frank Castle. Beyond that, the story is solid, you feel for Frank the entire film. It's brutal to watch his family fall before your eyes, and his journey into darkness is equally as harrowing, making for an amazing story and quite frankly one of the finest Marvel films out there.

If anything, part of me wonders now if this motion picture is what inspired Marvel to return the character to his dark roots on Netflix, since some of the bleakness found here made its way there, and if it did, well I consider that to be a good thing when all is said and done, since this character shines when he is battling that powerful conflict within. If by chance you haven't seen this particular film, check it out, and if you haven't watched it in years, revisit it. It's one that I think has aged well and it definitely gave the Punisher the justice the character deserves. 

I am a firm believer that searching for the truth behind things is the best way to learn what has been done. I have found several times that the information behind what I have been looking for is not what I wanted to know, but I do feel better about finding out the real story. Often times, doing this leads to disappointment, but why should that be? Knowing the truth is so much better than believing a fabricated story. In your search for answers, just know that it may not all be butterflies and rainbows when you find out what you really wanted to know, you could dig up something much darker that will change your outlook on things.

William Cassidy has been running his blog for many years, but it did not start until he first reported being abducted.  After this happened, William has wanted to get his story out there for anyone that will read it, but he knows there is something behind this activity. Waking up in foreign places without knowing how he has gotten there, William knows that he was not left alone, he has something left in him from his trip. Wanting to get his life back from the aliens that have placed him under some sort of spell, William takes many steps to ensure that he will be free from their control, but things get worse when a solar flare is making its way to earth.

Joe Sullivan is looking to make a name for himself and receiving an email from the famed William Cassidy inviting him up for an interview could be the greatest thing that has ever happened to him. Being a blogger himself, Joe wants to unlock the truth behind William’s story and what actually happened to him. Bringing his video camera with him, Joe is ready to record an interview, but on this night, he will capture so much more. As a strange explosion takes place outside of William’s cabin, Joe is looking for hard evidence of life from another world and will be famous, even if cyberspace is the only place where people can witness it all. Investigating the crash site, Joe and William have to fight for their lives when they realize a being from another planet is trying to hunt them down. 

Dr. Tobin wants answers when she has been able to secure William for questioning. As all of his blogs have been carefully monitored over the years, she is a believer that he is on the level, but when her team arrived at the crash site, they were not able to recover anything. Subjecting William to all sorts of torture that has worked during her investigations in the past, she is sure that she will be able to find the answers as to what has happened, but what she does not know is that she is being watched as well. As her soldiers are taken out and the night is nearing its end, Dr. Tobin gets to talk to her greatest foe, an alien that wants nothing more to kill her, but when she receives word that another visitor is coming to her station, she knows that her time is limited. 

This is a great take on aliens and what they are actually doing to people when they are abducted. It is hard to say if it is right or not, as I have never been one of the people that has been able to interact with the little green men, but it could be what they are doing. Although the story jumps around quite a bit and messes with the time lines, it works for the story that it is trying to tell. I will tell you one thing, if I witness an UFO crash in the middle of nowhere, I am booking it as far away as possible. Not knowing what means the government will go through to get the answers that it wants, it may be safer to not be there, so they cannot try their different questioning tactics on you. I enjoyed the movie, but a forewarning, you have to pay attention to the background while it is playing, since you will miss something that will leave you wondering how or why something happened when the story all comes together.

I still remember that it was a huge deal for me that I got to see this movie the day it came out. Because, that’s something that really doesn’t happen anymore, but this one looked like a lot of fun from the previews. So, I made sure to catch an early showing on Friday, because, why not?

Lucy, from what I gathered prior to seeing the movie, was about a young woman being exposed to a drug that allowed her to use the full capacity of her brain. Well, as someone with an extensive background in psychology, we do use 100% of our brains. That being said, interesting concept for a movie. 

It’s set in China and our main character seems to be a bit of a party girl. One thing leads to another and she ends up with an experimental drug shoved into her stomach. Somehow, it breaks. And the effects are something utterly astonishing. Lucy is in control of more than just her brain, but her entire body. As it goes on she gains more and more control. Only, the guys who put the drug in her, aren’t too happy when they find out she never made it to her delivery point.

Along the way, Lucy has to learn to adapt to her new powers and find a way to stop this drug from being leaked. Then again, if I had the chance to stop and fast-forward through time and space, I totally would. Being able to change one’s appearance also sounds fun. Lucy does get some help, but she doesn’t really need it.

With that, I’m not going to spoil any more for you guys. The plot line is solid, and for the most part, it’s very well told. I’m always a fan of Scarlett and of course Morgan Freeman makes everything better. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some are in between. Personally, I loved this movie. The ending was something I half expected but it was done in a completely unique way. I recommend giving this a shot. 

When you take a moment to reflect upon motion pictures as a whole, one comes to realize that they really only serve one true purpose, to keep us entertained. After all they make us laugh, they make us cry but when the end credits come to a close we are returned to the wonder of our daily lives, mindful of the fact that it's only a movie.

But while that's a colder and more baseline view of film, we all know that sometimes they can mean so much more to us on a personal level. Movies can reach us on a fundamental plane we never knew existed within us. They can inspire us, and change our lives and sometimes, a filmmaker can toy with the medium and create a motion picture that serves as an actual piece of living art that becomes a special and unique experience, as was the case with the 1998 release of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Now the plot for this particular film, is quite the simple one to say the least. We are introduced to an eccentric drug enthusiast, Raoul Duke. He's a writer with an assignment that will take him and his best friend/lawyer Dr. Gonzo out Las Vegas way where little work will be done, but plenty of drugs will be consumed and wild shenanigans are to follow and well, while that plot is not one that everyone will enjoy, this is still a wonderful and entertaining film that keeps the hardcore base of fans that love Hunter S. Thompson's novel of the same name happy, while giving cinephiles a unique film experience.

Now we won't spend any time talking about the deeper meaning of the story itself. Yes, there is plenty of subtext to be found in the tale to dissect, but this is a story that has been picked apart and analyzed for ages, so instead...let's talk about one big thing here, the fact that this motion picture truly is a work of living art. Director Terry Gilliam, known for his proclivity to create a visual feast for his fans on film, out does himself on this one. He has created a wild and waking nightmare on screen, where we in essence step into Duke's mind, and see the incredible things happening in his brain and while one would expect that to be disturbing and unwholesome because 'drugs' are involved, it's actually quite fascinating simply due to the fact, I can't really think of any other directors that have tried such a feat and also because, it draws you into the story.  You're now part of Duke, able to share his experiences and just like that...you're part of a world of debauchery and there's no escaping until the screen fades to black.

But the amazing visuals don't end there. Gilliam uses all kinds of spectacular color techniques to give every frame life, as though Duke sees the world through different eyes than the rest of us. Neon is brighter, the desert has a new life to it and that's really why this is one of my all time favorite films. It's not about a deeper meaning or a powerful script, it's simply about transporting us to another time, and another place to live a life that few of us know. It's an experience and when you couple that with incredible performances from Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro, you're left with an outright masterpiece, living art if you will, and a motion picture that is simply unlike any other. If you haven't seen this one, do so and go in with zero expectations so that you're able to appreciate a true modern classic that brings to life the strangest parts of our imagination.

​As you all know by now, X-Men will always have a special place in my heart. It's a large part of my childhood, and something I still cherish more than anything. I should share that I've not read this comic, yet, but that's okay. The best thing about Marvel movies is you don't have to have read the comics, or even really see the previous movies, to appreciate what happens. This movie does just that. If you've seen all the previous movies, that's wonderful, and if you haven't, that's okay too! The way this film was set up, it managed to tie everything they've done up to this point into a nice little neat package.

Days of Future Past is set in a stark, dismal, time. Sentinels have taken over, and they're not just killing mutants anymore, but humans. Those in charge are the kind of men that should never know power, and our heroes are on the verge of being wiped out. In one of the first scenes, we see all but two die horribly. Only to have everyone show up, alive, and well, not too soon after. As it turns out, ShadowCat, or Kitty Pryde, has the ability to not only walk through walls, but to send the consciousness of a person back in time. This ability is limited to a short time because of how hard it is on their mind. Kitty and their group meet with Wolverine, the Professor, Magneto, and Storm. Once Kitty explains what she can do, the Professor decides that it's time one of them goes back and stops all of this from ever happening. Wolverine volunteers; his healing factor allows his mind to stay intact so he's a great candidate to send back. He's faced with finding a younger Charles and Eric, to stop Raven from ever killing the creator of the Sentinels. 

A seemingly easy task. However, the younger Charles is in no mood to hear this. He's also up and walking about, thanks to a serum Hank made. It gives him back his legs but takes away his powers. Something Charles is alright with. Eric, is in a prison cell under the Pentagon, and Mystique, is saving as many mutants as she can from being killed and/or experimented on. It looks like Wolverine is going to have his hands full trying to convince everyone to go along with this plan. Once Hank and Charles are finally onboard, they go and visit an eventual old friend of Logan's. Peter decides to help them, and it's a good thing he does too. Being the fastest being alive, Peter, a.k.a. Quicksilver turns out to be a very useful friend to have. Still, he's just a kid, but he does help them free Eric, and then save them from a painful death. Finally, united, things should go smoothly from here. Stopping Mystique from killing is the first thing to do. In Wolverine's future, after she kills, she's captured, tortured, and killed. But, it is her very DNA that makes the Sentinels unstoppable. They adapt to whatever mutant powers they're exposed to. Knowing this, Eric decides that killing Mystique would be the best option. He fails of course.
 
The group is separated, but Charles finally comes to his senses and choses to help with his powers rather than have the ability to walk. He tries talking to Mystique, appealing to the Raven he knows. Eric, in the meantime, thinks it's a good idea to put metal into the Sentinels. They all meet in Washington D.C. as President Nixon prepares to introduce the Sentinels. Raven is going to take the opportunity to murder the man she's been after this entire time, but of course, Magneto has to steal the show. With a show of his power, he takes over the Sentinels, nearly kills Charles, again, and sends Wolverine into the nearest body of water. Things in the future are looking bleaker as Sentinels close in on the remaining mutants. One by one they're plucked off, until all that remains are a dying Magneto, the Professor, Kitty and Logan.

In the past, Logan is busy drowning and not dying, while Charles finally convinces Raven to do the right thing and not kill. She does stop Eric, though, and spares lives before leaving. The Sentinel program is canceled. Logan wakes to a different future. One where he's a teacher at the school. Jean and Scott are both alive…and it seems that for once, all has worked out well. This movie undid everything the previous movies have done, essentially, and gave it a sort of reboot. I have to say, I was utterly impressed with this film. If you get a chance, you should check it out, because it is one of my favorites for this franchise and it does not disappoint. With an amazing cast, great humor, and amazing tension, this movie is easily the best in the series.

Often, when books get translated into movies there are changes. Certain parts of the book get left out, while others are taken and turned into elements that do not match the original written work at all. In the case of Catching Fire, however, the film was as close to the book as humanly possible. Anything that was left out, was not noticed until after the film’s end.  Of course, there were some changes. As the book is written in the first-person point of view of Katniss, we can only speculate what happens between the Game Maker and the President. That being said, this movie was incredible. At times, it was hard to watch with its emotionally charged scenes. Yet, still, it was amazing.

I really enjoyed what they did with the first movie, and I have to say I'm blown away by the second. The movie starts off with Katniss and Peeta having returned to District 12. It's been a year and the two are about to go on their tour of the other 11 districts and then the Capital before finally getting to go back home. Tensions are already high because of the last Hunger Games. So, it's no surprise when President Snow shows up at the Everdeen home to have some private words with Katniss. As far as bad guys go, President Snow ranks pretty high up there (next to the Governor or Negan from The Walking Dead). He's doesn't believe the love between Katniss and Peeta was real. But the people of Panem do. He wants her to convince the people in the Districts that their love is real. Otherwise her family, Peeta's, and Gale's, might not live to see the end of this tour.

First stop on their District tour is District 11! Home of Rue and Thresh. Katniss protected Rue and Thresh saved Katniss after Rue died in the first Movie/Book. Also, this is weird for them because people are not allowed to travel between Districts. And only Tributes are allowed to leave the District to participate in the Games and see the Capital. Anyway! Here, Peeta gives a heartfelt speech and declares that he and Katniss want to give one month of their winnings to Thresh and Rue's families, every year, for the rest of their lives (or something). Katniss gives a heartfelt speech about how awesome Rue was…and then all of District 11, Katniss and Peeta, give the three-fingered salute…this is when the peace keepers intervene, and shoot the old man from the crowd that started it.

​This, is how the tour starts off. There's unrest in the Districts, revolution is brewing in the air. The only ones who care about Peeta and Katniss are the Capital. Even an engagement announcement isn't enough to stop it. To top it off it is the 75th year since the beginning of the Hunger Games, making it the third Quarter Quell. But, as luck would have it, President Snow decides it's time for Katniss to be killed, once and for all. So, instead of regular tributes, the Games require the tributes to be the previous victors from the previous Games….which means Katniss is chosen no matter what since she's the only female victor from District 12.

And so her and Peeta are off to the games again. Katniss loves Peeta, and Gale, because no story is complete without a love triangle. They try everything to get out of doing the Games again. All the tributes complain about having to go again. Peeta even tries saying Katniss is pregnant. Nothing works, and let the Games begin. Katniss and Peeta make friends with Beetee, Wires, Mags, Finnick and Johanna. But, never get attached. Mags sacrifices herself so that Finnick and Katniss can help save Peeta; Wires is stabbed and killed. But Beetee, Finnick, Peeta and Katniss live. At the end, Katniss uses Beetee's wire, wraps it around a tree, and shoots the arrow into the sky, just as the tree is struck by lightning. The arrow pierces a force field that has encompassed the Games, which are taking place in a dome, and the lightning charged wire, shorts it out. Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick pass out from the blast. When Katniss awakes, she finds herself on a transport ship. Finnick, the Game Maker, and Haymitch are talking not too far from where she is. 

They're on their way to District 13; which was not destroyed as everyone has been told. Peeta and Johanna were not rescued in time, they're back at the Capital. Haymitch reveals that the plan was always to get Katniss out; she is their Mockingjay, the symbol of the rebellion. By the end, I remember that the entire theater clapped (which is something rarely seen nowadays and why it sticks in my mind) and everyone cheered, and there’s a good reason for that, this is a great adaptation of the novel. 

Admittedly, I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw the preview. The story of Sleeping Beauty is not one I really liked growing up. I didn't hate it, per se, I just didn't care for it as much as others. So (I think 'so' is my catch phrase. I sure start enough sentences with it!), when I saw they'd made a live action version of the beloved Disney classic I grew up with, I had my reservations, but gave it a look. Because, Disney.

As it turns out, I was completely blown away. The story isn't about villains and heroes. It's about people and actions. It's about love, betrayal, greed, kindness, and so much more than I thought. The story follows Maleficent, as the title says. We get to see her side of things. Giving a well-known villain a back story was quite interesting. They handled transitions perfectly, with no unnecessary exposition. It went straight in and led us through Maleficent's life. Turns out, she was a fairy, a powerful one at that, who protected her magical home from the greed of men. A king didn't care for that and demanded she be killed. Only, a childhood friend, her first love, chose not to kill her. Stung with the betrayal, Maleficent curses his child.

The rest of the story is history, right? Aurora is sent to live with three fairies attempting to be human while protecting her. She meets a prince, falls in love, and still is hit with the curse. Pricking her finger and falling into a sleep like death. All the elements are there, only the fairies didn't do such a great job at raising the child, so Maleficent kind of stepped in…not really wanting the child to die. As she gets older, Aurora finally confronts the supposedly evil fairy that's been following her all her life. Only, she's convinced that Maleficent is her Fairy God Mother. She makes fast friends and worms her way into a scorned heart. The young princess does meet her prince, Philip does make an appearance, but not in the way I thought he would.

And when it comes down to it, evil is not born, but made. True love is not always what we thought. I'm not going to give spoilers, I know this movie has been out for ages but I really feel that it deserves to be seen rather than reviewed in full detail. It's a movie I was genuinely surprised to love as much as I did, and I am glad I gave it a chance.

​In this era of remakes and reboots, I’ve often found myself to be quite tolerant of them, simply due to the fact that these new iterations can inspire people to seek out the original story and enjoy the wonder that it provides, but I do have to admit that my tolerance has its limits. Personally, I feel that there are some stories out there that were in fact perfection upon release and revamping them is the cinematic form of blasphemy and one such franchise that I feel falls into that category is the 1970’s TV series, CHiPs.
 
Now, I’m certain a few of you out there just rolled your eyes over having me use the word ‘perfection’ in conjunction with the title of a show about motorcycle cops but hear me out for a moment. Because by no means do I think the show itself was perfect. It was hammy, cheesy and goofy and fun, and it perfectly fit the zeitgeist of the times by focusing the on the 70’s mantra of keeping life loose and silly and really, it was lightning in a bottle. No one will ever be able to re-capture that slice of time like the series did, nor should they make an attempt to, but it certainly didn’t stop Hollywood from trying and failing miserably to do so with the 2017 release of CHIPS.
 
With that being said, let’s get this out in the open right now, this is a bad motion picture, but not for the reasons you might think. Because often times when a remake is panned, it’s due to the fact that it is too radical a departure from the original material, and while there are definitely some big changes here to the CHiPs universe since Ponch technically isn’t even Ponch, that’s the least of the film’s problems, and one of those glaring issues is the fact that this movie is clueless as to what it wants to be. Is it a comedy? A police drama? An action flick? I honestly have no idea because all of those elements are present in this film in jumbled order and well, that confusion alone should serve as a solid reason as to why this movie turned out so rough, but there are other issues that overshadow that one, like the fact that the movie is unoriginal through and through.
 
There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before and that just makes for a boring experience, and to make matters worse, this movie borrows from just about every single police story out there. Just pick a trope, or a memorable moment from your favorite police related tales and you’ll spot it on screen and perhaps the greatest crime of all that this film commits, is the fact that the comedy elements here are woefully unfunny. Sure, there are a few chuckle worthy moments, but when one considers that this film was marketed as a comedy, it’s a problem when the jokes don’t land and worst of all…it relies heavily on homophobic humor and outright dick jokes to get a laugh out of the audience and none of it works in the slightest.
 
Which is a shame, because this movie features a fantastic cast composed of veteran comedians and dramatic talent and all of them are wasted in this mess of a story and really, while it would be easy to blame the writer and director of this film, Dax Shepard, who also plays Jon Baker, I think the onus here has to be placed upon the studio. Because there is no way that a show that truly embodied the 70’s could have ever been brought into the 21st Century without some serious work on the script and well, that’s the real issue here, the fact that this is a story that was rushed into production and the end result is an utter catastrophe. So really, avoid this one at all costs and if you’re curious about CHiPs and what it’s all about, just stick to the original, you’ll be glad you did. 

Disney has done it again! Another, new, exciting adventure awaits in the world of Frozen. I have to say, before I saw the movie, I didn't know a lot about what was going on. I hadn't seen many trailers and was not entirely sure what the plot was about. I kinda liked that. I had no idea what to expect when seeing this movie, and boy, was I blown away.

We start with a royal family in a magical land. Two princess sisters, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), are seen playing. As it turns out, Elsa has magical ice/snow powers and can create ice and snow out of nowhere. In an accident, she grazed Anna's head, with a blast of her ice magic, knocking the girl unconscious and causing a blonde stripe of hair against the brown. The parents rush the children off to see magical Trolls. With the magic of the elder, he heals Anna and gives a prophecy that Elsa's powers will only grow stronger. She can control them, but if she embraces fear, they'll run wild. Before Anna wakes, the Troll removes her memories of Elsa's powers. The parents decide this is for the best and keep Elsa away from Anna. As they grow, Elsa and Anna hardly ever see each other. Elsa's powers grow worse; unable to even touch things without frosting them over. She starts wearing gloves. 

The parents die on a trip overseas. On the day of Elsa's coronation as Queen, Anna meets Prince Hans. The two have a lovely duet and are 'in love'. Anna asks Elsa for her blessing and the Queen says no. In a fury of emotions, Anna rips of her glove and fights her sister; during the fight Elsa's overcome with emotion and her powers make themselves known. Accused of witchcraft, terrified, and heart broken, Elsa flees to the mountains. However, her magic casts a harsh winter over the land. Anna leaves to find her. Here she meets the ice tracker Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer Sven, who agrees (begrudgingly) to take her up the mountain. Along the way they meet a live, talking, snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad) from Anna's childhood. They find Elsa, who wants to be left alone. A burst of emotion sends her ice magic out and a bit of it hits Anna in the chest.

Soon after, we learn that Anna's heart is frozen, soon she'll turn to ice, frozen forever; only an act of true love will break the curse. Kristoff rushes her back to Hans, her fiancé. Hans, however, is not all he seems. With Anna's sickness getting worse, he reveals that he never loved her, was planning to kill her, and was only going to marry her for the throne. He leaves Anna to die, while he and a few men go after Elsa, to capture her and kill her as well. Anna, however, isn't so easily taken out. Olaf shows up and helps her get warm. Hans does capture Elsa, by tricking her into thinking she killed Anna. ​

Elsa, though, breaks free of her bonds and flees the castle. Anna, escapes too. The storm outside worsens. Anna is getting sicker, barely able to walk, and Kristoff is on his way to save her, with a kiss of true love. It's here I thought that Disney was going to be all, well, Disney about everything, but they weren't. Anna sees Elsa nearby, Hans behind her, ready to strike with his sword, and Kristoff is getting closer. Anna makes a choice. She lunges in front of Hans, turning to ice just before he can kill Elsa. The blast of magic sends the lying prince flying back, and Anna is left standing; a frozen statue. Elsa breaks down even more, clinging to her sister.

The selfless act of sacrifice, a true act of love in saving her sister, breaks the curse and Anna returns to normal. Hans is sent back to his kingdom in chains; Kristoff is made the official ice trader to the palace; Olaf gets a permanent snow cloud over head, and Elsa remains Queen. Her powers free, and known, and shared with her kingdom. A happy ending, without a complete love story. Nobody gets married, just a nice ending. I had the honor of seeing this with my family. I got to sit next to my awesome sister, Jadyn. So, for me, this was a nice, heartwarming, family story about the bond of sisters. I really enjoyed the film and thought Disney did an excellent job. They've broken out of the classic mold and told a new type of love story. The bond of family is a love that never dies.

It does not seem to matter what year it is, we are always finding out something new about our planet. While we are expanding our searches to outer space and trying to find another planet that could house life on it, we still know very little about the ground we live on. It is hard to imagine that this could be, but we continue to find and catalog new species of creatures and it does not seem to be slowing down. While we are looking to the stars to try and figure out what we will do in the future, it is nice that some scientists are still looking down here as well, and maybe we will get a clue as to what our next step should be.
​
As the space program has taken off and satellites are now surrounding the globe, the government is starting to see that there are more islands than they could have imagined that are still unexplored. Wanting to capitalize on this to keep his company afloat, Bill Randa is ready to make another pitch to his senator to try and prove that monsters exist. With a new satellite image of Skull Island in hand, Randa is able to bargain his way to another government funded project to map the terrain, but he is looking for much more than that. Knowing that he will need someone to help lead the expedition to the island if things go awry, he is able to convince a former SAS agent in James Conrad to come along for the ride.

With the Vietnam War coming to an end, Colonel Packard is reflecting on what he and his men accomplished on their latest outing when he gets a call from a higher up. Basically, being a babysitter to scientists, he is happy that his men will get one more outing before heading home for good. Getting into the briefing room and finding out that he and his men will be bombing the island from above seems nice for his soldiers, some of who are still looking for action. But not knowing what the island is really housing may be a problem for the under prepared military unit.

Hearing about an expedition into the unknown, photo journalist Mason Weaver is able to get herself invited on to document the event. Not being greeted with open arms because she is a woman, she is able to put the men at ease with her background and ability to survive in terrible conditions. Not knowing what to expect, she soon finds herself in the mix with the men on their way to Skull Island and starts to photograph things that no living man has ever seen before. As the groups make their way through a thunderstorm to the island, they see a world that time has forgotten, but maybe it was for the better.
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Getting their munitions runs underway, Houston Brooks is shocked to see that the island is on a hollow plate like he once proposed. Hearing this, Randa is excited, but the celebration is short lived as a giant monkey comes out of the mist and takes out all of the helicopters. As the groups are separated, they both have different things on their minds as Conrad and his group want to make their way back to the extraction point, while Packard and his men are looking for revenge against the giant beast that just killed a chunk of their unit. While both treks are taking them to different parts of the island, they are shocked to see the horrors that lay before them and the oversized creatures that are roaming around them. Not knowing who is friend or foe, the groups find out the hard way that this might be the last stop for them unless they are able to make it off of the island before their time runs out.

Every once in a while it is nice to see a monster movie just come right out and show the beast and that is what this one does. With Kong being front and center when Skull Island is under attack, you get to see the ripped gorilla show how badass he really is. Then continuing through the adventures of the groups, you get to see more oversized creatures that could be the stuff of nightmares, depending on what you are afraid of. The two different storylines come together in the third act when they make the decision to go looking for a missing soldier, which causes a massive power struggle on what to do next. While you get shot around to different parts of the island and get to know some fun characters, you see how respect seems to be a common barrier between man and beast. With plenty of oversized creatures, ugly birds, an unforgiving landscape, making new friends, a power struggle and a King who does not want to lose his domain, if you are looking for a movie filled with action and monsters, this one is it and now I cannot wait to see what happens with the King Kong vs. Godzilla movie, because we will be getting a ripped monster in Kong and a much fatter Godzilla and that combination will be filled with surprises. Should be a good time.