The foolish humans dont exactly tread carefully, and Kongs response is as hair-raising as youd expect.
Its just an undercurrent in this big, popcorn adventure.
Brie Larssons character, Weaver, whos this strong female photographer whos been trying to uncover the truth.
Hes just shepherded them through this extraordinary war, and then he loses them on this seemingly innocuous mission.
He has trouble letting it go.
Its interesting you referenceGodzilla, because theres something about Kong, too, where there are these misunderstood characters.
Its interesting how monster movies can be bent to mean different things in different times.
In the 50s and 60s they tended to represent the nuclear bomb or science run amok.
I get the sense with Skull Island that its more about our lack of respect for nature.
Yeah, and the best genre movies are like a prism to examine our lives and our world.
Again, you might enjoy the experience, and also take something away from it.
In theGodzillawe made later, we tried to have some of that thematic resonance within the movie as well.
They represent something thats more universal and something thats almost aspirational.
Can you talk about how you chose Jordan Vogt-Roberts as director?
The hardest thing with these movies is coming to a take and an approach that feels fresh and distinctive.
Both with Gareth and Jordan, that was the initial thing that got us excited.
Which immediately explains why they havent found Skull Island already, and why theyre finding it now.
And it gave us a fresh visual aesthetic.
I think its interesting how animes coming through in the work of American filmmakers.
I dont know if thats a new thing.
I mean, you have The Matrix.
We grow up on things and they lodge themselves in our imaginations.
I also think these characters have always crossed boundaries.
That was a very different movie than the Ishiro Honda movie.
So theres something about those characters that push past those lines.
And now, were living in a more global world.
Were more aware of different cultures, and they infuse the work.
This is a really distinctive looking film.
How hands-on were you with the storyboarding and pre-visualisation?
That was Jordan working with teams of artists and pre-viz guys.
He brought a really distinctive visual sense to the movie.
We were really excited by that, because wed never seen Kong like that before a very fresh backdrop.
So Im involved with it in that we look at sequences, we talk them over with Jordan.
But Jordan really worked closely with those guys to craft these sequences.
So the helicopter sequence it keeps cutting to the little bobble head of Richard Nixon.
It keeps you rooted, you know where you are.
Its a bit of a wry wink.
Yes, this is horrifying, but you’re able to smile just a little bit here.
Its quite Steven Spielberg, I thought.
Jordan has an attention to detail in those sequences.
It might not mean much if youre a young kid and you dont know who Richard Nixon is.
But its a funny element to watch if youre of our age.
You take something else from it.
There are many ways you could take that line!
I was going to ask you about that, actually.
It seemed so current, I almost wondered whether it was a line you put in later.
The world has had other challenges and other focuses, and Monarch has become less of a priority.
These guys are up against it, and the world is in a turbulent place.
So the line really came out of that it came out of the story.
But it has resonance for people for different reasons.
I get the sense as well that a lot ofSkull Islandwas shot in outdoor locations.
Yeah, Id say 90 percent of it.
We shot in Hawaii, Australia and Vietnam.
We did our stage work in Australia.
In Hawaii we shot a lot of exteriors the hangar where we meet Packard and the Sky Devils.
It hadnt been seen before in a movie like this.
And to be able to give the island that never-seen-before quality was paramount for a movie like this.
Again, we were lucky to have the phenomenal cast we have, because they make it seem effortless.
I think thats one of the things that makes this film, actually the editing is great.
We wanted to have the movie just start off right out of the gate.
Its an adventure movie, its a survival movie, we wanted it to be thrilling and fun.
We very quickly see the group put together and thrust onto this island.
Im guessing youve already started planning the designs and scales of other monsters in the kaiju movie universe.
Is it difficult making a character like, say, Mothra scary to a modern audience?
I cant be specific about who were introducing.
The most challenging thing about it is having them feel authentic to the characters we all know.
Even though theyre different versions of that character, they see a throughline in him.
Kong: Skull Islandis clearly the next step a larger movie universe youre building.
Thats the biggest challenge.
Godzillawas largely set in the present, whileKong: Skull Islands set in the 70s.
Do you think future films will take a similar approach, where theyll alternate between past and present?
Um… the timeline of Monarch and the universe will allow us to play with some of that.
Right now, becauseGodzillare-emerges in the 2014 film, that means the world is now aware of monsters.
Were pushing forward from there, but theres always the chance that we could take a side trip.
So are Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larsson contracted for any more of these films?
Because there are so many blockbusters coming out in any given year now.
Look, its challenging, but its also exciting.
Alex Garcia, thank you very much.
Kong: Skull Islandis out in UK cinemas on the 10th March.
