Alien at the Movies

Echoing the 70's rock & roll sounds from the President Nixon/Vietnam war era, it's super-sized Kong meets mutated "Jurassic Park" meets "Castaway" on "Mysterious Island" with shades of "The Flight of the Phoenix". A man on a secret mission (John Goodman), an obsessed military man (Samuel L. Jackson), a hired tracker (Tom Hiddleston), and a photojournalist (Brie Lawson) journey to explore an uncharted South Pacific island where they meet a seemingly crazy man (John C. Reilly), some colorful natives, a ginormous ape, & some huge freaky prehistoric creatures. Intense run-for-your-life action explodes on to the big screen as this geologic survey team with a hidden agenda threatens to upset the balance of nature on Skull Island. It is a fun massive rumble in the jungle. In this latest version, Kong never leaves the island, but please stay seated until the end of the credits for hints to what's coming next.

Alien gives it 3½ "Monarch" stars out of 4.