Kong Skull Island 4K 2017 Ultra HD 2160p REMUX

In 1971 a team of explorers and soldiers travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific, unaware that they are crossing into the domain of monsters, including the mythic Kong.

Kong Skull Island 4K (2017) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX Review
Kong: Skull Island was completed on a digital intermediate at 2K, thereby imposing a now-familiar limit on the ability of UHD presentation to reveal increased detail. Indeed, with K:SI there's even less room for improvement, because the standard Blu-ray is so superbly sharp and detailed. The benefits to be found on Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD are attributable more to HDR encoding than to 4K up-conversion, and the CGI creations are a prime example. Kong's delicately rendered fur is more subtly shaded and finely textured, although he has to be standing still for the differences to stand out. The giant spider creature with snapping crab claws that attacks the expedition from above the tree line is noticeably more detailed and defined—and even gooier when it's finally brought down. The massive squid that attacks Kong (and discovers what a mistake that is) features more variegated shades of brown on its tentacles and body, and the tentacle suckers are more individuated. The reptilian skin of the Skull Crawlers exhibits more variations in texture (and it's even more repellent).

Creatures aren't the only HDR beneficiary. Superior contrast renders many of the film's expansive tableaus noticeably sharper, especially those that have been extended with CG. Prime examples include the fog-shrouded mass grave of creatures killed by the Skull Crawlers and the interior of the wrecked ship where the Iwi record their history in a mosaic of totems. An occasional scene jumps out with added highlights, e.g., when Weaver is knocked into the river during Kong's battle with the Skull Crawler queen; the daylight above the water is brighter and more intense on the UHD. As for the extraordinary location photography, that was already breathtaking on Blu-ray, and there's little the UHD can add to make it more so.

The legendary King Kong returns in an all new adventure that gives the classic tale a much needed update and new setting. Unlike Perter Jackson's retelling of the original Black and White film, "Kong: Skull Island" eschews the old for the new and in doing so breathes a much needed new life and vitality into the franchise.

The film is set in 1973 when William Randa (John Goodman), informs the government that they have detected a previously unknown island and need to investigate it before the Soviets learn of it and beat them to whatever the island my hold.

William recruits a team which includes a former British officer named James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), and Photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), to assist his team lead by Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins), in mapping the island.

William also asks for a military escort and the government enlists Lt. Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), and his team to accompany the mission. Packard is trying to find his place in the world as he and his helicopter combat team are dealing with the recent end of the Vietnam War. His men are looking forward to going home and resuming their lives, but a dour Packard jumps at the chance for another mission over the uncertainty of the future.

Upon arriving on the mysterious island and starting their survey mission by using seismic charges, the team attract the attention of Kong who is not at all pleased with the intrusion on his island. Kong makes short work of the copters and the team finds themselves scattered about the dangerous island. They soon learn that Kong is not the only danger on the island and must find a way to rejoin each other and make it to their extraction point alive.

Naturally some of the characters have a hidden agenda and there are dangerous and action around every corner. Further complicating matters is the appearance of Marlow (John C. Reilly), a downed WWII pilot who has been stranded on the island for 23 years and warns of dangers far greater than Kong that are ahead of the team.

The film combines a solid cast with state of the art special effects to take a new twist on the standard adventure fare. While many parts of the film remain silly Popcorn entertainment, the quality of the assembled cast allows the film to move beyond being just an assembly of potential victims for a menagerie of CGI creatures to dispatch. While the story is more in lines with the linear and thin plots of adventure films of old, the sum of the parts does add up to an enjoyable film experience for those who like the giant creature films. You will want to make sure to stay after the credits as there is a very good scene that shows a setup for a future film that had those in attendance at our press screening cheering.

The film may be a bit intense for younger viewers but if you are looking for a touch of nostalgia and action, you may find the film just what you need.

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (52.0 Mb/s)
Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD with Dolby Atmos 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Croatian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Tamil: Dolby Digital 5.1
Telugu: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish.