film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Pure joy. It is singing and dancing, life and love, food and family, heritage and community in all its complexity. Harnesses Golden Age Hollywood verve and style in breathtaking, enrapturing ways.
Boiled down to its bonkers essence, Skull Island is a Vietnam war movie with monsters, a retro analog vibe, and a dash of both Moby-Dick and The X-Files.
The seething rage radiating from the screen elevates this above similar movies. But that rage is truncated in ways that are hard to ignore.
