This was an interesting remake of the familiar Kong story.  I loved how we don’t have to wait until the movie was half over to catch a glimpse of Kong, we get to see him right from the beginning.  Everyone knows the basic story:  people come to the mysterious Skull Island, find the legendary beast, there is a pretty girl involved, and then mayhem ensues.  But this movie adds some interesting twists and avoids the classic Beauty and the Beast theme.  It turns out Kong is really protecting us from some bad creatures who have the capacity to overrun the world and destroy humanity in the process.  The cast is excellent. John Goodman plays Bill Randa, a scientist who believes there is ‘something’ to be found on the island, and he wants to find it, though not for the most altruistic reasons of course.  Samuel L. Jackson is perfect as the too gung-ho Army officer leading the troops escorting the mission to Skull Island. Tom Hiddelston and Brie Larson really don’t have that much to do as the tracker and the photographer.  Larson does get a brief scene with Kong, but it is quite different and very subdued compared to previous outings.  John C. Reilly adds some comic relief as a WWII pilot who was shot down over the island and is more than ready to get back home.  The special effects are pretty amazing; we saw this in 3D and so should you.  If you go, stay to the very end of the movie to see a teaser for a likely sequel.  By the way, any movie that features Credence Clearwater Revival singing “Run Through the Jungle” can’t be all bad.