Source: Netflix
Overall: 8.4/10
Story 8.9/10
Annie grew up in the wild and has a monster that she calls Dog. She makes her escape from a ship of her captors and winds up on a ship of explorers. But they’re all caught up in a war for the throne of Skull Island between a Kraken-like sea monster and King Kong.
This is a very uptempo story. There’s a lot of action. But the story and character development don’t suffer for it. There’s an interesting mix of characters in the show, from the humans to the kaiju. It makes for some very entertaining exchanges between the characters and reveals their complexity.
Source: Netflix
Character 8.7/10
Annie is literally a wild child. But that’s what she’s had to become to make it in the harsh environment where she lives. It's kill or be killed. That’s how she’s survived. And that’s how she looks at the world. And until she meets Mike and Charlie, with the exception of her father, she’s never cared for anyone other than Dog. So Dog isn’t an animal to her. He’s a companion. And she treats him as an equal.
Mike doesn’t think he’s smart enough to go to college. He sees his current life as an adventurer as the only route that’s open to him.
Charlie wants to be normal. He’s had his fill of adventure. He’s never had normal. And of course, his normal includes lots of beautiful girls. He is an adolescent boy after all. At any rate, the most normal thing he can think of for kids his age is the age-old rite of passage: college.
Dog is a super smart monster. He loves Annie and will do anything to protect her. For him, it's he and Annie against the world.
Cap is an adventurer. The world is full of wonders. And he wants to experience them all. He can’t see any other way to live. He has happiness. In Cap's mind, people go to college to find this state of bliss. So why go to college when you already have it?
Irene is a bit selfish. That's understandable, given her relations. But she is uber-rich and will do anything to get what she wants.
Sam is somewhat of an emotional crutch for Irene. They seem relatively close. But the story intimates that they’ve been through many of the same things. This viewer hopes that we find out more about Sam in the next season. Outside of his emotional role, he seems like one part of a brewing love triangle as one of Irene's suitors.
King Kong is like most kings. He’s arrogant and entitled. It winds up costing him something precious. His grief nearly breaks him.
Kraken senses weakness in Kong. He taunts him whenever he gets the chance. He’s incredibly smart. But there is nothing remotely redeemable about this fiend that kills indiscriminately and without warning.
Source: Netflix
Animation 7.5/10
The animation is skillful. It serves the quiet moments of storytelling and some really cool action segments.
Final Thoughts
Great storytelling, complex characters and skillful animation allow this series to surpass its live-action namesake.
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