The mighty King Kong returns to the big screen in “Kong: Skull Island”, which might just be his best movie since the 1933 original. Intended to be part of the same universe as 2014’s “Godzilla”, “Kong: Skull Island” is a massive step up from that movie by delivering superior characters and more importantly, superior monster action.

In the 1970s, as the Vietnam War is coming to end, a team consisting of scientists and soldiers travels the mysterious Skull Island where they encounter King Kong. However, Kong isn’t the biggest threat on the island as the place is also home to a group of large lizard creatures.

John Goodman (“The Big Lebowski”) plays Bill Randa, a man trying to convince the world that monsters do exist, and he does a really good job. Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”, “Unbreakable”) plays the bitter Colonel Packard and he’s great in the role. Tom Hiddleston (“Thor”) is okay as an ex-S.A.S. man. Brie Larson (“21 Jump Street”) is tolerable as a war photographer. John C. Reilly (“Wreck-It Ralph”) plays a soldier that has been stranded on Skull Island since World War II and he’s actually fairly amusing. King Kong looks very good in this movie but there’s also a ton of other monsters including the lizard creatures and a terrific spider monster. Unlike 2014’s “Godzilla”, where the star monster got little screen time, King Kong gets a reasonable amount in “Kong: Skull Island”.

There are some truly exhilarating action sequences in this movie such as an early one where Kong destroys a ton of helicopters. The film also has a great ‘70s look and feel; it’s largely helped by a great soundtrack that really gets you into the era. Although some will view this as a mere popcorn flick, I had a really fun time watching this movie.