Another release of Kong: Skull Island to home video. This is a dual DVD and Blu-ray release that was exclusive at Target and is nearly identical to the "standard" Kong: Skull Island Blu-ray set. There are two main differences, though. The first is the cover, which has a different image and also is slightly holographic on the slip case. The second is that there is an added extra feature, a 12 minute "A Terrifying Paradise: Creating Skull Island" bonus.
So this review will cover the Blu-ray, with particular interest paid to the new bonus feature. While it is a full review, it's a bit shorter than normal due to the fact it's identical to the "standard" Blu-ray release in most aspects. As for those interested in the DVD, it does not have the bonus feature and is just the first disc found in the two disc Kong: Skull Island DVD.
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The video quality on this release is superb. Colors are perfect, respecting the color tinting that is used heavily, but looking vibrant when the material allows it. Black levels are also good, not obscuring details but looking deep as well. Speaking of, the movie looks very sharp here, making good use of the high definition presentation.
Kong: Skull Island is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio.
| Audio: |
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This set contains five different audio tracks. Two of these are the normal film audio in English in a 7.1 Dolby Atmos track and a loseless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio presentation. Another English track is a descriptive one, which verbally explains what is happening on screen to aid those who might be sight impaired. The final two tracks are in French and Spanish respectively, both in 5.1 surround.
As for the quality, the Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround tracks are phenomenal. Clarity is great while the surround aspect is done really well, placing the viewer in the middle of the action. This surround aspect is overt right when the movie starts with the aerial dogfight that feels like it's flying around the viewer.
The 2017 movie can be accompanied by removable English, French or Spanish subtitles. For English, these are closed caption tracks that also offers additional cues to aid those who might be hard of hearing.
| Extras: |
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A wealth of bonus material is found in this set. It includes everything found on the earlier Kong: Skull Island blu-ray release and adds in an exclusive, 12 minute extra for this "Target Exclusive" release. This pushes the video bonus content to over an hour now, while there is also a great commentary track too.
First up we will tackle the extra exclusive to this set which is A Terrifying Paradise: Creating Skull Island. This 12 minute extra inserts little interview snippets with the cast and crew as they talk about creating Skull Island through location filming in Hawaii, Australia and Vietnam. What's nice about the bonus feature is that it helps walk the viewer through what scenes were filmed in which locations. It also provides some nice behind the scenes footage as well. My favorite part of it was actually the attention paid to the Iwi villagers, from a design perspective and also how they pulled off the camouflage aspect.
Next we'll tackle the reoccurring extra features looking at the other video material first. Most of these are pretty good. Even weaker ones like "Realizing an Icon", which doesn't go into the depth one would like, at least features some nice concept art. Others like "Summoning a God" are fantastic, going into detail on the special effects and also covering lost concepts. The "On Location: Vietnam" one is a little lacking, though, as it comes off more as a tourism piece rather than offering valuable production information. "Tom Hiddleston: The Intrepid Traveler" walks a similar line, although also covers Hawaii too and is much better as the actor walks through filming in both locations. Next is "Through the Lens: Brie Larson's Photography", where director Jordan Vogt-Roberts talks through the real photos that actress Brie Larson was taking during filming.
These extras are followed up by the "Monarch Files 2.0", which is an in-continuity documentary on Skull Island. It's done in a similar style to the bonus material found on the Godzilla Blu-ray, hence the "2.0". It provides a look at some concept art and also some nice details on the islanders and beasts of the isle. Finally for the video extras there are four deleted scenes. Each of these is very short with no special effects involved. They include:
- An introduction to Colonel Preston Packard
- A scene where James Conrad first meets Packard
- A sequence where Packard wakes up Reles after the crash
- Extended scene in the bamboo forest before the Mother Longlegs attacks
As a side note, the video extras are all in English although have options for English, French or Spanish subtitles.
Last up on the disc we have the the commentary track first with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. The commentary track is fantastic, as Vogt-Roberts feels very open about talking about his inspirations and decision process while letting the viewer get a bit of feeling about him as well. It's one of the better commentary tracks I have heard from a director for their own film.
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Overall, this release takes an already amazing Blu-ray and tosses in one more extra. For fans trying to decide which to get, this set is worth a minor premium for, like a couple extra dollars. Checking Amazon it's still readily available too, just have to be careful of getting this particular edition and not the one without the added extra feature. As for fans who already have the "standard" Blu-ray edition, the extra feature is cool but it's not worth rebuying the Blu-ray for.
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