Brie Larson Joins A Host Of Marvel Stars In This Monster-Sized Blockbuster Streaming Hit
Brie Larson joins several other MCU actors in Kong: Skull Island, which is currently streaming as #6 on HBO Max.
Fun fact: there have been a total of 12 King Kong movies created, 10 that were made in Hollywood and two that were made in Japan. Of these 12, the most famous is the original (made in 1933), the Peter Jackson remake in 2005, and the star-studded reboot of 2017, Kong: Skull Island. This latest version of the monster-gorilla action movie stars three Marvel alums—Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, and Samuel L. Jackson—and it is currently the sixth most popular movie on HBO Max, according to FlixPatrol.
Kong: Skull Island serves as the second film in Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse. It comes after Godzilla (2014) and before Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), and the unflatteringly titled Godzilla and Kong sequel set to release in 2024. Brie Larson plays Mason Weaver, an anti-Vietnam War photographer in the film.
Brie Larson’s Weaver is one of many who have been recruited by Bill Randa (John Goodman), the head of a U.S. government organization called Monarch, who aims to find primeval creatures on the newly discovered Skull Island. Along with Weaver, Randa recruits an army unit led by Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and former British Special Air Service Captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston). As the group travels to Skull Island, they will uncover never-before-seen lore about King Kong, as well as a plethora of other prehistoric (and bloodthirsty) creatures.
Kong: Skull Island drew in a large audience both in the US and internationally (which probably had something to do with Brie Larson and the other MCU actors involved with the picture). However, it was not a major box-office success. The film had to bring in at least $500 million worldwide to break even, and though it made $566.7 million, Kong: Skull Island did not make a significant profit.
Critics were particularly happy with Kong: Skull Island, especially considering it was yet another remake of a classic monster film. While it would have been very easy for director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to fail at this recreation, the common consensus is that Kong: Skull Island has a fast-paced, action-packed story, beautiful scenery and special effects, and great acting by the main trio, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Tom Hiddleston. Overall, the film is considered Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes after having received a 75 percent approval rating from critics and a 69 percent enjoyment rating from movie-watchers.
When Brie Larson filmed Kong: Skull Island in 2017, she was already a movie star, though she hadn’t been inducted into the MCU yet. At the time, she was most known for her Academy Award-winning role as Ma in 2016’s Room, as well as her critically acclaimed breakthrough performance as Grace in 2013’s Short Term 12. Larson would first play Carol Danvers two years later in 2019’s Captain Marvel, and then reprise the role for Avengers: Endgame (2019), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), the Ms. Marvel mini-TV series (2022), and in the upcoming The Marvels (2023).
