The second movie of the MonsterVerse changed the tone up to emphasize that the franchise would have a strong sense of humor going forward and it resulted in some memorably hilarious quotes as well as some thought-provoking ones too.
The movie's cast of eclectic characters, played by some of the best actors in modern Hollywood, resulted in a lot of different types of scenes and very quotable dialogue. From meditations on war and humanity to references that fans may have missed, these are the 10 best quotes from Kong: Skull Island.
"Sometimes, an enemy doesn't exist till you go looking for one." (Cole)
Cole's sayings and stories are often somewhat nonsensical but he's also clearly very wise in his own way. This great line comes from when he tells Randa the story of why he carries an AK-47 instead of the standard US military rifle.
He explains that he took it from a Vietnamese farmer who surrendered after losing his entire village, adding that the farmer claimed that he had never even seen a gun before the war. It's a smart summary of the movie's core theme of violence begetting violence.
"But you take away the uniforms and the war... and he became my brother." (Marlow)
Hank Marlow is often the main comic relief of any scene that he's in as a man out of time that's been stuck on Skull Island for decades, but he occasionally does deliver some thoughtful and emotionally impactful quotes.
Offering this as some kind of final goodbye at the grave of his fallen enemy-turned-friend, Gunpei Ikari, Marlow muses on how arbitrary their mortal hatred of each other was before co-operating together on the island.
"I suppose no man comes home from war. Not really." (Conrad)
The mysterious Conrad is one of the more complex characters in Kong: Skull Island and is clearly grappling with his own issues both before and during the story.
This line comes after explaining the origins of his Royal Air Force lighter to Weaver, saying it was given to him before his father left to fight in the Second World War, never to return. The scars of war are a recurring image throughout the story and this quote reminds the audience of the metaphorical nature of the soldiers' final mission.
"As usual, , hold onto your butts!" (Packard)
Samuel L. Jackson is famed for his prolific career as an actor in movies, so it should come as no surprise to anyone who didn't already know that he has quite an iconic history in monster movies.
This particular quote references Jackson's famous line "Hold onto your butts." from Jurassic Park, which is, in many ways, similar to a classic Kaiju movie.
"Sounds like a bird, but it's a f****** ant." (Marlow)
Marlow's extended stay on Skull Island has resulted in him becoming well-acquainted with the deadly paradise's assortment of monsters.
The audience never actually sees the ants in question but hears what sounds like a kind of whistling bird song through the trees in one scene, prompting Marlow to warn his fellow travelers that not everything on Skull Island is what it first seems to be.
"Camera's way more dangerous than a gun." (Packard)
Colonel Packard is clearly a little unhinged even from the getgo in Kong: Skull Island, but he does occasionally make some interesting observations despite his somewhat skewed outlook on things.
Talking to anti-war photographer Mason Weaver as they're introduced before embarking on their mission, Packard drops this thought-provoking line and, while it shows the resentment that Packard clearly feels towards anyone who wasn't enthusiastically ive of the war, it's not a wholly inaccurate statement.
"Everybody, keep your wigs on now!" (Marlow)
Marlow uses a lot of amusingly antiquated language as he's had nobody to talk to on the island for what appears to be a very long time, and John C. Reilly's introduction as the character, after the audience sees him crash on the island in the prologue, delivers what may his best.
As the Iwi surround Conrad and Weaver's group of survivors, things look like they're about to go very badly before Marlow interjects with this hilarious call for peace.
“The most intelligent inhabitants of that future world won’t be men or monkeys, they’ll be machines.” (Arthur C. Clarke)
The movie drops one of its most interesting observations right in the opening credits montage, so many fans may have missed it. The quote is actually from Arthur C. Clarke in 1968 as he spoke in a broadcast for the BBC where he predicted the importance of technological advancements being made at that time.
The line is particularly interesting considering the involvement of Mechagodzilla and other advanced technology in Godzilla Vs. Kong.
"And monsters exist. Under beds and g paychecks." (Mills)
Mills offers this observation as he begins to doubt the sense in their mission to kill Kong, believing that Packard is more concerned with vengeance than he is with keeping the survivors on the island alive.
Considering their position in the war, it's quite interesting that Mills comes to see himself as an exploited worker throughout the movie.
"Death before dishonor." (Marlow)
Marlow also has some pretty awesome moments in the movie and his most standout comes just before the survivors encounter the Skullcrawlers for the first time at the grave of Kong's parents.
He delivers the line in Japanese, having clearly learned it from Gunpei and, considering that Marlow has taken Gunpei's sword with him and wields it as his primary weapon, it's also quite a touching nod to his fallen comrade.
