Movies - Skull Island

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	Movies - Skull Island

Skull Island is a fictional island in the Indian Ocean, first dreamed up for the 1933 adventure film King Kong
. Since its inception, it has been used many times in various media.

In King Kong (1933 film)

In its first inception in King Kong, Skull Island is a long-forgotten island, located at approximately at 90 degrees East and 2 degrees South - somewhere off the coast of Sumatra. There is a distinctive rocky knoll in the center of the island which is shaped like a human skull, hence its forboding name.

At first, it is thought of as deserted, but upon further examination by the heroes of the picture, it is filled to the brim with superstitous natives, prehistoric creatures of all sorts, and one extremely large gorilla, known by those on the island as "Kong".

The native people of Skull Island appear to be of tribal African descent. Their barbaric portrayal in the film provoked massive controversy from equal-rights activists during the movie's initial release.

The island is never directly referred to as Skull Island in film, although the mountain that Kong lives on is called "Skull Mountain". It was referred to as Skull Island in the original shooting script and, because of the film's marketing campaign, audiences were almost immediately referring to the mystical island by its proper, although never-spoken, name.

In Braindead (1992 film)

In the 1992 film Braindead, Skull Island is seen as a relatively barren place off the coast of Sumatra with very little foliage and rocky beaches. It is alluded that there is some technology present on the island, given the appearance of a Jeep driving along the rocky shore.

It is never stated what kind of creatures live on this Skull Island, aside from the Sumatran Rat-Monkey. The hideous creature, found only on that island, is the offspring of plagued rats and tree monkeys. Its bite, while fatal, can also bring the recently deceased back to life.

The native people of this Skull Island also appear to be of African descent, although they were portrayed in the film by Fiji's national rugby team.

In The Curse of Monkey Island (1997 video game)

In the 1997 adventure game The Curse of Monkey Island, Skull Island is home to the infamous smuggler known as "King André".

Skull Island is only reachable via a small dinghy operated by the ghostly "Lost Welshman" (an allusion to the legend of The Flying Dutchman). While living, the Welshman became lost in the fog surrounding Skull Island when the lighthouse on neighbouring Blood Island was broken. Guybrush Threepwood needs to get to Skull Island in order to get a diamond he needs to lift the curse cast on Elaine Marley by LeChuck's cursed ring. In order to get to Skull Island, he must fix the lighthouse and make a compass for the Welshman.

Trivia:

Many characters claim that Skull Island is in the shape of a skull. When the island is finally shown, however, it more closely resembles a duck than a skull. An astonished Guybrush grumbles "It should be called Duck Island." The Welshman (who insists it looks like a skull) relunctantly responds "Well if you turn your head and squint..." to which Guybrush insists "If you turn your head and squint it looks like a bunny", a reference to a well-known optical illusion.
Skull Island is one of the smallest islands in the Monkey Island series (the player can only interact with a few things on the island and it is contained by only four perspective shots).

In King Kong (2005 film)

The Skull Island of 2005's King Kong is very similar to that of the 1933 film. It is once again a long-forgotten place, noted as being "far west of Sumatra", until a mysterious map leads a group of adventurers to it. It appears to be in a region that affects magnets, and is frequently shrouded in fog.

The island is shaped like a large hand with long, skeletal fingers. It is surrounded by carved stone reefs, made to resemble faces crying out in anger and pain, and is criss-crossed by an enormous stone wall that is countless generations old.

It is filled with all manner of monstrous creatures, but these beings have evolved past their primitive ancestors. The animals there have turned into violent killing machines - the harsh environment of Skull Island changing their evolutionary outcome. Aside from dinosaurs, the island is also home to insectoid and slug-like creatures. There are strange creatures like Arachno-Claw, Scorpio-Pede, and Celocimex. See the main link above for details.

The island can be broken down into several smaller ecosystems, all shifting and changing as the animals fight amongst eachother. These ecosystems are the Skull Island Coastal Region and the Village, the Skull Island Lowlands, the Skull Island Swamp and River System, the Skull Island Jungle, the Skull Island Chasms and the Skull Island Uplands. Each has its own unique collection of species that continuously fight with eachother.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Skull Island ]

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