Godzilla vs. Kong

An unprovoked attack by Godzilla has the world wondering if their former hero has turned its back on Humanity.  In a desperate bid to counter Godzilla’s power, a Monarch science team embarks on a mission to locate a power source tied to another Alpha Titan who hasn’t been seen in 50 years.  As a shadowy conspiracy begins to unfold, Godzilla and King Kong are brought together for a battle that has been destined for centuries.  With the worlds fate in the balance, only one titan can be crowned King.  Who will rise? And who will fall?

The Monsterverse created by Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years.  The Godzilla films are certainly better than the 1998 disaster but were hampered by a nice Transformers esque helping of focusing too much on the humans and not enough on the action.  Kong: Skull Island faired a bit better with the Kong origin story moved to the Vietnam War era and one of the strongest casts in the franchise.  Well after years of anticipation and numerous pandemic delays, the biggest match this universe has been building towards is here.  And honestly, this might be the strongest entry in the Monsterverse and if no other films are planned after this point, what a fight to end on.  

Despite this being the culmination of three prior films, Godzilla vs. Kong feels like more of a follow up to Kong: Skull Island.  Kong gets most of the story and attention and that’s both a good and bad thing.  Kong had a surprising amount of depth to him in his own film and that carries over here.  From the very first seconds of the film, you know this a different Kong from when we last saw him: he’s older, has more scars and experience on his chest and feels wiser.  His bond with the scene stealing Jia and the detail put into his mannerisms and facial expressions is some of the best visual effects work seen in any Monsterverse film.  There’s also new backstory and mythology to explore on Kong’s end and some of that does include Godzilla.  But don’t think the G Man isn’t sitting around doing nothing.  Granted, we had two movies with Godzilla so some extra time with Kong isn’t bad.  But balancing screentime between the two heavyweights is uneven.  Still, Godzilla does what he does best even if the humans are jumping to conclusions as to why he is suddenly so pissed off.

Now, let’s talk about the tite.  HELL YES WE GET GODZILLA VS KONG AND HOLY CRAP IT IS AMAZING!!!!! Every scene with the monsters in general feels like Director Adam Wingard and Legendary Pictures took the criticisms of past films to heart and sought to rectify them.  Godzilla and Kong’s numerous duels are well lit, have more of an emphasis on them trading blows rather than cutting away when the good gets better, and are pretty easy to keep up with.  Visually, the big showdown in a neon lit Hong Kong holds some of the best action in the movie and shows a pretty even battle between the two titans.  Godzilla and Kong both have their strengths and weaknesses and every fight highlights them in their own way, so much so that it makes the fight more interesting to watch-you don’t know who is going to come out on top.  And never once does anything about this fight or the characters feel small…ok except one particular scene with Kong but I mean this in a good way.  The sense of scale for Godzilla vs. Kong is beyond huge, arguably the biggest undertaking of any Godzilla movie to date and it always left a look of awe on my face.

Naturally, while the monsters shine in their world breaking throwdown, the humans…are always a mixed bag in any Godzilla or Kong movie and this film is no exception, though there are some stand outs.  Again, Kaylee Hottle as the deaf Jia shines as much as her titanic costars, sharing an ever growing bond with Kong that is both believable and very touching.  Alexander Skarsgaard and Rebecca Hall do alright with their roles as Jia’s protectors and expedition leaders but let’s face it, theyre kind of just there to have a cast to fill out the movie with.  Same goes for Millie Bobbie Brown and Kyle Chandler, who return as Madison and Mark Russell from Godzilla: King of the Monsters.  Yeah, theyre here to provide the connective tissue needed to tie this into the Monsterverse but theyre given next to nothing to do and they feel pretty wasted.  Aside from Jia the best of the new characters introduced are Brian Tyree Henry’s hyperactive podcaster Bernie and a very smarmy and scene chewing Demián Bichir as Walter Simmons, who only gets more and more his campy, antagonistic role the more he’s on screen.

If you look past the human element that can really be a crap shoot in any monster movie, then Godzilla vs. Kong is the ultimate monster movie showdown that was promised to us for years.  Kong’s evolved character and Godzilla’s always entertaining penchant for destruction go hand in hand, particularly when they trade blows in some of the best on screen action you’ll ever see in this franchise.  Like I said, as of now there are no further plans for the Monsterverse (Hell even before the pandemic this movies future was in limbo after Godzilla: King of the Monsters disappointed at the box office).  But if this is the possible finale of the Monsterverse, then these two Kings got the fight and the movie they deserved.  Can there be only one?  I guess you’ll have to watch Godzilla vs. Kong to find out.

8/10