Godzilla vs Kong (Review)
Godzilla vs Kong Settles Once and For All Which is the Real King of the Monsters
The first major post-quarantine blockbuster has hit and I couldn’t be more relieved that it’s Godzilla vs Kong. Nothing could be worth poking my head out of the social distancing hidey-hole than a film featuring two of the biggest kaiju to grace the silver screen in a no-holds-barred, all-out battle to determine once and for all which is the legitimate King of the Monsters. You have to push your sense-of-disbelief to a level just below full cognitive shut down to enjoy a movie featuring two sky-scrapper-sized killer animals duking it out, but that is exactly what I needed after 2020 and Godzilla vs Kong rewarded me handsomely with some flabbergasting action sequences. More importantly, the film fixes the issues that Godzilla: King of the Monsters had with the more “human” elements of the story. It’s not exactly high-art, but it’s a seriously fun popcorn flick.
Only the most pop-culturally challenged among us don’t know who Godzilla and Kong are. We’ve seen them take on everything from armies to experimental super bombs to three-headed legendary dragons in their own films, and now these two titans are being pitted against each other in some truly epic brawls. That’s not enough to build a movie from and thankfully writers Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein pull together a pretty whimsical story that gives us some humans to root for and the cast is charismatic enough to sell it. A few familiar faces return with Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown, and there are notable additions with Alexander Skarsgård, Julian Dennison, and a premier performance by Kaylee Hottle. It’s not exactly Shakespeare, but the parts in between the clashes do a pretty solid job of not only giving the film a sense of cohesion but the entire franchise one as well. Of course, the science in Godzilla vs Kong is insane enough to send Neil deGrasse Tyson into a Twitter tizzy. But then again, you know what you signed up for with this one.
Visually, Godzilla vs Kong is majestic. Director Adam Wingard doesn’t shy away from mood lighting, creating some very vibrant and almost psychedelic imagery. There’s a sense of nostalgia and I’m reminded of those campy giant monster movies I loved from the 60s and 70s. However, campy never looked so good back then. The CGI improves upon what we saw in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and those blew me away in 2019. It’s not just that this is a gorgeous-looking movie, there’s some serious thought put into every visual choice in the film and this is most apparent in the clashes between the two leads. Godzilla vs Kong features battles that are not only brutal but lean heavily into the animalistic nature of the combatants. This is a far cry from the days of men in rubber suits pummeling each other. Though, apparently, Wingard was required to follow a leftover rule from the Toho years and couldn’t give the big lizard much personality. That proved to be for the best and allowed his reptilian side to shine through.
As fun as Godzilla vs Kong is, it misses the mark in a few ways. The vast majority of the film’s issues come from it going a little too over the top with fantastical elements and an unsatisfying protagonist. I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone, but if you’ve seen any movie with the word “versus” in the title, you probably already knew where this is going to end up. As much as I appreciate that this is a film made purely for spectacle and escapism, I can’t excuse some of the more absurd elements of the story. This is especially true with the primary antagonist (Demián Bichir) who felt almost cartoonish in his simplicity. That goes for most of the characters though, who come across as archetypes with a few quirks sprinkled in, rather than human beings. Yet, none of them were dislikable thanks to such great casting. As evident as these faults are they don’t add up too much in the grand scheme of things. We’re here to watch a monkey fight a lizard, after all.
Godzilla vs Kong knows exactly what the audience is there to see, and gives them exactly that. It was everything the kid in me hoped to one day see from some of my favorite movie icons of all time. More than that, it captured everything I wanted to feel. I was on the edge of my seat for a few of the sequences and even got me to cheer for my guy (I’ve been Team Godzilla since I was little). The movie is pure fan service, but as a fan, I have to admit I ate it up. This brings me to another point: While it might not be essential viewing before this flick (I’m sure you get the gist of it), I do suggest seeing 2014’s Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters before settling into the newest installment of this monsterverse. They create a grander scale for the conflict and give a sense of appreciation for the work that’s gone into building this blockbuster.
Even if you haven’t seen the other movies, Godzilla vs Kong is still a movie that I encourage you to check out. It’s a film that allows for a sort of popcorn meditation in which you can turn off your brain and just exist in the moment enjoying two cinematic titans trying to tear each other apart. It’s an uncomplicated film that knows its purpose and embraces it. There’s no trying to justify or rationalize the inexplicable more than absolutely necessary, because there is quite simply no way to do it. With everything going on in the world, I found Godzilla vs Kong to be a relief that was not only fun the first time I saw it, but the second as well.
