In a time where mega-blockbusters have been sidelined due to the pandemic, Godzilla vs Kong feels like a welcome return to the kind of film destined to be experienced on a massive screen with a giant tub of popcorn. Gone are the overly complicated human plot threads and bait-and-switch action sequences, instead we’re treated to a traditional style of kaiju flick that absolutely delivers on the brawling spectacle you would hope for.
The plot? Who cares. Godzilla has mysteriously gone rogue, forcing our band of human characters to look to Kong to restore order. Running at just 113 minutes, director Adam Wingard (The Guest, You’re Next) keeps the film moving at a brisk pace that never allows itself to get bogged down in monotonous plot details, but instead a straightforward, streamlined story with very little fat.
The characters are nothing particularly new or interesting, but Wingard wisely relies on the charm of his cast to make up for some gaps in characterization with heavyweights such as Rebecca Hall, Demian Bichir, Brian Tyree Henry and Alexander Skarsgard giving the film some welcoming gravitas. The sole character to actually create a sense of empathy is Jia, played by Kaylee Hottle, a young deaf girl who is able to communicate with Kong through sign language. This character surprisingly gives the film a much-needed beating heart at its center.
Lets be honest, you don’t care about the humans and apart from Jia, neither does the film. When its time for the monsters to duke it out, Wingard knows exactly how to deliver. The kaiju battles are simply some of the best ever put to screen. Wingard frames the action with assurance and an originality that adds an energetic flair to the already electric set pieces. The cinematography by Ben Seresin is an added bonus, with a rich color palette and a clarity to the set pieces that never turns numbing or creates an eye sore.
Wingard implements more sci-fi fantasy elements than in the series’ previous three films, throwing back to some of the wackier Showa-era Godzilla films, but fits nicely within the established tone. The “Hollow Earth” sequences are surprisingly ambitious, taking particular inspiration from James Cameron’s Avatar, to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Ridley Scott’s Alien. Coming from the indie genre scene, Adam Wingard allows his personality and sharp bite to shine through, showing that the filmmaker really can work well within tentpole blockbusters (Netflix’s Death Note not withstanding).
Arguably just as satisfying as any “vs” film before it, Godzilla vs Kong delivers the ginormous, insane kaiju action fans want and deserve and stands as a highpoint for MonsterVerse franchise. It may end up as the cinematic equivalent of a Taco Bell meal, but in a time where audiences are starved of such meals, this one hit just the right spot.
Well done! I generally concur with your critiques. I would have obviously preferred to have seen a film like this at a theater my 4K 70” tv with sound bar surround sufficed. The battle scenes actually reminded me of Alien v Predator at times; lol.
I concur with this review. Focus on the Monsters/Kailua. The humans save Jia are nearly a non element. The Kaijus are the main focus and this film is a fabulous addition to the monster verse. That being said, certain aspects of the human stories I found ridiculous and irritating and without a center to ground them. The ending left me looking forward to the next film in the series.
wow it was really bad. Spoilers below. I’ve never been so bored watching two giant monsters fight. The human drama was HORRIBLE. I hated every single character, not a single one. The only redeemable part was MechaGodzilla, but was taken out literally 5 minutes later. The score was forgettable, and sounded nothing like Godzilla. Kong was okay, and you felt for him the entire movie, though. I don’t want to watch it again. I loved Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Each of the films had memorable moments… this one did not.
There’s some useful backstory, particularly from “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” but ultimately, this is a mostly satisfying movie about a giant ape hitting a giant lizard repeatedly. And vice versa.
This movie was a mess
Godzilla vs Kong lived up to the hype and when the Power Rangers appeared it blew me away.
I mean, the CGI was really good but I could never base a story on CGI. I also hated that they took a Batman v. Superman approach to the two characters. I get why, but what’s the point? To me, it was similar to a superhero film, which I’m not a fan of, really at all. I can do Batman, Superman but that’s about it.
I mean if you wanna see some amazing effects and some fun fight scenes go see it. Just don’t try to follow the 16 sub stories.
The movie did not disappoint. Pure fun, and what I expected with the action. Wasn’t a fan of the music score. Wish they would’ve brought back Bear McCreary (Godzilla: King of the Monsters).
I watched Godzilla vs. Kong. What a badass Fight!! This monsters series is so underrated.
Is Kong the most emo of the titans?
You know I love a good bad movie but this shit is just tragically low quality. What a disappointment. Not only is it bad in the expected ways (nonexistent plot, time wasted on uninteresting human drama, annoying written-by-committee Marvelified dialogue) but the spectacle, the one thing a movie called “Godzilla Vs Kong” NEEDS to get right, is absolutely horrible. One of the things King of Monsters did very well was establish a coherent visual design that gave its titans weight, scale, presence, a real sense of towering immensity and density through deliberate framing, lighting, and obscuring effects. That sense of scale is totally gone from this movie, where half of the shots with King Kong might as well be footage of a normal, albeit unusually sexy gorilla. He looks puny. Inconsequential. The compositing being full-on garbo doesn’t help with the presence problem either, as most of the CG effects look seriously dated (watch for the Kids Choice Awards-quality green slime that looks like it’s from a PS2 Spyro game) and they don’t bother matching the lighting of the titans to their surroundings to give them any sense of blending in to the environment that they should be TOWERING above, not galloping through like the most uninspired quicktime intro to a video game level.
God this sucked so bad. And you know what’s worst of all? Adam Wingard’s coy little promise that the movie will feature a “definitive winner” and that “one will fall” was a FUCKING LIE and the movie ends with a boring ass sequel-friendly stalemate that we ALL KNEW WAS COMING REGARDLESS OF THE DIRECTOR’S OVERHYPED PR TOUR. At least in the original punching match between Godzilla and King Kong the two kaiju were supposed to look like shitty pro-wrestling wannabes. There is no excuse here. Adam Wingard how could you foul such an easy hitter. You just had to make them look big. Why did you include a reference to “teens eating Tide Pods.” Why did you fuck this up. Why why WHY
I enjoyed this. I think Kong is the star of Legendary’s monster franchise, and he gets a great spotlight here. I think the action was well staged, and didn’t have the obscured fights King of the Monsters seemed to revel in. The human characters didn’t add much, but they didn’t drag things down as they did in prior entries. I had a lot of fun with this one.
Great popcorn movie!
On point! This was exactly as I expected and I appreciate how they handle the two monsters and deciding a “winner”. Millie Bobby Browns story was completely useless and laughable at many times and not for the right reasons. Regardless, I’ll be back for the next one. Nice review!
It’s hard to
come by educated
people about this subject, but you seem like you know what
you’re talking about!
Thanks