Godzilla vs Kong

The Godzilla franchise in Japan has seen its fair share of widespread popularity for its enemy monster of the film matchups the titular gigantic lizard would find himself fighting. The charm of its dated production effects with some of them and insane destruction that ensues can be such ridiculous fun if done well. But when the cinematic American Monster universe (or Monsterverse) that started with 2014 feature with the famous Kaiju, it didn't exactly start off on an exciting note with audiences. I don't have any nostalgia for the Japanese franchise as I haven't watch it before but this series from Legendary hasn't stuck with me as much as it does with others, despite financial struggles. This brings us to the latest entry within this line of creatures movies, Godzilla vs Kong, which was directed by Adam Wingard. It was being filmed during the time King of the Monsters (2019) was released to box office struggles and was delayed due the covid pandemic. Having released both in theaters and HBO Max (latter for 31 days), I watched it via the latter hoping for something fun and ended up liking it fine as it became what I expected of it (better than King of the Monsters but not something I'll rewatch much).

What's it about? Taking place 5 years after the events of its predecessor, the story follows the titular monsters being drawn into a clash due to outside malevolent forces. This whole adventure is standard popcorn action flick any audience is familiar with but in a chill laidback manner. It doesn't take itself very seriously like the previous outing did and it knows why its viewers are watching it. In fact, the laws of physics has left the movie altogether and is partying off-screen (just like the Fast and Furious series). In regards to staying for the battles, they deliver the entertainment very well (particularly the third act).

That being said, there are plenty of problems hurting this film and preventing it from being great. The story being ridiculous with its logic isn't one but rather the human. While they aren't as bad as those from the predecessor, none of them are memorable or feel like actual characters. They are there to deliver exposition while a handful of them attempt to be funny, which falls flat quite a bit. If the humans were even more reduced, this wouldn't be as much of an issue. 

 

How are Godzilla and Kong? In regards to the screen time between the two of them, this film is definitely more focused on Kong himself than Godzilla. It feels great being with the giant ape as his face is more expressive, his animation is pretty good, and watching him experience the journey is a nice treat. One weird noticeable thing about Kong was that it felt his size scaling was inconsistent sometimes (in Skull Island (2017) he was towering massively but here it looks different). Godzilla is as imposing of a powerhouse force as he's meant to be though it should be noted that his boost at the end of King of the Monsters appeared to be temporary as it doesn't appear here. Honestly watching how these two titans interact both with each other and their respective environments kinda feels like there's a better monster movie in there with no humans and pure silent storytelling. 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Brian Tyler Henry and Kaylee Hottle. Brian does a fine competent performance that feels like there's a likable personality and the closest thing to an arc among the characters. Kaylee give a solid performance which can secure better investment in as she's communicating via ASL (the actress is deaf) and is probably the only actress not hurt by the script. Honorable mentions go to Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgard for doing decent work in their limited supporting roles that work with Kaylee well. Dishonorable mentions go to Julian Dennison, Demian Bichir, and Eiza Gonzalez due to the former being the most unnecessary addition to the cast where his humor schtick fails while the latter two are incredibly forgettable and wasted. 

 

Overall Consensus: Godzilla vs Kong delivers the standard popcorn action flick experience with great fight sequences, solid visual effects, and fun entertainment, despite script issues and lackluster characters. ⭑⭑⭑3/4 Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes PG-13

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Adam Wingard. You want mindless ridiculous crazy creature fights. You want a blockbuster to kickback and relax with. You are a fan of the titular franchise and want to see how this compares to them. 

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Adam Wingard. You aren't in the mood for mindless ridiculous crazy creature fights. You are annoyed by bland cliche uninteresting characters who aren't funny.