Godzilla vs Kong delivers the crazy crowd-pleasing action it promises
It’s loud, dumb, and exactly what we need right now…
★★★★☆
The epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another — the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong — with humanity caught in the balance. (IMDb)
Even if you’re lucky enough to live in a part of the world where cinemas are open at the moment, you won’t have seen a loud trashy blockbuster in well over a year due to all the movie delays. The release of Godzilla vs Kong changes that, bringing monster mayhem to your living room as the two titans duel it out. We’ve been missing big dumb thrills, and this movie’s here to give them to us. You’ll want to rent this for the multiple clashes between the gigantic lizard and oversized ape, but if you’re after characters and interpersonal drama, look elsewhere.
What’s it about?
Sure, you know the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe but a less discussed cinematic universe is this one of interconnected monster movies – the Monsterverse from Legendary and Warner Bros. This sequel picks up five years after Godzilla: King of the Monsters — after defeating King Ghidorah in that movie, Godzilla is the undisputed champ, but he’s also causing unexplained mayhem and attacking humans for some unknown reasons. The one titan who can challenge him? King Kong.
Long after the events of Skull Island, the ape is now being monitored by Monarch after a storm destroyed his home. He only communicates with Kaylee Hottle’s Jia (the last survivor of the Skull Island natives) via sign language. There are several other human characters but you hardly need to worry much about them. In general, the film is about setting up the clash between Kong and his rival, all while there’s a simmering mystery about just what certain people may have done to provoke Godzilla and cause the attacks. Just like Batman v Superman (or any “versus” movie), it’s not exactly surprising that the two opponents will need to eventually team up to beat a common enemy.
The positives
Whether you’re rooting for Kong or Godzilla in this fight, both of the titans have their moment in the spotlight. But, it’s undoubtedly more Kong’s film, and it’s evident that director Adam Wingard is a fan of the towering ape (he’s also far bigger in this movie than he was in his last appearance). The action throughout is on a massive scale and feels impactful, and it has a booming soundtrack from Junkie XL. Let’s be honest, if you’re thinking of renting this, you’re coming to it hoping for sheer spectacle and on that side of things it completely delivers. It’s a film that knows it needs to provide crowd-pleasing entertainment above all else, and those amazing monster battles will have you at the edge of your seat and cheering at the screen. The main disappointment is just knowing this would be even better at the cinema.
The negatives
But, if you’re here for human drama and well-written characters, you’re going to be disappointed. At this point, the franchise has completely abandoned the idea of deep or complex people within these stories. Everyone in this film is bland and uninteresting, despite often being played by excellent actors doing the best they can with the material. We’ve got the likes of Brian Tyree Henry, Millie Bobbie Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall and more here, and their talents are all wasted. You’ll also be unimpressed if you’re hoping for a logical and coherent story — it mostly makes sense but this screenplay hopes you aren’t paying too much attention to the details and is surely littered with plot holes.
Where to watch
It’s available to rent from all the expected places including Amazon, Apple TV and Sky Store — it costs £15.99 for a 48-hour rental, wherever you get it.
Stray thoughts
- This film really takes advantage of the ridiculous “hollow earth” concept hinted at in previous instalments
- You may have heard a couple of outrageous theories about the film beforehand, and I’m happy this film is bonkers enough to go to some super weird places with its storytelling
- There’s some slight setup for future movies but it’s worth knowing that more movies in the Monsterverse aren’t guaranteed — Legendary’s contract with Japanese company Toho to use Godzilla in American films has expired — “It’s really at the point where audiences have to kind of step forward and vote for more of these things. If this movie is a success obviously they will continue forward,” Wingard has said.
Need to know
Running time: 1 hour and 53 minutes
Director: Adam Wingard
Writers: Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir
Verdict
The giant monster brawl delivers what it promises and then some. It’s fun and entertaining nonsense with terrific visual effects.
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