One will fall.
Godzilla vs. Kong is a 2021 monster film directed by Adam Wingard, written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, produced by Legendary Pictures, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby Brown. It was not nominated for any Academy Awards. This is the fourth film in the MonsterVerse, acting as a sequel to both Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. A spin-off TV series based on Godzilla has been announced.
"Godzilla will come for him." -Ilene Andrews
Plot
5 years after Godzilla's cataclysmic battle with King Ghidorah, the king of the monsters begins attacking research labs for no apparent reason. When Kong is brought out of containment to help lead scientists to the planet's core, the rivalry as old as time is sparked again as the two alpha titans battle to the death.
Positive Aspects
This movie is pretty much exactly what you would expect. Total fan-fiction. Utter ridiculousness. And pure-bred fun.
As with most of the MonsterVerse, the visuals and action in this film are easily the best thing about it. If you go to see this movie, you are seeing it to watch Godzilla and Kong slam each other into buildings as explosions ring around everywhere, and that is exactly what you get. But the action isn't bland, CGI noise. It's tons of fun. Adam Wingard, the director, made sure to use these long, wide, sometimes overhead shots so you get to inhale all of the monster mayhem. The CGI also never lets up. Godzilla and Kong look just as good as always.
Also, the cinematography for this film is surprisingly beautiful. There are some incredible shots that I really enjoyed. It's shot in this big, epic way that makes the world and cities feel so big. Then when Godzilla and Kong show up and they are the size of the buildings, it makes them feel even bigger.
The aesthetic of this film is great. Some of the set pieces and visual styles are breathtaking. There is a scene in the rain that is lit perfectly and just looks so spectacular. And this does kind of go along with the cinematography, but the way it is shot and captured is jaw-dropping. I'm surprised at how much I liked the visual aspect of this movie.
I also liked the way that they use the little girl, Jia. She has this very wonky relationship with Kong that feels almost like they are siblings. In a strange way, Kong feels like her bigger brother, and the relationship between them is heartfelt and good. She is easily the best human character in the movie and served as a nice on-screen presence, especially when she was with Kong.
I won't go into details, but I like our antagonists. The villains are cool, especially the main one. I can't say much more about it without spoilers, but I thought that they were executed really well.
Finally, this movie is made to be seen on the big screen. If you can and feel comfortable, go to your local theater, find the biggest screen possible, and watch Godzilla vs. Kong. This is the first movie that I've seen in theaters in a little over a year, and I'm happy that this is the one that I returned to the movies with.
Negative Aspects
While it may be very entertaining, Godzilla vs. Kong does not balance out on the quality scale.
First off, all of the characters are very one-note. They all have a vital role to the story and that's all they do. Except for the little girl, whom I mentioned in the positives. Otherwise, every other character is thrown into this movie to do, like, one thing. Some of them have implied or mentioned backstories, but there aren't any special character traits or fun personality quirks that any of them have. Just these single tasks that they have to complete throughout the story.
Speaking of story, this film chooses probably the laziest route possible. They don't give Godzilla and Kong a great motive to fight. The main plot lines really don't matter. They are sidelined for visuals and action, which is a good thing in something like this, but it can get annoying when it cuts to human characters on an adventure that you simply don't care about.
Also, the script is riddled with problems. One of the first scenes involves a couple of scientists basically outlining the story before it happens in the most boring way possible. There is a ton of scientific terms used that no sane person knows. And the stuff that the script should be focusing on (Godzilla and Kong's motivations) are given the least attention. There are also a couple of plot holes involving Godzilla's attacks on the research labs and the villains.
Whenever the movie is with the humans, it is wasting time and starts to get boring. When it is Godzilla vs. Kong, then it is super fun.
Final Score
Godzilla vs. Kong may be one hundred percent cinematic fast food...but this is just a ton of fun to watch, even if it fails to create a good story and good characters.
I will give it a Savory rating. Age range is 6+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad)
Moldy (Terrible)
"Godzilla vs. Kong"
Fun Factor: 9/10
Acting: 7.5/10
Characters: 5/10
Story: 4/10
Quality: 5.5/10
Directed by Adam Wingard
Rated PG-13 for monster violence and action, language
Released on March 31, 2021
1 hour and 53 minutes
Alexander Skarsgård as Dr. Nathan Lind
Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell
Rebecca Hall as Ilene Andrews
Kaylee Hottle as Jia
Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie Hayes
Julian Dennison as Josh Valentine
Eiza González as Maia Simmons
Shun Oguri as Ren Serizawa
Demián Bichir as Walter Simmons
Kyle Chandler as Mark Russell
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