Godzilla vs. Kong
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza Gonzalez, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, Demian Bichir, Kaylee Hottle, Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: When Kong is used to potentially find a path into the Hollow Earth, Godzilla emerges to restore balance to the world.

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed what Gareth Edwards did with the 2014 American reboot of Godzilla. That was a visual effects bonanza that told a grittier story than we'd seen previously. Michael Dougherty stepped into the director's chair for Godzilla: King of the Monsters and completely let the franchise down. He wasn't able to get remotely close to what Edwards did. Wisely, the studio replaced Dougherty for Godzilla vs. Kong. Adam Wingard isn't quite as strong as Edwards, but he improves on the previous film. This was a good movie and while it doesn't get close enough tot he 2014 film, it at least reverses the downward trend of the franchise.

The challenge with this movie (and all similar ones) is that we really just want to see Kong and Godzilla battle. For purposes of story, a whole host of humans are involved. Those stories are fine, but they're never as compelling as watching these two titans battle it out. We really get two big battle sequences between the monsters and they are both memorable and compelling. The human scenes aren't terrible, so the net result is a good movie. There's plenty of issues you could take with this film, but none of them are fatal.

Speaking of these battles, I really loved them both. The first is so unlikely but terrific- Kong and Godzilla battle in the middle of the ocean, including on top of aircraft carriers. This is not what I expected, but it offers up an incredible visual treat. Some of those sequences were fantastic and rival the best visuals of 2014's Godzilla. They were so fun to watch. The climax is impressive as well, although I do wish it had been extended just a bit. It's fun seeing these two iconic creatures face off for the first time in almost 60 years. I wanted more time in that battle. Still, if you're looking for highlights of this movie, it's easy to point to these titanic clashes are pure joyful entertainment. The budget felt appropriate to bring this battle to life- the visuals were incredible.

The cast was good, although as mentioned, none of their scenes approach anything close to being as compelling as the monster battles. Alexander Skarsgard was a good addition to the cast. His character was an absolute mess- his character arc doesn't make a lot of sense and feels like he was an amalgamation of multiple different characters. Skarsgard is a solid actor, though, and his presence here was welcome. It was fun to see Millie Bobby Brown reprise her role. Pairing her with Julian Dennison and Brian Tyree Henry was good move, as they account for some of the film's funnier moments. Henry especially seemed to be having fun with his eccentric character. However, the reality is that their stories felt mostly pointless. It was like they were included here just to connect to previous movies, not for narrative purposes. I liked seeing Rebecca Hall here and her character felt important to the story. She ultimately doesn't do as much as I would have liked, but I enjoyed her performance here. Kaylee Hottle was a nice addition and worked well with Hall. Eiza Gonzalez was decent, but her character ultimately felt too obvious and one-dimensional. Demian Bichir was solid, but suffered from a similar constraint as Gonzalez did. It certainly feels like a lot more time and energy was spent on the monster battles than the human stories. That doesn't help the movie.

The film definitely requires a lot of suspending disbelief. I suppose that's always the case for these Godzilla movies. I thought the inclusion of the Hollow Earth was interesting- that's scientifically impossible, but the film goes all in on that pseudoscience. It might not make any logical sense, but it was somewhat breathtaking to see that depicted in all its glory. If you can ignore the ridiculousness of it, it's fairly entertaining.

It would be easy to criticize this film and I'm sure many people will. I admit it's fairly preposterous. However, it does deliver an enjoyable visual spectacle. The movie never tries to be something it isn't. Director Adam Wingard seemed focused on delivering the best brawl he could. I enjoyed Godzilla vs. Kong. It's considerably better than the first time these two faced off in 1962 and it represents an improvement over the last Godzilla film (it's not as good as Godzilla or Kong: Skull Island, however. Still, while it's flawed, it was a fun movie that I enjoyed watching.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Kong: Skull Island, King Kong vs. Godzilla