Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Review

Big Monkey + Big Lizard = Big Fun

SCORE: 81/100

Directed by Adam Wingard
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Julian Dennison, Kaylee Hottle, Eiza Gonzalez, Shun Oguri, Demian Bichir, Kyle Chandler

Synopsis: After the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla has started attacking populated areas seemingly at random, and the only titan that stands a chance at stopping him is Kong. 

****BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD****

REVIEW:

The Monsterverse films are nothing if not consistent, delivering fun and thrills that are unrivaled in their genre. I'm glad to say that Godzilla vs. Kong not only adds to the franchise, but delivers its best film yet. It has its problems, and the film isn't perfect by any means, but it IS the perfect film to return to theaters for and munch on popcorn. 

Let's start with the obvious, out titular titans. Godzilla and Kong are that stars of the show here, and of the two it's mostly a Kong flick. He's really the focus here, his journey from Skull Island is the catalyst for several events in the film, but does a surprising amount of work in humanizing the titans. He has a special relationship with Jia, a hearing impaired girl played by wonderfully by Kaylee Hottle. Godzilla starts the movie off almost villainous, yet we learn later that his attacks are not randomly chosen, as he is targeting specific site owned and operated by the shady company Apex Cybernetics. There is a third titan in the film, which wasn't really shown in any of the marketing, with MechaGodzilla arriving about two thirds of the way through the film. The three titans make up the reason why we're all here: the fights.

The fights in this film are a sight to behold, with the oceanic battle between Godzilla and Kong being the standout. Set completely during daylight, the spectacular visual effects are on full display, showcasing each of the titans' specialties. The other two fights, set in Hong Kong, are also visual spectacles. While we're on the topic, let's discuss the visual effects. They are wonderful here, and really show us the power, size, and might of these creatures. In addition to the creatures, the locations like the Hollow Earth are visually dazzling and incredibly unique. 

Let's talk about story, because all this gushing and positivity needs to be tempered by something. The story in this film is all over the place, a multi-pathed mess leading up to the climactic battles. While it is certainly an improvement over the story presented to us in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it still isn't anything to write home about either. A lot of the criticism of the story mostly comes down to the human characters, whose drama, while important in making the film relatable, continues to fall on its face. Specifically, the story surrounding Millie Bobby Brown's character and her companions is laughable at best, and is a limp fisted attempt to bring her character back. However, the story involving Skarsgard, Hall, and Hottle is much better, and offers a unique connection with Kong. Their story, while still marred by confusing decisions, is more emotional than the "funny" story with Brown, Dennison, and Henry's characters. 

As far as performances go, they are all over the place. The highlights here are Brian Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle. The weakest links here are definitely Julian Dennison (who was awesome in Deadpool 2) and Millie Bobby Brown. Dennison only seems to be included in this movie to add comedic relief and adds COMPLETELY NOTHING to the plot except to give Millie Bobby Brown a car to get where she needs to go. Brown is, for lack of a better term, annoying in her role this time around. While I enjoyed her presence in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, she makes a lunacy-filled turn as a conspiracy theory obsessed character, complete with believing fluoride is in tap water. Just...no. 

Hottle shines as Jia, the young, hearing-impaired girl from the tribal people of Skull Island who is taken in by Rebecca Hall's character. Her emotional connection to Kong drives a lot of the best moments, and while I don't know if she is impaired, or learned ASL for the movie, but she plays the role beautifully and with a maturity that I wasn't expecting. 

Henry's character, the conspiracy theory podcaster Bernie, has an issue which I'll address in a moment, but his performance is undeniably great. He has comedic timing, as well as a commitment to the role that I truly respect. My issue though is with his character, not the performance, and the story surrounding it. He is presented as a conspiracy theory podcaster talking about the truth behind the titans, but also believes in all the lunacy around fluoride in the water, corporate cabal sacrificing chambers, the whole nine yards. While I understand that it's played for a laugh, as well as the fact it was written and made to be released last year, it still feels wrong. This character is presented as a protagonist, and after the January 6th terrorist attack on the capitol building it feels in poor taste. The traitors that attacked that day believe a lot of the same things as Bernie, like the secretive cabal sacrifices, and it feels off to make a character like that a "hero". Granted, this was filmed and written before then, but it didn't sit well with me. The rest of the cast give performances that range from "meh" to "ok, that works", with most of which following the latter attitude. 

Another positive attribute this movie has is that it doesn't care how silly it gets. The film embraces the silliest and most outlandish sci-fi tech and moments, and it's all the better for it. From anti-gravity tech, to a hyperspeed tube, to even MechaGodzilla himself, the movie shows us the fun this universe can have, and not just the more dark and realistic. As much as I love 2014's Godzilla film, the grounded nature of it can be a little hit or miss with some audiences, but I feel that this film nails the tone that the rest of the universe should have. 

This leads me to the director, Adam Wingard. It feels like he is having so much fun here, creating the monster film of his childhood and the film reflects it. I haven't sat there with a dumb smile on my face for so long during a movie in a very long time, and I thank him for that. This movie is best experienced on the big screen, and is a fitting reason to return to the theater after over a year of no real theatrical experiences. 

Conclusion: While it retains the useless human characters and stories, Godzilla vs Kong surprises as the most fun, and most consistent, of the Monsterverse films to date.

Score: 81/100

See my spoiler-free video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFNupXj0las