Godzilla attacks humanity unprovoked, and Kong is set loose
to fight him while the fate of mankind hangs in the balance. ACTION/SCI-FI
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Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)Directed by Adam Wingard
Written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Bryan Tyree Henry, Rebecca Hall, Demián Bichir, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, Shun Oguri, Kaylee Hottle Sequel to 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
The movie industry is filled with failed franchises. Luckily, this is offset by the numerous, long-running franchises. Most of which are still going strong to this day. But, within these successful ones, a good chunk end up being extremely hit or miss. Not to be totally pessimistic, there are some which tend to have way more hits than misses. A good and recent example of this would be the MCU. Another one which seems to not be getting nearly as much attention is the Monsterverse. One which was kickstarted thanks to the success of 2014’s Godzilla. One which has built up to this very movie. And thank God does this film land the ending we’ve been eagerly anticipating.
I want to start this off by acknowledging a common complaint I’ve seen leveled at this film. The human characters and their development. Now, while a lack of character development can quickly ruin a film, it doesn’t affect this film in any way. To all the people making this complaint, what do you think you were paying for with a film titled Godzilla vs Kong? So, with that out of the way, let’s talk about how awesome this film is. Something it achieves by simply giving us exactly what we want and copious amounts of it. The brawl between these two iconic monsters of cinema is appropriately epic and bombastic. Buildings, Naval vessels, and just about everything standing in these two titans' way is destroyed. And, the entire time, I had the hugest smile on my face. Better yet, this film does a surprisingly good job of humanizing our two title characters. So, there is character development. Just in the ones I care more about. This is the definition of film which delivers on the promise of its title. The story is simple enough to get these two on screen together, while honoring the continuity of the prior installments. And the brawl between these icons of cinema is a constant blast to watch. I know we’re living in a crazy time right now and some theaters are still not open, and this is currently available to stream. But I implore you, if you’re able to, check this out at the theater. You won’t regret it. |
Holy shit, what a spectacle. Godzilla vs. Kong is the culmination of the only other franchise that has successfully pulled off the cinematic universe formula. Not only that, but the film is being seen by many as the turning point for movie theaters. The pandemic has slowed movie attendance to a crawl, and this film very well could be the return to form that studios, filmmakers, and theaters are looking for. And it certainly delivers. You can tell Adam Wingard is a fan who wanted to make something that fans would love. That's what this film is. A labor of love for Godzilla fans everywhere.
The story isn't bad either. A lot of people are chastising the human characters, and while they're not that interesting, they don't ruin the movie. We're all here to see Godzilla fight Kong. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you. There are essentially three rounds between these two titans, and there is indeed a definitive winner. I won't spoil it, but it's badass. There's also a previously unannounced character whose appearance put a permanent grin on my face. Suffice it to say, I geeked out big time with this one. Compared to the (in my opinion, unfair) reviews that Godzilla: King of the Monsters received, Godzilla vs. Kong is getting gold stars across the board. It's a critical success, it's a fan success, and it could end up being profitable too, which would mean that blockbusters can happen again. I love the possibility that it could be Godzilla who saves the movie theaters. This film is worth seeing on the big screen, and it may just be the best Godzilla movie of all time. |