Godzilla vs Kong is the fourth film in the “monsterverse” franchise that started with 2014’s Godzilla and has culminated in true blockbuster fashion, and it more than lives up to its name. Where the previous three films didn’t have the titular characters show up on the screen until nearly a half-hour into the film, both Godzilla and Kong appear within the first two scenes, not wasting any second to get to the main event. This makes for the best-paced and most tightly edited film in the Monsterverse series, and director Adam Wingard allows the ambitious fights to take center stage while also expanding the mythos around the two titans. Ultimately this leaves the human characters barely functioning as more than what the plot requires, though that’s a narrative sacrifice worth taking if it means audiences get to enjoy some of the most visually stunning fights and set pieces in years.
Taking place a few years after Godzilla King of the Monsters, titans are now a part of everyday life and Godzilla has become a trusted guardian of Earth, that is until he begins attacking cities unprovoked, leading a few of the human characters to begin investigating why. Meanwhile, Kong is now fully grown and living content on Skull Island, though he’s well aware that he’s inside a containment center created to look like his home environment. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) is the resident Kong expert who is keeping him contained to protect him from Godzilla. But when Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgard), a representative of Apex Cybernetics, approaches her about taking him to Hollow Earth in a quest to obtain its power source, she reluctantly agrees, but risks exposing Kong. As the film’s title suggests, the ape titan is found out quickly, leading to the showdown of the century.
When the movie focuses on the titans, the lore, and the set pieces, it’s a truly magnificent experience. The film is upfront and honest about what type of movie this is and tries to not be anything more. Godzilla vs Kong lives and dies by its action scenes, and thankfully the action delivers. Unlike previous films, the action always stays with its participants, and the camera gives the creatures plenty of up-close face time. There are three main battles between the two and each one creates its own mood and feeling to differentiate. Godzilla, being the instigator, is perfectly intimidating, while Kong is often on the defense. Fans of either titan will be pleased as both Kong and Godzilla have their moments of victory and loss throughout the runtime; It’s never a one-sided fight and each showdown and location utilizes the strengths and weaknesses of our two characters. The Hong Kong set-piece is particularly dazzling with all the neon lights and colors, and despite the behemoth size of our monsters, the skyscrapers give a certain amount of claustrophobia as Kong hops and dodges through them like a corn maze as Godzilla fires his breath at him.
Despite the title, this is a very Kong-centric movie, as he gets the emotional arc and most of the screen time. From a structural standpoint, Godzilla is very much the antagonist, for he’s relegated to only a handful of scenes, and most of those scenes are when he appears to fight Kong or set up the film’s secret antagonist. This may irk some viewers, but it’s a creative choice I am in full support of as Godzilla has now appeared in three American movies inside a decade, where Kong only has one other. That being said, Godzilla isn’t only there to make Kong look good and he’s spectacular when he’s the center of attention. When the two of them aren’t fighting, the movie focuses on establishing more lore and backstory. It’s revealed that their two species have an ancient rivalry, but nothing is done to flesh it out beyond that it is a rivalry and it’s ancient. This might annoy some viewers hoping for a more tangible reason for the showdowns, but as mentioned earlier, the film cares more about what is happening than why it’s happening.
The human characters are mostly hit or miss, and I’m at a loss on whether or not to treat their thin development as a negative. Starting with what works, Kong has an emotional bond with a young girl named Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who is deaf and communicates through sign language. She and Kong have a unique understanding and way of communicating with each other and it’s incredibly heartwarming to see. It reminded me of some of the more resonant parts of the recent Planet of the Apes films. Another character who works is Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) who brings the perfect amount of comedic timing to the self-serious plotting. He’s a podcaster and conspiracy theorist who hilariously turns out to be right about everything and the audience will definitely get a chuckle or two out of him. He teams up with returning character Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) and newcomer Josh (Julian Dennison) to figure out why Godzilla is in such a sour mood. Though all the human elements are structured well and not a second is wasted more than necessary, it’s all surface level. Alexander Skarsgard draws the short stick this time, as it’s clear his character is meant to have some sort of arc and motivation, but it’s dropped and barely touched on again. Overall, the in-between plot with the human characters isn’t necessarily wasted but it could have used a little more dimension.
Godzilla vs Kong is a simple movie with one goal, and it achieves that goal with a dazzling fireworks display. It’s a visually arresting film filled with memorable moments and shots that easily lends to repeat viewing. The actual plotting and character beats are a little thin but it’s a trade-off worth taking for a movie with this title. With this era of COVID finally coming to an end, it’s a blockbuster that’ll hopefully get audiences excited to sit in a theater again. The movie is available on HBO Max but I highly recommend the theater experience if it’s possible for you.
