“Godzilla vs. Kong” Review
In a year that has been devoid of big blockbusters so far, “Godzilla vs. Kong” roars into movie theatres and HBO Max, bringing with it epic monster fights, explosive action and a plot that is sure to satisfy both longtime fans of each monster and casual moviegoers.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is the fourth movie in the “MonsterVerse” shared world of films. As the title states, this movie is all about Godzilla and Kong having a battle for the ages—but there is more to it than that.
The film opens with Godzilla attacking the United States headquarters of APEX cybernetics. Why is Godzilla suddenly attacking humanity when he fought so hard to protect the Earth from other “Titans” like the MUTOs and King Ghidorah? This is the question that drives returning character Madison Russell, played by Millie Bobby Brown, her friend Josh Valentine, played by Julian Dennison, and Bernie Hayes, played by Brian Tyree Henry.
Bernie, who is a conspiracy theorist that does a podcast about the “Titans” and was also a former employee of APEX, believes that there is a reason Godzilla is suddenly attacking, so the three set off to investigate.
On the other side of the world, Kong lives in a biodome designed to protect him from Godzilla. Since both are considered “Alpha” titans, Godzilla will come and attack Kong.
Here is where the other three main characters come into play. Alexander Skarsgard plays Dr. Nathan Lind, a former Monarch scientist hired by APEX to find the Hollow Earth and the energy it contains inside the planet.
He wants Kong to protect the expedition to the Hollow Earth and asks the head scientist studying Kong, Dr. Ilene Andrews (played by Rebecca Hall), to help get Kong to agree. However, the standout character of the movie—aside from the monsters, of course—is Jia, the deaf adopted daughter of Andrews.
Jia is played by Kaylee Hottle, who does an excellent job of conveying her character’s bond with Kong.
Now, yes, the plot is ultimately silly and merely serves to bring Godzilla and Kong together for their epic battles, but it does a good enough job of keeping the viewer entertained.
The action of this film is spectacular and really lives up to all the hype of the two monsters throwing down. Buildings are destroyed, military vehicles are tossed around like toys, and so much more goes down as Godzilla and Kong battle for supremacy.
Director Adam Wingard clearly went all out, as these scenes are true visual spectacles that provide by far the best fights in the entire “MonsterVerse” series. Another thing that can be appreciated is that the movie does end with a definitive winner, and the final battle is a pure spectacle that is sure to excite.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is not a perfect movie; the writing isn’t the best, and the human characters take a back seat to the action happening on the screen. But the action is amazing, and the film itself is pure entertainment.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is definitely worth the price of admission.
Rating: 4/5
David Fortunato is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dforch2344@gmail.com.
