Even though Godzilla is a cultural icon, he is probably just *now* making a comeback- at least in America- from how his 1998 film was received, due in part to how much better the Legendary series of kaiju films have performed with audiences and most critics (he’s got a sizable and devoted fandom who will see to that). King Kong has been a bit luckier in some ways, he had the 1976 and 2005 entries that did alright, and I got a huge kick out of the campy and crazy Kong: Skull Island.
Since that movie’s success, there’s been a gradual buildup toward another big-freak throwdown since they last squared off in 1962. And this new rematch, simply titled Godzilla vs. Kong, doesn’t take itself anywhere as seriously as the 2014 movie, but in my opinion it’s a way easier watch and didn’t feel anywhere as muddled or bleak as Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
I’m not as well-versed in the Godzilla series as others to properly assess how well the older movies handle its human cast in relation to the creature action. But ever since the Roland Emmerich entry (featuring Matthew Broderick, who I normally love, in one of his more awkward and miscast parts, and a weird Roger Ebert-style mayor meant as a cheap potshot towards critics), the people running away from Godzilla or Kong have been somewhat looked down (no pun intended) in a manner that’s almost as bad as how the humans in Transformers are perceived (I exempt Bumblebee). So this new movie wisely understands that we’re here to see monsters smash into each other, and whatever human content we do get is merely mean to set up further mayhem.
Said setup puts Kong under the Monarch corporation’s watchful eyer under a dome on his home island, living his best giant ape life. He communicates to the scientists through his sign language translator, a young girl named Jia (Kaylee Hottle). It’s crazy how far the writers go to humanize Kong and make him identifiable, to where it’s borderline comedic how he gets up in the morning like a regular joe. I will say that it’s balanced out once he gets to stomping around and fighting other creatures, thanks to some considerably good CGI work (not good as in “realistic”, but as in the kinetic energy of the character animation).
He’s eventually caught up in Monarch’s investigation into why Godzilla mysteriously attacked an Apex cybernetics facility, recruited to guide their teams through the Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, Mille Bobby Brown returns as the now deceased Emma Russell’s daughter Madison, teaming up with her geeky friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and the Apex technician turned radio conspiracy crackpot Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) to explore their own theories. The late Ishiro Serizawa’s son Ren (Shun Oguri) is aligned with Apex, and he along with the company’s CEO Walter Simmons (Demian Bichir) have some not-very-nice congratulation plans for whichever beast comes out the winner.
As the series has progressed, the tone of the writing has gradually become more “traditional Hollywood blockbuster” in some respects than how (relatively) subdued Gareth Edwards’ approach to the material was. There’s a lot more comedy and quick one-liners in Godzilla vs. Kong, not to where the movie is a complete farce but enough to stand out from the first entry.
Tyree Henry especially has his moments- you can tell how much he enjoys playing the seemingly nutty scientist who secretly knows what he’s talking about, the Doc Brown from Back to the Future influence is obvious. Adam Wingard is keener to depict both Godzilla and Kong as relatable individuals, rather than dangerous forces of nature (even though they’re both very much that, as their encounter over a gorgeously lit Hong Kong skyline shows).
This trilogy so far has gone to great lengths to make sure Godzilla is never seen as an antagonist, and even though Kong is obviously the main hero, this third movie is no different as its plot gradually unfolds. Both monsters are still being threatened by Simmons’ plot, and Tom Holkenborg’s score makes it easier not just to get pump while the two creatures collide, but when they’ve also suffered heavy battle damage and are struggling to rise back up.
Ultimately, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers on what it promises in the marketing, and as cheesy as some of the humans underneath them can be, they’re part of what’s an alright B-movie framing device for the two titans to slug it out. But the direction manages to add little human touches to both the giant ape and lizard, so the audience is actually able to stay invested and genuinely root for them- as opposed to them just watching a generic mass of computer imagery romping around like the 98’ version- so I’ll happily recommend it for Toho monster fans as well as anyone looking for a big, dumb but fun blockbuster. (At least that prior film had a kicking soundtrack, even though Rage Against The Machine’s song kinda dissed the movie in the lyrics.)
But what did you think? If you’d had the chance to check it out, stop by FAN’s social medias and share your own thoughts on it!