Clash of the Titan Kings: Godzilla VS. Kong
Godzilla by BossLogic
Godzilla and King Kong: it’s a rivalry older than I am – and for good reason. Two of the most iconic movie monsters of all time first clashed in 1962, in a film I grew up with called King Kong VS. Godzilla. However, that film never felt like a true battle between the two, and the ending left many fans wanting. Not to mention, the film hasn’t exactly aged well. Thankfully, Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse is here with the rematch we’ve been waiting decades for in Godzilla VS. Kong (GvK).
Taking place several years after the previous film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla VS. Kong has Godzilla taking the role of the villain, as he is provoked into causing mass destruction by a company called Apex Cybernetics, whose plan is to rid the world of the “Titans” (giant monsters) forever. This plan leads Godzilla and Kong on a collision course, that will change the face of the earth and titan battles as we know it. I would explain further, but I’d like to keep as much of this review spoiler-free as possible.
Kong by Space Dragon
Godzilla VS. Kong knows exactly what it is, and that’s a great excuse to see Godzilla and Kong fight. It’s hard to articulate how much joy the spectacle of Godzilla and Kong fighting with all the aid of modern CGI is. Throughout the film, I was crying out, jumping in my seat, and reveling in sheer awe at the clashes the two giants brought. Godzilla and Kong are characterized exceptionally well. Characters in their own right, I liked how expressive and emotive they were – more so than they’ve ever been in any Monsterverse film I’ve ever seen. Kong is a weary, battle-hardened beast, and Godzilla is the smug, wrathful king of the monsters we all know him to be. It’s easy to root for either one of them as they clash throughout the film.
Here, in Godzilla VS. Kong, we also finally get to see the Hollow Earth that has been teased since the second film in the quadrilogy, Kong: Skull Island. The world presented beneath is a fantastical one, in a combination of Journey to the Center of the Earth and King Kong (2005). The cinematography as a whole is also worth praise here, with bright colors and creative camera work throughout for both the fights and the film as a whole. A big problem I had with the earlier Monsterverse Godzilla films is their insistence on having the fights be either in the dark or in bad weather, so a lot of the action was obscured or hard to see. I’m thrilled to report that no such issue exists in Godzilla VS. Kong – here, the fights are either in the daytime, or are lit well enough that you can clearly see everything that’s going on. That was my biggest issue with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and it’s a huge relief to see it addressed.
Hollow Earth Conspiracy by Nerdist
A large point of contention with both Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters were their lack of compelling human characters. I’m happy to say, however, that Godzilla VS. Kong errs closer to the other Monsterverse film Kong: Skull Island, than it does to those films. There are about six principal characters in GvK, but I’d like to focus on two in particular: Brian Tyree Henry’s - Bernie Hayes and Kaylee Hottle’s - Jia.
Bernie Hayes is a conspiracy theorist who works for Apex Cybernetics and brings a lot of humor and fun to the world of Godzilla VS. Kong. Not to mention, his character feels very natural. In a world full of giant monsters, conspiracies aren’t that far out of the realm of possibility. His antics and anecdotes make for humorous, sometimes heartfelt moments throughout the movie.
That being said, Jia is the heart and soul of Godzilla VS. Kong. A deaf Iwi girl, she is the sole remaining native human of Skull Island, just as Kong is the last of his kind. Her connection to Kong adds a lot of heart, and emotional connection to the big guy that we might not have had otherwise.
Kaylee Hottle
There’s a lot to love in Godzilla VS. Kong, if you’re in it for the spectacle. However, you may find it lacking if you’re looking for more. Shun Oguri’s Ren Serizawa is a particular point of contention for me personally. For those unaware, Ren Serizawa is the son of Ken Watanabe’s Ishiro Serizawa, who died to save Godzilla back in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Seeing his son be introduced as a villain made for a compelling backstory, but one that goes ultimately unexplored in the film. Instead, he is largely relegated to the role of henchman for the primary antagonist, Demian Bichir’s - Walter Simmons. We also get hints to Alexander Skarsgard’s character Dr. Nathan Lind having a brother, and losing him in an expedition to the Hollow Earth, which we don’t see. While these aren’t dealbreakers, it’s disappointing to see the human half of this film so underdeveloped when it was so perfectly done in Kong: Skull Island. Additionally, if you haven’t seen the other films in the Monsterverse, you may be confused with some of the terminology and twists seen later in the film.
G v. K : The Novel by Greg Keyes
With that said, none of these issues are dealbreakers for me. I still find the human stories compelling, and the monster fights kept me hooked until the credits rolled. For those wanting more from this film, I highly recommend picking up the official novelization of the movie, written by Greg Keyes. While I’ve yet to read it myself, there are reportedly dozens of scenes in the book that never made it into the film – addressing all the issues that I pointed out above. While that’s not an ideal solution, it should at least tide people over until the Blu-Ray comes out in July and people can see some of these deleted scenes for themselves. At the time of writing this article, I’ve watched the film twice thanks to HBO Max, and once I’m fully vaccinated from COVID-19, I intend to see it again on the big screen, where it deserves to be viewed. After that, I’m certain I’ll return to watch it again and again, and again.
While I initially rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters a 9/10, time has passed, and I’d actually rate it at a 7/10, after repeated viewings and my own dissatisfaction with the monster fights visibility and lack of compelling human characters. For those who are interested, Godzilla (2014) is a 5/10, and Kong: Skull Island is a perfect 10/10. With all that in mind, Godzilla VS. Kong gets a highly enthusiastic 9/10 from me, just barely missing that perfect rating for the few gripes that I do have with it. However, as time passes, my rating may change just as it did with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but I don’t believe that it will decrease. If anything, I believe this clash of the titans will only get better with age.
The Titan King Collab by RohiTSehrawaT
Long live the King of the Monsters and the Eighth Wonder of the World!
