GODZILLA VS KONG – A Review by Cynthia Flores
It has taken since 1963 and the not-so-great King Kong VS Godzilla film where we saw these two icons fight it out in Japan. The two are slow and clunky looking in the old movie since the special effects were men in bad rubber suits duking it out. For round two of these legends colliding in 2021, we have amazing special effects to render our long-awaited face-off in this new film Godzilla Vs. Kong, directed by Adam Wingard. Of course, the fate of the world still hangs in the balance in this cinematic Monsterverse. Who will reign victorious? The fearsome Godzilla or The Mighty Kong? Both have their teams of young people in their corner cheering them on.
In Godzilla’s corner, we have Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) reprising her role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters. She’s a high schooler that knows Godzilla is here to protect our world. He would never attack without provocation. She and her friend Josh (Julian Dennison), with the help of conspiracy podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), go against Apex Industries. They need to find out what is causing Godzilla to act out. While in The Mighty Kong’s corner, we have Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall); she studies Kong and keeps him safe in a virtual island set up. She also takes care of Jia (Deaf actress Kaylee Hottle), the orphaned deaf girl whose parents were killed on Skull Island where Kong was found. Jia has a sweet connection to Kong. Both Titans have their fans, and I was cheering for Godzilla myself!
All the trouble in this movie starts with the head of Apex Industries, Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir). He has plans to win the power struggle between the titans and humans. To get the job done, he needs Professor Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) to convince Dr. Andrews to use Kong. He must lead them to the center of the earth where the titans come from and where Godzilla gets his great power. This is key in his plan to defeat the Titans.
The rest of the film is filled with both Kong’s team and Godzilla’s team risking it all to help their monsters. The places they all go are at times scary and breathtaking. There are no wasted side storylines or fluff. Every bit of the plot serves to take us to the face-off at the very end.
Godzilla Vs. Kong is truly a blast to watch. You can’t help but cheer out loud for your favorite titan. I wasn’t too sure about this version of Godzilla and Kong in the hands of this director. Considering Adam Wingard has a filmography steeped in horror films like 2016 Blair Witch and other smaller films. He was a surprising choice to direct this Monsterverse big-budget film. I hoped he would stay true to these monsters’ kid-inspiring magic and not just make it a bloody dark mess. So many things could have gone wrong. A big budget does not promise a great film. However, I think this director has found his niche. I hope he sticks to these heavy special effects-laden films. He does a fantastic job giving us a tight fun-filled action-packed movie. I liked his style because the action isn’t blurred by too many fast cuts or camera moves that make you sick to your stomach. I hate movies where you have trouble even keeping up with who is hitting who or doing whatever.
I will not do spoilers here because I want you to put on your face mask and go to a theater to see this movie. Adam Wingard has given us an action film where you can hold your popcorn in one hand and cheer as Kong and Godzilla fight and tear up everything in sight.
I give Godzilla Vs. Kong a 4.5-star rating. It’s a great reason to leave the house and go to the movies.
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Written by: Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein, Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields
Rated: PG-13
Selig Rating: 4.5 Stars
Running Time: 1hr 53min
Sci-Fi, Action
Wide Release: In Theaters and on HBO Max – March 31st
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mille Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Julian Dennison, Kaylee Hottle
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
