Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Let’s get one thing out of the way: Godzilla vs. Kong is not going to redefine the cinematic art form. It’s a cheesy, good-time movie featuring two iconic monsters battling over who should be the alpha. Fans of Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse know this by now. This is the payoff for those of us who’ve enjoyed Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. If you’re not the type of person who enjoys movies featuring enormous creatures destroying buildings and fighting each other, you’re not going to like Godzilla vs. Kong.

Building on the mythos created by those aforementioned movies, Godzilla vs. Kong picks up three years after the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Godzilla hasn’t been seen since defending the Earth from Ghidorah. Suddenly, however, he rises from the ocean to attack a factory owned by Apex Cybernetics in Florida. It’s the first time he’s attacked without provocation.

On the other side of the world, Monarch, the secretive company who initially discovered Kong, has kept him hidden on Skull Island. It is believed that if Godzilla knew Kong’s location, he would immediately attack. The Earth isn’t big enough for two alpha Titans.

Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) returns from Godzilla: King of the Monsters and finds it extremely unlikely that Godzilla, a creature that defended the planet three years ago, has suddenly turned evil. She’s become obsessed with the Titan Truth Podcast, which is run by Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry.) Bernie believes that Godzilla had a reason to attack Apex Cybernetics. Madison and her friend, Josh (Julian Dennison,) set off to locate Bernie to share conspiracy theories and solve the mystery behind Godzilla’s actions.

Meanwhile, former Monarch scientist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) is approached by Apex Cybernetics’ founder and CEO, Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir.) Dr. Lind has been researching the Hollow Earth theories that have been bandied about in the MonsterVerse films since Kong: Skull Island. Simmons wants Dr. Lind’s help with his plan to harness a power source found in Hollow Earth to combat Godzilla. The only way to find this power source is to convince Monarch to allow Kong to lead them to it. Lind calls on an old Monarch buddy, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall,) who happens to be in charge of Kong’s containment. Of course, as soon as Kong leaves Skull Island, he will be attacked by Godzilla. And, guess what happens?

The human-related subplots exist merely to manipulate Kong and Godzilla into bumping heads. While I could be upset that the story forgets all about the remaining Titans and major human characters seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, I am not. The focus of the movie should be — and is — the clash between the Big G and Kong. That’s all I really wanted. (And, honestly, I’m guessing that the studio wanted to make this movie as standalone as possible to attract a wider audience.)

The only human character of note is Jia (Kaylee Hottle,) a young deaf girl adopted by Dr. Andrews and with whom Kong has developed a sort of friendship. Hottle, who is deaf in real life, displays more emotion than all the other human characters combined.

Director Adam Wingard (Death Note) stages the monster battles quite effectively. The stellar CGI effects are the star of the show. They give both Godzilla and Kong the feeling of immense weight and power, something normally lacking in CGI-heavy combat scenes. Kong is also given a distinct personality and Godzilla, being a force of nature, remains as aloof as ever. As the centerpiece of the film, the fight scenes are a rousing triumph.

While it is not as successful in capturing the hokey spirit of the Japanese Godzilla films as Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it does manage to satisfy a craving for giant monster mayhem. As the final entry — at least for now — in the MonsterVerse series, Godzilla vs. Kong succeeds in leaving fans wanting more but not disappointing them in the process.