Godzilla vs Kong Review

Matthew Gower

“Godzilla vs Kong” is a fun enjoyable film with great special effects and has topped the box office for three weekends. With some movie theatres throughout the world open and many restrictions still in place due to COVID-19, the film has still passed the box office numbers of some of its predecessors in the MonsterVerse. Despite the film being available on HBO Max, “Godzilla vs Kong” has crossed over 390 million dollars worldwide at the box office.

The CGI in the film looks great, not just with Kong and Godzilla, but with the environments, water and other objects made using CGI. This makes the Titans (monsters) look drastically more realistic than previous monster movies made over the years. Looking back on the CGI in those earlier films showcases just how much the technology has advanced in recent years.

The characters in the film have character development that is executed in the best way it can be for the type of film it is. The film’s focus does not give the human characters much room to grow – as most of them do remain the same personality-wise by the end despite what they go through. But this is not as big of an issue in this film as it would be in many others, because most of the interest lies in the Titans and the next action sequence.

Jia’s character, played by Kaylee Hottle in the film, was one of my favorites out of the human characters. The bond she has with Kong is an important part of the overall plot as she is the only one who can communicate with him through sign language. Their bond was established in previous films in the MonsterVerse and is explained well enough in “Godzilla vs Kong”  for viewers to understand without seeing the previous films.

The subplot in the film with Bernie, played by Bryan Tyree Henry, is also interesting. He is first shown in the film as a whistleblower infiltrating the company Apex explaining his findings through his podcast. This subplot could have been expanded upon more, but even if it was furthered, it wouldn’t likely change much of the overall plot of the film.

The fringe scientific Hollow Earth theory is also explored in the film. Hollow Earth as a concept is a central plot point in “Godzilla vs Kong” and is first set up in “Kong: Skull Island.” The theory states that the interior of Earth is home to dinosaurs and other creatures that existed as far back as prehistoric times and has been a plot point in many sci-fi films. Despite the theory being disproven as far back as the late 17 century the idea is still intriguing as a plot device in many films throughout the years.

The action sequences are excellent. The fight sequence between Godzilla and Kong that takes place on the ocean was intense and kept me on the edge of my seat. The scene also had moments that indicated that Kong was a protector of humanity against Godzilla. Whether or not that is true, though, is up to audience interpretation and can be inferred toward the end of the film.

The plot escalates quickly, leaving the audience to wonder which side they should be on between the two Titans with a surprise towards the end – which I will not spoil for those who haven’t seen it.

The film leaves viewers with many questions such as: Where are the other Titans? Why did they not respond to the events between Godzilla and Kong? Etc.

But the biggest question toward the end of the film amongst the audience seems to be who won the battle between Godzilla and Kong.

After watching the film, it seems the creators might have had the idea to start a discussion amongst the fans of the MonsterVerse around which Titan won to hype up the next film.

The change in the tone of the film compared to others in the MonsterVerse such as “Godzilla” (2014) did not change my enjoyment of the film. Some of the previous installments seemed to emphasize being more of a drama film rather than focusing on the Titans themselves. In certain aspects the dramatization of some of the previous films make them better in certain areas.

Overall, the film was enjoyable and different from previous installments in a good way. The film had me thinking about revisiting some of the previous films in the MonsterVerse and curious about where the franchise will go in the future.