After years of buildup and hype, it’s finally here: The culmination of Warner Bros. interconnected “Monsterverse” which began with 2014’s “Godzilla” and continued with “Kong: Skull Island” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” Regardless of the split opinions on these films, they were box office successes, and thus we have “Godzilla vs Kong,” the first big screen clash of the killer monsters in nearly sixty years. Of course, since then, technology and filmmaking have come a long way and this big budget spectacle delivers on the titular promise of the brawl between beasts, if not much else.
The film follows two separate storylines with two groups of human characters: On the Kong side of things, we have Irene Andrews (Rebecca Hall, “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women”), a specialist on the giant ape who forms a bond with a deaf girl (Kaylee Hottle) orphaned on Skull Island, both of whom have developed sympathy for Kong. On Team Godzilla, returning for round two is Madison Russell, (Millie Bobby Brown of “Stranger Things” fame) who is convinced that Godzilla’s recent attacks are part of a larger conspiracy and teams up with a paranoid factory worker (Bryan Tyree Henry, “Widows”) to find the truth.
The human storylines in this film are far from the reason that people will see this film, and the filmmakers seem to know that because very little effort is put into developing the characters. Madison in particular comes off the worst, partly because she’s one of the only returning characters from a previous film- her father Mark, played by Kyle Chandler, is reduced to a cameo- but mostly because her development between films amounts to becoming a conspiracy monger who goes to absurd lengths to prove herself right. The whole point of her story in this movie is to uncover a hidden plot that has been poorly kept secret by the film’s marketing, but for those that don’t know, it won’t be spoiled here.
Across the board, most of the human cast, played by great actors- Demian Bichir, Alexander Skarsgard and Eiza Gonzalez to name a few- are simply there to react to Kong and Godzilla. While the film needed a human cast, director Adam Wingard (“You’re Next”) clearly picks a side in the monster vs human screen time debate. For many fans of these monster movies, that’s not a bad thing, as loads of people are flocking to this film for monster battles, but if you’re looking for compelling characters to care about, you won’t find it here.
Which brings us to the clash of the titans, as it were, and when Godzilla and Kong finally face off, it truly is a sight to behold. It’s a shame that most people won’t be able to see this film on the big screen due to the pandemic because if any movie merits an IMAX viewing, it’s this one. This is mostly due to spectacular visual effects work on the monsters that nails every little detail down to snow sticking to Kong’s fur and scrapes on Godzilla’s scales. Even on a streaming service- I streamed the film through HBO Max on a Playstation 5 and Sony 4K TV- the effects work shines.
Another bonus that separates this film from its peers is the cinematography by Ben Seresin, who also shot Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain.” It seems Warner Bros. learned their lesson after “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” whose murky camera work made the film look like it was filmed though soup. “Godzilla vs Kong” takes the complete opposite approach: Every monster fight, as chaotic as it gets, is crystal clear and easy to follow. Gone is the constant dark lighting and omnipresent obstructions of the camera from “King of the Monsters.” This film is a rather stunning visual experience, especially a battle set to the neon lit cityscape of Hong Kong.
“Godzilla vs Kong” is first and foremost a spectacle movie, for better and for worse. It’s an entertaining ride and held my attention for far longer than “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” even though it has its faults. Monster fans will eat this up without a doubt, but casual movie goers can still have a good time with it, if they’re willing to turn off their brain for a while.
“Godzilla vs Kong” is now streaming on HBO Max and is playing wherever theaters are open.