Released: 24th March 2021 (Worldwide Streaming)
Length: 113 Minutes
Certificate: 12A
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Bryan Tyree Henry, Millie Bobbie Brown, Kaylee Hottle, Lance Reddick and Kyle Chandler
In 2014, the Japanese Kaiju Godzilla was rebooted for a western audience; three years later the same was done for King Kong, beefing him up to a colossal size. The interconnected Monsterverse has built up to this; an all-out throw down between two of the most memorable movie monsters for the first time since 1962. Unlike other entries in its series however, this one delivers the goods.
Set in the modern day and following Godzilla: King of The Monsters, the radioactive behemoth has started attacking humanity again for reasons unknown. In an effort to defend themselves, several teams from Monarch and Apex Cybernetics devise their own solutions, most notably getting King Kong to fight on man’s side. In a bid to win the great ape over, Kong’s containment team races to find a new home before the giant lizard wrecks the planet. At under two hours, GVK is the shortest entry in its series and this is very beneficial. It cuts back and forth between three major threads, the most overt being the monster rumbles. Following close behind are the doctors Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) and Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall); they stay close to Kong, using a young girl (Kaylee Hottle) to communicate with him by sign language.
Finally, we have Madison Russell (Millie Bobbie Brown), who embarks on her own side quest to uncover the truth behind Apex’s schemes. Unlike other verses films, Godzilla Vs Kong gets straight to the fight in the first half hour and doesn’t waste your time. That’s not to say the plot is faultless. With the film aspiring to be part of a wider series, there is a disconnect in its opening. What was Kong doing in the forty years following his last film? How was he captured by humanity? There could have been some background explanations to fill in the blanks. Be that as it may, when the titular giants start trading blows, you’ll quickly forget all about this omission.
For the cast of Godzilla Vs Kong, we have a set of new and returning characters. Yet the reason this fourth entry stands head and shoulders above its predecessors is how it implements them. Gone are the tedious scenes with humans you care nothing about; now they drive the action forward before moving aside for the showdowns to take centre stage. King Kong is definitely the story’s main anchor. For his second Monsterverse appearance, the filmmakers humanise him a great deal. The solid facial expressions take the creature beyond his brutish nature. This is matched by a strong performance from the young Kaylee Hottle, who generates a sense of empathy that previous releases didn’t really have. On the other hand, while her side-quest appears superficial at first, Madison’s infiltration of Apex Cybernetics makes for another entertaining perspective. Throughout all these sequences, the human characters never become irritating or annoying, nor do they interrupt the pacing. It’s the best use of human characters in the series by far. With that said, the villainous characters (upon their reveal) remain incredibly weak and inconsequential; you could easily remove them from the production and it wouldn’t change the narrative’s trajectory.
No series has boasted a size quite like the monsterverse and Godzilla Vs Kong is once again flanked by a tremendous sense of scale. The special effects throughout are truly outstanding, with a heavier dose of technological extravagance to boot. The flick fully embraces its sci-fi undertones and creates some of the most dazzling sights the franchise has yet seen. This involves an escapade into the Earth’s core and all the over-the-top action that comes with it. As a crossover, GVK also features a greater variety of set pieces. Sure, we’ve seen clashes in world cities many times but a gruelling struggle in the middle of the ocean and the other-worldly details of the hollow Earth really mix things up. With fantastic views afforded by the long-reaching cinematography, the film continues to take full advantage of modern techniques. The same is true of the thunderous soundtrack by Tom Holkenborg which creates a towering feel to match.
Godzilla Vs Kong was a genuine surprise for me; after three disappointments in a row, the Monsterverse has found some redemption. It still has its plot holes and an unnecessary character here and there, but it takes many massive steps forward. By trimming the fat and heading straight for the action, the film gives you exactly what it says on the tin with no distractions or baggage in sight.
Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)