DIRECTOR: Adam Wingard
PRODUCERS: Alex Garcia & Josh Jashni & Eric McLeod & Mary Parent & Brain Rogers
& Thomas Tull WRITERS: Terry Rossio & Michael Doughtery & Zach Shields (story) &
Eric Pearson & Max Borenstein (screenplay)
PERFORMERS: Alexander Skarsgard Millie Bobby Brown Rebecca Hall Brian Tyree Henry
Simon Oguri Eiza Gonzalez Julian Dennison with Kyle Chandler and Gemian Bichir
I'm usually not one for monster movies but this is after all the age of popcorn flicks at it's finest. What better subject than crossovers since it's already on the rise? From the MCU to DCU and now the monster-verse, crossovers are turning out to be a big thing, despite the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic. Here, in the first of a perhaps soon to be next in line of a cinematic crossover universe, you get the two biggest names and characters in cinema history going at it and believe me when I say: you will never see anything like this again.
'Godzilla vs. Kong' is a follow-up of the last two solo films featuring both character creatures from where they were individually left off, but with a different premise and setting: Present Day earth and new human characters. There's a sinister company out to somehow bring order and control to the world by using the powers of Godzilla himself and wrecking havoc throughout the world. Meanwhile, King Kong (or Kong for short) is being kept in a facility as leverage to defend against a potential threat (say Godzilla for example) that comes near. But according to some others there's more to than what's being told or what everyone is meant to believe and the ironic thing is... both sides have a different point of view from within. Like 'Jurassic Park' teaches us, there are certain things that aren't meant to be controlled or recreated because when we try to do such things; thinking it's for the benefit of the world; they become our own undoing. That's where the smart characters come in... on the Godzilla side lies a young girl played by Millie Bobby Brown who's determined to get to the bottom of things before they get out of hand. Honestly, her portrayal is the best of hers I've seen since Enola Holmes. You buy into her character and her humanity she shows in this film and you route for her the whole way. On the Kong side, only two standouts stuck out to me: the young mute girl with an emotional bond with Kong and her guardian played by Rebecca Hall. I found myself emulating the sign language the girl was using to communicate with the gigantic ape and thought 'I want to learn to communicate like this!'
Obviously, the title characters are the main stars of the show but despite their CGI portrayals, they truly were what made the film work. The fight scenes between the two are just epic and breathtaking. I was literally on the edge of my seat when they fought with each other. At one point Godzilla gains the upper hand of Kong and all he can do is submit, only to comeback later on. But when they work together to fight a common enemy, the rules change without warning. It was like in 'Jurassic World' where the T-Rex and the remaining Velociraptor united to defeat the Indominus Rex and upon succeeding, decide to go their separate ways and leave a sign of respect towards each other. Now that doesn't happen with these two beings here, but when they reach that point you already know that despite their battles they both came out on top. Most crossover clashes in movies don't end like this. It's usually one triumphant over the other or both dies and there's no winner. Freddy vs. Jason was a prime example of that, as when that ended both iconic characters not only fought it out, but neither of them came out victorious. But in this one it's different... because neither Godzilla nor Kong were the enemy. Just two different species of gargantuan proportions being used for different things but with the same common goal: perseverance.
In all honesty, I must say this film completely surprised me. Despite it's flaws and decency it was actually a decent popcorn flick. It's not a bad film and it's not the greatest either, but it is a worthy look if you like monster movies. Being this is a sequel to two films that came and went over the last three to six years, I almost feel like this is the beginning of something that's been done before but not in a way like this. With crossovers on the rise it's hard to say where this goes from here. At the end of this film I was thinking of that same question about Godzilla and Kong... maybe time would tell. But I guess we'll never know since they come from different parts of the world. The story was gripping, the performances were just as decent and the action was heart pounding! Looking for a good popcorn flick to start the spring season off? Check this one out! You might be surprised, I know I was. Till next time!