GODZILLA VS KONG - Movie Review (4/10)
I must admit, this was probably my most anticipated movie of the entire year. What can I say, I love my dumb fun, and this movie delivers on that front whole heartedly. Released in 2021, Godzilla vs Kong is the highly awaited showdown between two of the most beloved movie monsters. This isn’t the first time they’ve gone toe to toe, but it is the first Hollywood has taken its spin on it. Before I go into complain-land again, I want to give some compliments. I really enjoyed the enhanced focus on Kong and his journey to the center of the earth that frames him as the underdog hero. He is faced with a threat (the big mean lizard), so he must re-discover his ancestry and equip himself for the fight. His slow bond with the little girl was also a heartwarming addition that humanized him further. Not being left behind, the small reactions from Godzilla (especially his big smirk) also worked greatly in building his character. The choreography in their final brawl also uses their experiences nicely. Kong, having fought lizards before, immediately tries to rip open Godzilla’s mouth, who in retaliation immediately tries to use his nuclear beam rather than hold it back like previous battles. Its satisfying to watch the previous movie payoffs in this way. As for the complaints, it is again with the efficiency of screen time. The big subplot involving Millie Bobbie Brown (who, I might add, gives a pretty bad performance) and two others hunting down a conspiracy theory comes as a huge waste. Anytime the movie would cut to them I could feel my smile fade away, knowing I needed to stop myself from falling asleep again. The other characters aren’t much better either (surprise surprise). Also, the constantly changing character sizes also threw me off quite a bit, as Kong would sometimes increase and decrease in height shot from shot. But all that aside, I’m excited about the potentially huge worldbuilding this movie sets up and would love to see it explored in depth in a tv spin-off. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with this movie. Despite some huge drawbacks, it delivers on its promise of bombastic action and I was happy to see Kong take the spotlight.
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