Godzilla vs Kong is a disservice to such iconic characters!
Godzilla vs. Kong was a movie I never thought I would see made again. I loved all the classic Godzilla and King Kong movies. I watched many of them growing up, and I have been excited for this one since its announcement. To prepare me, I had to catch up on the one film that I missed in theaters, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. I highly recommend watching that if you have not yet, as well as 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s King of Monsters which I enjoyed due to Mothra’s inclusion.
Synopsis
Legends collide in Godzilla vs. Kong, as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home. With them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans — instigated by unseen forces — is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the Earth’s core.
This movie could have been a home run, but sadly Warner Bros has not learned from their past mistakes. I really enjoyed the first two Godzilla movies despite their flaws and thought Skull Island had many great scenes. But somehow, this movie does not outshine its predecessors. There is still too much focus on the human element. It takes away screen time from the characters in the actual movie title. It is like watching a Batman movie and having most of the film focused on the GPD. This is such a disservice to two iconic characters. The special effects and the King Kong and Godzilla designs are amazing, but it just not enough to win over fans like me. There were too many different side plots that magically intersected at the film’s end.
More Humans, More Problems.
I was fine with the return of Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler but they were brushed to the side for a dozen new human characters. On Team Kong you have Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgård taking over babysitter duties as this movie focuses more on King Kong. And once again Deadpool 2’s Julian Dennison has managed to sneak his way into another movie where he does not offer much. The scenes with newcomer Kaylee Hottle and Kong were emotional and what I enjoyed most. I was happy to see the addition of Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry. His crazy conspiracy chaser character was a fun one to watch interact with Millie Bobby Brown. There are plenty more human characters that were added that take up excessive screen time and leave us hanging with a lack of the Titans presence.
If it was so important to build a human plot behind the Titan Showdown, there should have been more elaboration. Many scenes seemed to be missing as the movie jumped around. Sadly this movie is barely 1 hour and 45 minutes long after you remove the credits. An epic showdown like this needs to be over 2 hours long. No one will complain about how long a Godzilla and King Kong movie is as long as there is non-stop action. Just take a look at the 4 hours long Zack Snyder Justice League. Please deliver a Godzilla or King Kong movie that gives them 100% screen time.
Verdict
I give Godzilla vs Kong a 6.5/10. I think it is time to reboot them both. There needs to be more focus on the titular characters rather than the human element. Just a heads up, there is no end credit scene like the previous films.
Watch on HBO Max
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis. He is a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.