Spoiler-Free movie review: GODZILLA VS KONG

 

I've been a huge fan of Kong for the longest time. As a matter of fact, the 1933 KING KONG is probably my favorite film of all time. If anything, I consider it the best adventure film of all time. A friend of mine, and frequent collaborator to this blog, recently asked me why I held it in such high regards. First, it represents pure cinema; a flight of fancy that brings an impossibility in a « real » world. The use of special effects, not only to carry us into a parallel universe where a giant ape is a fact, but to make said creature a fully realized character, with life-like idiosyncrasies, mannerisms and intent, was groundbreaking. There had been giant monsters in films before then, but never had they been portrayed in such a tragic heartfelt way.

Second, the tragic angle of the Kong character himself, as it falls for a woman (the unforgettable Fay Wray) who doesn't return that longing. A sad story of unrequited love that will bring down the protagonist literally in the grandest, most iconic fashion. Who hasn't felt torn away from our comfort zone, brought out to an unfamiliar yet exciting territory, only to feel the ground give way under our feet. Kong falls for all of us who have known heartbreak at some point in our lives.

One of the most iconic, tragic moments in movie history, the heart-wrenching conclusion to 1933 KING KONG (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack)

KING KONG was remade twice following the original's plot line. Like with the John Guillermin1976 remake that featured an impressive suit by Rick Baker. A great score by John Barry, a tongue-in-cheek script by Batman 66 scribe Lorenzo Semple Jr., and an infamous, much publicized $500,000 40 foot tall mechanical Kong, built by Carlo Rambaldi, that was so stiff it is only glanced for less than 15 seconds in the film. 

Newcomer Jessica Lange in the grasp of the ultimate "chauvinist pig" in KING KONG (John Guillermin, 1976)

 

The second attempt in 2005 by Peter Jackson was more impressive, even though it was somewhat misguided by Jackson's own unbridled affection not only for the 1933 film, but for Kong himself. Turning the tragic unrequited love story into an impossible love story between two beings who share a common affection, but whose companionship is sociologically hopeless. This misplaced sentimentality ends up ruining the pathos in the replay of the epochal sorrowful fall from grace.

 

T-Rex vs giant ape, with Naomi Watts stuck in the middle. Arguably the most exciting moment from Peter Jackson's KING KONG (2005)

 

Other than re-hashing the original 1933 plot, Kong also appeared many times as a character in diverse stories that would see him fight a robot version of himself (in the entertaining 1967 Ishirô Honda film KING KONG ESCAPES, featuring a Kong costume so adorably ugly, it's impossible to keep a straight face while watching the film), get a heart transplant and find a mate (The inexplicable KING KONG LIVES, directed by John Guillermin in 1986 as a sequel to his 1976 opus), or more specific to this review, is found in the seventies living on an island populated with giant critters (the fun-as-hell KONG : SKULL ISLAND, directed in ko2017 by Jordan Vogt-Roberts , which is mainly an extended first act from the original film), or fight the other giant beast vying for the title « King of The Monsters », Godzilla, in the classic 1962 Ishirô Honda film KING KONG VS GODZILLA, which is the most direct inspiration for the 2021 monster mash that is GODZILLA VS KONG.

GODZILLA VS KONG sees our giant ape living under the auspices of the Monarch organization, whose purpose is to observe and control (I guess) the many so-called titans that populate the Earth, trying to keep them away from each other to avoid the inevitable rampage that would occur. Meanwhile, Godzilla attacks a dubious Tech company that is developing something sinister, that attracts the attention of a paranoid Podcast investigator (an annoyingly manic Brian Tyree Henry) and young Madison (Millie Bobby Brown, continuing her story arc started in GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS). Of course, the confluence of events, and the fact that these two apex predators are eternal enemies, will make sure that the title of the film is not just for show.

 

The opening credits, presenting the upcoming film as the concluding match in an epic tournament.

 

Adam Wingard's film doesn't require the viewer to invest himself much in the drama surrounding the human characters. If anything, of all the movies in the « Monsterverse » (Started with 2014's GODZILLA), it's the one where the least attempts are made to create a compelling story-line about the humans. Their only goal is to help move the monsters from one location to the next, with little attention to logic. The plot holes in the film could lead giant kaijus straight to the center of the Earth. Amusingly enough, Wingard stated in a 2017 interview :

"I really want you to take those characters seriously. I want you to be emotionally invested, not just in the human characters, but actually in the monsters. It’s a massive monster brawl movie. There’s lots of monsters going crazy on each other, but at the end of the day I want there to be an emotional drive to it. I want you to be emotionally invested in them. I think that’s what’s going to make it really cool"

Can't really say there is much to be invested with as far as the human characters. The only character that has some kind of sympathy is the young girl who shares an emotional bond with Kong. Their relationship constitute the most grounded and touching aspect of the film. But then again, her role is also to help him move from point A to point B. 

 

Preparing to rumble. Man, those boats are SOLID!

 

As far as Godzilla is concerned in this film, he is a being of instinctive rage, destroying everything in its path, expressing little more than beady-eyed snarls and saliva-laden shrieks. Whatever emotional heavy-lifting is provided ultimately by Kong himself, exquisitely animated by the substantial special effects team, who most likely will be rewarded for their work next year at many awards ceremonies. Conveying more sentiment with his soulful eyes and somewhat gracious lumber than anything Alexander Skarsgård can muster in his self-effacing leading role.

Because make no mistake; the special effects are the true stars of this film. Show-stopping moments not only includes the brutal, gorgeously choreographed fights between the main monstrous protagonists (The opening titles of the film don't try to hide the fact that this is the main attraction of an elimination-style tournament), but the trip to the hollow Earth, with its infinitely trippy, gravity defying visuals is undeniable eye-candy. 

 

The sumptuous visual effects and gravity defying concepts of the Hollow Earth. A visual feast from GODZILLA VS KONG.

 

While the previous films in the Godzilla Monsterverse series insisted on a dark palette, hiding its colossal stars in the shroud of night, with added rain and snow for good measure, GODZILLA VS KONG chooses to display its gigantic gladiators in full daylight, or in a neon-drenched Hong Kong, leaving the gleeful viewer more of an opportunity to enjoy fully the gargantuan WWE-style fight to the finish that delivers the goods in the most satisfying way.

 

 

At this point, there are no plans to continue the so-called Monsterverse series. If it is the case, this is a good way to end it with a bang. While it doesn't shine with its human drama, (the film being the complete antithesis of the previous film I watched; the somber and brilliant THE FATHER, which is all about human interaction, depth and limited settings), it more than makes up with its outrageous science-fiction trappings and its loud, silly, and undeniably fun family-sized mayhem. 

GODZILLA VS KONG delivers the goods.