Godzilla vs. Kong Review
The cinemas have officially reopened and two of the most popular monsters to grace our screens — Godzilla and Kong — are about to have it out. Although the film has been available for download, it’s the sort of spectacle that can only truly be appreciated on a cinema screen.
Let’s start with the plot of this mega monster movie. For the first two thirds, it feels like you’re watching two separate films. After a seemingly random Godzilla attack on an APEX Cybernetics facility that injured and killed civilians, CEO and founder of APEX, Walter Simmons — played by Demián Bichir — enlists the help of Dr Nathan Lind — played by Alexander Skarsgård. Lind believes he knows where the two titans, Kong and Godzilla have come from, a layer of the Earth closer to the centre called Hollow Earth. He wants to take Kong back there, as he believes there is a power source that can help to stop Godzilla from attacking again.
This is when the movie begins to split into two. We follow Kong and Lind as they begin their journey to Hollow Earth, along with a little girl, Jia — played by Kaylee Hottle — and her adopted mother, Dr Ilene Andrews — played by Rebecca Hall, who looks after and monitors Kong. Although Andrews is skeptical at first about moving Kong from the dome they’ve created for him on Skull Island, Lind persuades her that this plan is not only to help humanity, but also to take Kong home where he belongs.
The other storyline we’re introduced to involves a teenage girl, Madison Russell — played by Millie Bobby Brown — who believes there’s an unknown reason for Godzilla’s attack. She teams up with conspiracy theorist, Bernie Hayes — played by Brian Tyree Henry — who thinks APEX are hiding something and is determined to find out what it is and expose them. Josh Valentine — played by Juian Dennison — gets dragged along reluctantly purely because his brother has a van that Russell can use to find Hayes. For most of the film, their journey is used as comic relief from the intense sci-fi storyline that surrounds Kong. However, many of the jokes don’t land and it often feels forced. Although their storyline does come to a head and makes sense by the end of the film, it feels like a chore getting to that point. You could forgive someone for letting out a sigh every time the film leaves Kong and joins these three characters.
Although there are serious issues with the plot — or rather, the two plots that don’t come together until the end of the film — there is something very endearing about many of the characters, especially the women. In fact, while most of the men are either weak (Dr Lind and Dr Mark Russell for example) or evil, the girls and women steal the show. From the deaf child, Jia who is the only character that has a true connection with Kong and feels no fear, only love for the beast, to the teenage Madison Russell who will do anything to root out corruption and protect Godzilla. Rebecca Hall also plays Dr Andrews in a way that shows compassion, strength and courage as equally important traits.
The real stars of the show are of course Godzilla and Kong though. The CGI is as good as it looks in the trailers and is easily the shining light of the film. This version of Kong is as strong and scary as he always has been, but he also shows humility and kindness. He’s patient and understanding, and he cares for the people who have helped and keep wanting to help him. Although we don’t see Godzilla as much, he’s just as destructive as he always has been, but in the later scenes we see some personality. We see a titan who ultimately wants to protect humanity — or at least, the good side of humanity. This is where the film’s message comes into play. Humanity is the enemy. A message that feels very relevant when looking at global politics over the last decade.
The plot? Rushed, confusing, incohesive. The characters? Some you can’t get enough of, others simply fade into the background. The titans? Even more breath-taking on the big screen. The CGI? As stunning as you’d expect. Realistically, who’s going to the cinema to watch Godzilla vs Kong for the plot? We’re all here to watch a humungous gorilla fight a ginormous lizard, and that’s exactly where the film excels. A true monster fantastical.
Hannah Parker
