BMC: GODZILLA VS KONG

Its a segment of BMC: BIG MONSTER CINEMA!  While this segment is usually used for looking at older Kaiju related films, we got ourselves a new film where a big ape fights a nuclear lizard.

Godzilla Vs. Kong is the newest entry in Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Monsterverse films and is directed by Adam Wingard with a script by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein and story by Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty, and Zach Shields.  

Godzilla Vs. Kong is a film that is highly aware of what kind of film it wants to be and boy does it deliver.  The human drama of the film has (wisely) been relegated to the background and gives our boys plenty of time to duke it out and throw punches.  The film is not some slow build-up to the two monsters fighting but instead has Godzilla coming after Kong after about 20 mins into the film and they will continue to meet and slug each other many times over the run time.  The human characters in the film, while still somewhat bland, are some of the best characters when have seen in the film series.  The Monarch team is mostly forgettable with the exception of Jia (more on her later) and we do have a little fun with Millie Bobby Brown's team of misfits made up of Julian Dennison and Brian Tyree Henry as they try to investigate some mysterious plans by the company APEX.  I will also add the request that we put Brian Tyree Henry in all the films all the time as he keeps stealing the show! While I will not go into what this plan might be due to spoilers, I believe most people already know what it is due to word of mouth and the early toy launch.  

-It's Gabara isn't it?  Please tell me its Gabara!-

 The film makes the wise decision to center the film on Kong and make him our leading man (ape) as we follow his journey through the film.  Kong's journey is our main emotional link to the film especially his relationship with Jia, a mute child from Skull Island, that speaks to Kong using sign language. This relationship between the two feels genuine and you care deeply about the two of them. The main plot centers around the organization Monarch trying to deliver Kong to Antarctica so that he may enter into the earth's surface to an area known as "Hollow Earth" that has been hinted at through the Monster-Verse films.  The film takes these crazy concepts and runs with them giving the film a sort of fun vibe that we got from the 60s Godzilla films without a tongue in cheek attitude.  The only thing that comes between them reaching Antarctica is the big G-man and man oh man do Godzilla and Kong HATE each other.  We are only ever given hints of an ancient rivalry between the species and something about how there can only be 1 Apex Titan, but the back story is not as important as the fight sequences.  

-Woah...Big Monke punch Spicy Lizard-

The fight choreography and cinematography has some great shots and Adam Wingard is able to shoot the Titans in a way that we can feel their size and power.  One of my favorite shots from the film is from the cockpit of a jet as it takes off from an aircraft carrier and we see Kong behind him as he takes flight.  There are also these action shots that look like we strapped the camera right to the shoulder of one of the Titans or their arms so that you feel right in the action and feel the visceral blows each of the titans toss at each other.  The fight sequence in Hong Kong has all these neon colors (a favorite of Wingard) that light up the scene and give us a visual spectacle that goes beyond just the two monsters punching each other.  The film is also packed with easter eggs and visual homages to the classic King Kong Vs Godzilla (1962) as well as other films the two monsters rich film history.  This is a love letter to both franchises that is from a true fan of the franchises.  Adam Wingard knocked it out of the park.  While there are some conflicting views out there, I will stand by the belief the film does have a winner by the end of the film between Godzilla and Kong that I will, of course, not spoil here.  

-But do they...kiss?-

While the film is available on HBO Max for subscribers, we did a roll of the dice and went and saw an IMAX screening.  If you have been vaccinated or feel safe enough to visit a theater to see the film I encourage you to do so and I hope they re-release the film into theaters when things are safer (the same with most films released this past year).  I always have a big stupid grin on my face during these films as I grew up being a huge fan of not only the Godzilla franchise but Kong as well.  I have the same admiration towards these big stupid monsters as I do towards the Marvel films.  Bewilderment that someone spent all this money on these characters and has given them the respect that I felt they always deserved.  If Godzilla vs Kong is the end of the monsterverse, it went out with a bang.  If not, I will always be ready to visit these monsters again.

Godzilla Vs Kong earns 4.5 out of 5 atomic blasts.