GODZILLA VS. KONG (2021)

Written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein



Directed by Adam Wingard



Where & When: TCL Chinese IMAX Theater, Hollywood, CA. April 5, 2021 4:30 PM



I don't think since Joan Crawford and Bette Davis has a match-up battle between movie stars has been so hotly anticipated than with "Godzilla vs. Kong". Godzilla, a giant, dinosaur-like creature formed from radioactivity, has been repeatedly destroying Japan since 1954 while the very big gorilla, King Kong made his film debut in 1933 and is said to have been the inspiration behind the creation of Godzilla. 

Now this isn't the first time these two have waged war against each other. There was a Japanese produced film called, "King Kong vs Godzilla" made in 1962 with a heavily re-edited version released in the US the following year. With a low budget and guys fighting in monster suits, the film still became a box-office success. Now almost sixty years later, we have a rematch with "Godzilla vs. Kong" although these films have no actual connection. This new movie may have had the advantage of close to a $200 million dollar production cost and the advancement of visual effects technology but I would not necessarily be quick to assume that this is a better film. Without much going for it beyond the brief fights between King Kong and Godzilla, this film might have been more intriguing if there was a little more time and money invested on a coherent story and less on the finely detailed  (yet very impressive) images of these creatures duking it out.

 
With a loose connection to 2017's "Kong: Skull Island" and "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" from 2019, our story begins with Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), an anthropological linguist working for Monarch on Skull Island, being very concerned about Kong's agitative behavior. And while it could be that he's being held captive in an artificial jungle dome, the brilliant doctor concludes it must be something else. The only one Kong connects with is Dr. Andrews' adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a deaf orphan who is the last of the island's native tribe.

Meanwhile, for some unknown reason, Godzilla attacks the Apex Cybernetics facility in Florida. But Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) may have some idea. He's the voice behind a conspiracy theory podcast and also an employee of Apex, who just happened to be at work during Godzilla's rampage. In the rubble, he discovers some strange, secret device, which confirms his theory that Apex is behind some sinister activity. Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown, who played the teenage character in "King of The Monsters") is a fan of Bernie's podcast and after deciding he's on to something, enlists her buddy, Josh (Julian Dennison, who you may remember as the star of Taika Waititi's excellent, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople") to borrow his brother's car and they head off to Florida.

Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir), the CEO of Apex, wants scientist and Hollow Earth specialist, Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) to lead in an no-expense-spared search for a special power source only found in this location. Dr. Lind convinces Dr. Andrews to allow Kong to be their tour guide to Hollow Earth. And with a large team from Apex which includes Walter's daughter Maia (Eiza González), they travel by sea with a tranquilized Kong chained to a specialized barge. But Godzilla has other plans, with destruction and a major brawl clearly on her mind.

I can say with absolute certainty that no one who sat in front of "Godzilla vs. Kong" was expecting great, life-altering art. Audiences were largely anticipating plenty of mindless thrills and fun to get lost in for two hours. And with that, the film is generally successful. However I expect, at a minimum with even action-adventure films, some effort made to deliver competent storytelling that involves fleshed out characters with moments of lively humor to help lighten the tension. I know it can be done. I have seen quite a few super-hero adventures that have managed to accomplish this feat. But this script by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein is absurdly overwritten, confusing viewers with characters having lengthy, scientific-like discussions to explain what's going on, which doesn't help in any meaningful way. And it's not surprising that the humans in this story would take a backseat to the headliners yet our monster stars are really the only compelling characters given anything to emote.

Wingard, the director behind the supernatural thrillers, "You're Next", "The Guest" and third sequel to "The Blair Witch Project", is actually a competent filmmaker with a distinctive visual style and capable of getting solid performances from his actors. But that will take you only so far if your source material has not been fully realized. I'm sure all Wingard heard were the words, "King Kong", "Godzilla" and "fight" and he was in.

My advice for achieving maximum enjoyment from "Godzilla vs. Kong" is this: Ignore the body count of innocent citizens. Never mind the massive destruction of major cities. Don't even try to decipher the convoluted plot. Just stay for the simple pleasures of the monumental battle between two of cinema's legendary monsters.