[Music] e e e hey everyone welcome back to East K drama news today we're diving deep into the world of Cinema to explore a film that's been creating quite a buzz whether it's a blockbuster hit or a Hidden Gem we're here to dissect the story performances and everything in between so grab your popcorn sit back and let's embark on this cinematic journey together don't forget to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell icon to stay updated with our latest reviews and disc discussions now without further Ado let's jump right into today's movie review Godzilla versus Kong is a 2021 American Science Fiction monster film produced by legendary pictures and the fourth entry in the monster verse following 2019s Godzilla king of the monsters acting as a sequel to both king of the monsters and Kong Skull Island it is the 36th entry in the Godzilla franchise Godzilla versus Kong had a turbulent development and was originally set for releasee on May 29th 2020 before being pushed up to March 13th 2020 only to then be delayed to November 20th 2020 and then May 21st 2021 it then got pushed up to March 26th 2021 before ultimately being released to American theaters on March 31st 2021 the film was also streaming concurrently on HBO Max through to April 30th 2021 the film is directed by Adam Wingard produced by Mary parent Alex Garcia Eric McLoud and Brian Rogers with a screenplay written by Eric Pearson and Max borenstein from a story by Terry rossio Michael dhy and Zack Shields borenstein dhy and shields also wrote king of the monsters Godzilla versus Kong begins 5 years after king of the monsters and sees Godzilla and Kong undergoing a Titanic battle in the wake of gora's Rampage a follow-up sequel to the film was released on March 29th 2024 with Godzilla returning once more to team up with King Kong with a movie with a title like Godzilla versus Kong I only require a few simple things Godzilla King Kong and Godzilla fighting King Kong that's is anything else is just window dressing director Adam winguard the guest your next knows this well and delivers plenty of monkey punching lizard action and that rules that's all anyone really needs or wants to know you want to see these two icons throw down down and this movie provides everything the trailers marketing and very title promise winguard stages the fights in full Clear View they well lit in the open shot wide enough to see the action and hot damn there's not a midnight rain storm in sight hell he even proudly wears his 1980s action movie and pro wrestling influences as the two Titans Collide how can you not love Kong off the top rope the creature design and effects are fantastic and never ring false on the giant monster front this hits everything you want but as is so often the case in these situations the problem is everything else when it's fun it's an absolute blast but when it's not it's awful I legitimately hated most of the first half of Godzilla versus Kong every second that doesn't directly focus on Kong or Godzilla Which is far too many I found absolutely tedious and uninteresting the plot is a convoluted jumble of the asinine Titan and Hollow Earth mythology and spirous scientific logic of this shared monster verse characters toss around vaguely technical words in an overw attempt to poorly explain the madeup nonsense the pace somehow moves too slow and too fast at the same time dragging but also skipping over huge chunks dumb is one thing dumb can be dealt with boring on the other hand is unforgivable in a movie like this and that's the issue with most of the first hour again it's all the human characters it's not the actor's faults it's a weirdly stacked cast but the overwritten script is just terrible o there's a paranoid podcaster Brian Tyrie Henry o there's a failed Fringe academic who wrote A far out book that while correct never sold Alexander scarguard ooh a billionaire CEO who appears magnanimous on the surface but may have questionable motives Demi and bitcher ooh a doood or scientist who cares about Kong's best interests Rebecca Hall and is also the caretaker of a deaf indigenous orphan girl who teaches Kong to sign and also to love Kaye hodle and the film just throws in more and more people Millie Bobby Brown reprises her role from the previous film only now she's a teen conspiracy theorist with a soft spot for Godzilla Julian Dennison plays her BFF and plot device we get Isa Gonzalez as the tough hard-nosed corporate woman with a job to do it keeps going and going and getting nowhere at least Skarsgard and Henry know the movie therein and enjoy themselves fully diving into their Wingnut personas even if the consistency fluctuates so much could easily be excised with little to no impact that's the first half of Godzilla versus Kong the film continually piles dumb on top of boring on top of yawn we get one solid action scene but every last surrounding detail is so so dull then however Everything Changes I only talk so much about the first half because especially in contrast the second half is spectacular at almost the precise midpoint Godzilla versus Kong reaches a state I like to call Apex stupidity and it is a glorious place to be there's a moment where you feel the movie let go and release any lingering pretensions of seriousness or logic this frees the filmmakers to indulge what this movie truly is and wants to be and it unfurls into Splendid Heights of absurdity and utter chaos it morphs into a b-grade Journey to the Center of the Earth riff everyone involved Cuts loose and wallows in the crazy and it only escalates from there the fights are bigger and batter lit with a neon color pallet lifted straight out of Tron and at one point I definitely yelled kiss at the scream no joke with a swelling film Noir style score in the moment I actually thought it might happen I was borderline hyperventilating with joy the final 20 minutes not to be hyperbolic but like I said I hated the first half of Godzilla versus K fortunately the back half is one of the greatest things I've ever witnessed this is where the film finds itself the filmmakers allow the story to become what it truly needs to be in order to be successful and they deliver exactly what a movie about Godzilla fighting King Kong needs to be and much more there are seriously things I can't wait for you to discover in the back half of this movie if you've spent any time on the internet lately you'll have seen reviews of Godzilla versus Kong pointing out that the human drama isn't any good I'm sure you'll have also seen a barrage of comments from fans saying something to the effect of this isn't why we watch these films or you don't know the genre Godzilla movies are about monsters fighting or even it's monsters fighting of course it's not Shakespeare I find myself agreeing with the consensus of many critics in that yes the human drama is awful but I find the fan reaction particularly frustrating Godzilla films can and have repeatedly offered Great Character drama thematic weight lofty ideas and Earnest storytelling be it the post-war national identity conflict that characterizes the 1954 original or the gentle portrayal of unlikely friendships in Godzilla versus megalin 1973 the idea that these films uniformly don't deliver on good storytelling is silly at best if not condescending at worst it's not unreasonable to want or expect more from these films when we know that better things are possible even discounting the rich history of the too films Gareth Edwards 2014 Godzilla while with its own issues was a smart and stylish film which understood that meaning could be drawn from massive monsters 7 years later and were left with Godzilla versus Kong a film which seems to indulge in every crude stereotype placed on these films by Decades of critical and fan misunderstanding in the film Kong is contained on Skull Island meanwhile Godzilla destroys a facility belonging to Apex a shady company with an Alon musk style CEO the folks at Apex appeal to a scientist who wants to explore the hollow Earth something briefly mentioned in the last few monsterverse films that really could have done with more thought the apparent home of the monsters the scientist agrees and decides that Kong must be their guide So Kong is taken via ship to the Arctic along the way Godzilla shows up to fight him because there can't be two apex predators at once then the rest of the film happens characters come and go speaking lines designed to move the plot along and little else it's all very prun the acting befits the function as with the equally Dreadful Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 the script is peppered with quips and jokes that don't land thankfully there isn't a crass SD joke as in king of the monsters but Kong is referred to as a monkey by one character so often in the space of about 20 minutes that you have to suspect the writers really thought it was a good joke alas Godzilla versus Kong isn't as immediately offensive as king of the monsters unlike its predecessor it doesn't feature US military base named after a nuclear test that directly led to the death of one Japanese fisherman and contributed to the permanent dislocation of the residents of bikini at all the Castle Bravo test helped Inspire portions of the original Godzilla so it's a hip and cool reference right but that isn't to say it's without its issues Ken wat names Dr sarawa inspired by the character of the same name from the 1954 film had an interesting role in the 2014 film before he was diminished and killed in king of the monsters in a tasteless scene which saw him revive Godzilla with a nuclear blast in Godzilla versus Kong his son appears as one of the henchmen of Apex and has little to do except stand around and look evil if he had been a nameless bad guy maybe it wouldn't have mattered but by giving him the name of the one character who in the 20 14 film vocally embodied an anti-nuclear sentiment Godzilla versus Kong fulfills the complete stripping of character motivation personality and depth it's a gestural attempt at continuity maybe I was wrong to want so much more from Godzilla versus Kong considering its director Adam Wingard actively said that politics are out the door in a recent interview for total film despite the few flaws of Gareth Edwards Godzilla reframing as nuclear tests as attempts to kill Godzilla instead of part of the Cold War arms race was clumsy at best that film gave me high hopes for how its sequels would develop unfortunately this series took such a nose dive into obnoxious success that it's hard not to think about what might have been one final thing I like fun films I think there are a great number of the too films which are fun and light-hearted like Eber a horror of the deep 1966 or Son of Godzilla 1967 but what these films also have our endearing characters arresting stories visual flare memorable soundtracks and meaning I don't think Godzilla versus Kong has any of those things the original 1962 King Kong versus Godzilla was explicitly made as a comedy it's a fun sharp and witty film that cuts to the core of Japan's Contemporary TV culture and the Absurd economic growth of its time fun films can be both light-hearted and meaningful that's why I can't buy the defense that says says it's just a fun monster movie for Godzilla versus Kong this film could have been both but it isn't I'll be honest Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 left me disappointed and apathetic toward the future of the monsterverse as a result I didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for Godzilla versus Kong 2021 to be fair when the trailer hit I was definitely energized but I had also thought The 2019 Godzilla film had an excellent trailer as well so I probably wasn't alone in approaching the latest Godzilla and Kong movie with cautious optimism thankfully I can say that Godzilla versus Kong exceeded my expectations adding another solid entry to the franchise the film has its flaws particularly from the characters and the way the plot is divided the pacing action and effects though are enough to create something that's solid popcorn entertainment and worth revisiting in terms of plot the movie opens with Kong's new home on Skull Island as it turns out the harsh weather system seen around the aisle in Kong Skull Island 2017 has creeped further Inland this has forced Monarch to create an artificial Dome to protect a small part of the landmass and the now giant Kong meanwhile a conglomerate called Apex cybernetics has a facility uncharacteristically attacked by Godzilla this puts the world on high alert while Apex accelerates their plans this plan involves finding a new energy source to power the project they are working on findings pinpoint this energy as being in the center of the planet in the hollow Earth to acquire it they convince Nathan Lind a former Monarch researcher on the hollow Earth to make an expedition there Nathan believes Kong is key and would be able to lead them successfully the former researcher persuades Monarch to relocate Kong however this catches the attention of Godzilla who sees Kong as a rival the king of the monsters makes a direct path toward the Skull Island Defender while this is going on a group led by Madison Russell from Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 is trying to understand why Godzilla is acting uncharacteristically and what Secrets Apex is hiding all in all the plot is okay it's not particularly deep but does establish enough of the world and justification for the battle between the titular Titans it's also light on its feet rarely feeling like it bogs down the viewer as a result pacing is good here moving the story along at a good stride while sprinkling in frequent monster action to satisfy viewers the fault of the story though is the divided approach it takes essentially the movie breaks its story and character focus into two fractions one fraction is focused on Kong and the other is focused on Godzilla although as it turns out this is more on Mecha goodzilla by the end this type of story approach is difficult but can work however there just isn't much justification for it here the Godzilla side ends up being unnecessary their contributions are to provide the audience a window to see the secret meca goodzilla project this wasn't needed the film could easily have shown the perspective of the Apex CEO as it does on occasion to fulfill the same audience need the CO's daughter is also among the Kong group providing easy justification to explore more about Apex without having to feature a separate cast of characters the Godzilla fraction's other contribution is to momentarily stop meca goodzilla this is also not needed and in fact feels like it was thrown in to give the group something to do oddly ju supposed with how this is approached in a lot of other films the fractions never really intersect there isn't a defining moment where they all meet up banter and then work to achieve a combined goal yes there is a final shot of everyone together but they don't verbally communicate with each other also while the pacing is good here there are a few moments where the story trans itions from the Kong fraction to the Godzilla fraction that do feel like a slight drag now the other problem with the dividend approach is with the characters themselves franchise films with probably the best example being Avengers Infinity War can juggle large casts of characters amongst divided narratives this is thanks to earlier movies already developing those characters so they are familiar to audiences Godzilla versus Kong doesn't have this luxury only two characters here are reoccurring which are Madison Russell and her father in a small role as a result the movie suffers from the same dilemma as the prior two monsters entries too many characters to develop much of the large character assemble is paper thin in this movie for example we know next to nothing about eileene Andrews played by Rebecca Hall even though she is one of the principal characters in the movie by the end she can be summed up by her Devotion to Kong and her Devotion to the child Gia and really that's it we don't learn anything else about her other characters aren't quite as bad for example for Nathan Lind we are given a brief but tragic backstory around his brother passing away for Bernie Hayes from the Godzilla fraction we are also given a brief but tragic backstory around his wife passing away you've also got the iwi native Gia who is given a brief but tragic backstory of her parents passing away and yes it should be apparent that the movie goes to the loved one passed away and is motivating their actions well one too many times this wouldn't be so bad if the movie developed the other cast even a little but no such luck which makes this scant development around their loss really stand out in fact the best the audience gets is the Apex cybernetic CEO Walter Simmons and his desire to return Humanity as the Apex species usurping Titans it's cartoony and its grandure and never really given a personal justification but at least it's something that contrasts with others like Ren sarawa played by Sha augui for which the audience learns nothing about what drives him why is he here and what the heck is his relation to akiro Cawa from the earlier films nothing is touched on and it would have been better had he just been called Apex henchmen HH zoza one so the film has too many characters how are the performances given the lack of development many don't have much to work with the standout performances are definitely Alexander scar guards Nathan Lind and Kaylee hoddle's performances Gia the iwi native for scars guard the movie proves that he's just a very charismatic actor which helps make his character likable in fact he Nails the good-natured sometimes naive aspect of the character effortlessly and is someone I would like to see return to the franchise in future installments as for hoddle she plays the deaf character Gia who communicates by sign language this presents a perfect bridge to the Kong character and their interactions are a highlight of the movie well outside of the monster action hodle who herself is deaf gives a great performance here able to successfully emote in her actions and expressions consequently another character and actor who hopefully returns in later movies now I've picked on the film a bit at this point despite those faults though the film does work as a whole that is due to the strength and frequency of the monster scenes the movie does a great job of tying the Kong fraction in with Kong 2 they are often there right in the action making their scenes offer Exposition that is never far away from the monsters themselves the fact that Kong offers such a wealth of Expressions too helps make these monster scenes even better for the audience as director Adam Wingard noted in our interview with him it's almost to the point where the human element isn't required anymore to tell the story not that that wouldn't be a Herculean task for a fulllength film but the audience can certain ly understand and empathize with Kong on a basic level just through his Expressions thanks to the Stellar special effects as for the battles they are a highlight of the entire monsterverse franchise in fact the only Contender for the crown outside of this film is the Stellar Kong versus skullcrawler Battle for the climax of Kong Skull Island 2017 which still deserves Kudos what makes the action work here is the creativity and energy infused in the scenes something which felt lacking in its immediate predecessor when Kong swings around the warbat and slams the other out of the sky it's hard not to elicit a reaction from the viewer whether that's a wo or a yeah sequences of the first Godzilla and Kong battle like Godzilla slamming into the warship with Kong on it or the famous punch to Godzilla as the camera pans were spoiled by the trailer but still impressed in the context of later watching them during the film in terms of the climax I will be honest that I was fooled by the tagline one will fall as a result I was bracing for one of the Titans to perish with my money on K neither does of course unless the tagline was referring to Mecha goodzilla speaking of my fear was that the metch character would really feel thrown in a lot of work from the plot is devoted to make that not the case though introducing elements of him early while he does feel convenient as a way to give both Godzilla and Kong A Moment Of Glory at the end it's also just really satisfying to see a battle that isn't limited to one-on-one having Godzilla and Kong both battling Mecha Godzilla simultaneously wasn't something I realized I wanted so bad until I saw it on the screen now while I have heaped on praise here at the end I do want to briefly address the score by Tom Hulen Borg the composer has worked on movies like Deadpool and is probably familiar to soundtrack fans although possibly as junky XL as he is sometimes known as for this film he turns in and okay score it's not very memorable but gets the job done in fact the only segments that really stands out is when it's evoking other themes and this only happens twice once although it's reoccurring is for Godzilla's new theme that sounds similar to Aura ify Cube's classic theme for a few seconds before deviating in a way that doesn't really connect back to it the other is the use of the Halo drop theme from Godzilla 2014 which is unexpected and actually a pleasant surprise in all this is a really enjoyable popcorn flick I do prefer the first two entries in the monsterverse over Godzilla versus Kong but this is still a solid movie and one that has me fully energized and looking forward to more monsterverse films hopefully the momentum and Goodwill the movie has built up with audiences carries the franchise for years to come Godzilla versus Kong is the best movie in legendary pictures monsterverse it isn't great and it gets some of the same things wrong that its three predecessors did but it gets the most crucial aspect of these movies is dead right go elsewhere for compelling characters or a decent story but if you want some satisfying action and special effects beautiful imagery and a melding of a few different science fiction subers buckle up an ominous Corporation do they come any other way in these pictures called Apex enlists disgraced geologist Nathan Lind Alexander Skarsgard to help them locate the entrance to the hollow Earth and find the source of the Titans powers for this he convinces Eileen Andrews Rebecca Hall a monarch anthropological linguist who leads a team that contains King Kong to allow him to use the giant gorilla as a guide meanwhile Godzilla attacks an apex facility in Pensacola leaving Monarch to assume Humanity's protector has turned on us the opening 10 minutes of Godzilla versus Kong establish what this movie will be and they set the tone perfectly the first scene is King Kong roaming Skull Island effectively going through his morning routine then after some humans who range from lifeless to pull your hair out annoying deliver Exposition and try pitifully hard to be funny Godzilla rises from the sea and destroys stuff this is how the rest of the film goes Kong is endearing Godzilla attacks people signal it's time to look at your watch on its face it's the same as the other monsterverse movies but Godzilla versus Kong understands that the monsters are the main attraction so The Human Side trips are mostly integrated into the Titan action it isn't perfect the The Narrative gets sidetracked with scenes featuring characters that don't add much to the story and would have been better off cut from the film and man are these people dull for example Nathan and Eileen are the new lead humans in Godzilla versus Kong and there's nothing to either one of them a glance at a magazine cover suggests they were once romantically entwined but this is dropped even quicker than it's alluded to and they talk about nothing more than plot details for the rest of the movie Eileen also has an adopted daughter named Gia played by Kaylee hodle a deaf girl who is the last survivor of skull Island's native tribe Gia has some kind of connection with King Kong and uses sign language to communicate with him what this connection may be is never explained and her kinship with Kong has no heart as a result certain moments between them are clearly meant to be touching but they did nothing for me and I'm a sucker for that kind of cinematic emotional manipulation it's also difficult to like these people because of the way they use King Kong like a tool chaining him up and forcing him to participate in their Quest while insisting that they love him elsewhere in Godzilla versus Kong there's Millie Bobby Browns Madison Russell returning after her tangle with him of the nuclear breath in Godzilla king of the monsters she lifts right out of this movie as do her obnoxious Sidekicks played by Julian Dennison and Brian Tyrie Henry Dennison is her best friend who's around to be a nerd and make Madison look cooler by default Henry is a conspiracy theorist podcaster who has turned initiating I rolls into an art form these three function to uncover some plot points that are more naturally revealed through action Kyle Chandler also shows up as Madison's dad who has now completely traded places with the idiot bureaucrats he chastised in his previous appearance and there are the requisite corporate bad guys thrown in for good measure as Bland and forgettable as you'd probably guess I like some of these actors especially Rebecca Hall but they have nothing to work with here but thankfully Godzilla versus Kong is much more interested in its title characters especially skull Island's resident Champion Godzilla fans may walk away disappointed because King Kong is the protagonist of the movie and gets the Lion Share of the screen time it makes sense as he's heavily outmatched by his Nemesis and needs to use his brain at least as much as his Braun when faced with the destructive force of the king of the monsters Kong is more of an audience surate than the human a guy who just wants to help but who's in over his head despite having the best of intentions and remarkably both Kong and Godzilla have character arcs it's a funny thing to say but it's true and it's more than can be said of the people it's that appreciation for the monsters that was missing from legendaries to Godzilla movies and it's done better here than it was in Skull Island though that film had better human characters if only marginally that appreciation is felt in the action as well God Zilla versus Kong has some fantastic monster fights and unlike the pretentious Godzilla movies that came before director Adam Wingard doesn't cut away from the destruction to focus on a high school dance or some similar nonsense there is one scene where he shifts to Some Humans but they're doing something related to the battle I'd have much preferred they be ignored and they easily could have been but aside from that blip the Titan rumbles are handled much better this time the fights are tough and mean with neither Monster pulling any punches or going easy on his opponent and winguard gets some fascinating angles on the destruction one shot is through an office building's window as a creature is slammed through it and a few other floors and it's both inventive and exciting he shows great attention to detail as well and it's captured in the excellent special effects things like Godzilla's breath changing with his mood or King Kong vomiting water after surfacing from underwater make the monsters feel real there are also some beautiful shots of different location that bestow Majesty to the Titans world and emphasize their Godlike stature both literally and in the hierarchy of the animal kingdom I'd love to see a movie in this world that takes a lovecraftian approach to them not that they need to be dark and Bleak but that they present mankind as insignificant and immaterial to the monsters but this is what we've got now and it's pretty good Godzilla versus Kong has a stock predictable plot and unlikable characters but it scores big with the monster action that should be the draw of these films the special effects are fantastic and the film making is the strongest this Series has had yet you won't feel any kind of human connection but you'll have fun I would absolutely love to go in depth with the plot from the film but in all honesty it was terrible and didn't really make any sense at all so many holes in it that make you utterly confused to why it was attempted to be so complex when it ended up stupid I love action SL SciFi mixed films like this but it really is starting to feel like a hell of a long time since we have had a good one Nathan Lind is part of the team that have been tracking and trying to keep Godzilla from attacking Eileen Andrews is known as the Kong whisper as she lives in the containment facility where Kong was being kept along with Gia who has it turns out has been communicating with Kong through sign language as she is deaf something Eileen did not know until they were on the boats when then have Madison Russell with her friend Josh Valentine who tracked down a podcast host Bernie ha who is into the conspiracies surrounding Godzilla we hear things mentioned about the Titans and Origins but nothing is ever made all that clear and then it seems to go from one ridiculous moment to the next without it being enjoyable my biggest criticism for the film was the music and score used none of it fit in with the scenes and just sounded so out of place this included songs being used in particular the opening and closing moments with Kong it was just horrific and made a mockery of the whole film I actually lost count to the number of times I checked my watch something I don't do very often when watching a film at the cinema but this really was dragging out the running time The only positive thing I can say was Gia and Kong added some emotional moments and that was about it everything else was just Bland and boring the buildup to Godzilla and Kong fighting didn't even feel worth it especially when these scenes were then so dark I mean when they made it to Hong Kong I was hopeful that would be better but it certainly was not at all all which was a massive shame considering how amazing Hong Kong can be made to look when based on the many tall buildings why did Kong have an axe I am assuming that this film will have a decent following but it's one that I will not be watching again the high Rotten Tomato score really does have me baffled I really thought it was going to be a lot lower than 75% versus films are certainly nothing new films with titles such as Godzilla versus Kong will probably always make me think of Paul WS Anderson's Alien versus Predator and its tagline whoever wins we lose which in turn makes me think of both Ronnie use Freddy versus Jason and Zack Snider's Batman v Superman dawn of Justice none of those films are necessarily highly regarded by the vast majority of film critics though I enjoy a couple of them but there is of course one versus film that trumps them all Robert Benton's legal drama Kramer versus Kramer that Oscar winning Masterpiece which is nothing like the aforementioned films is however to put it mildly an exception to the general rule which is that versus films are at least now mostly known as these show stopping mashup popcorn films that is certainly the case with Adam wingard's latest film it is as one expected nowhere near as good as Benton's film but it is however better than most of the other films that I've mentioned in this paragraph because Godzilla versus Kong is a fun popcorn movie which with these kinds of Blockbusters is all you can ask for the fourth film of legendaries monsterverse Adam wingard's Godzilla versus Kong takes place sometime after the events of Godzilla Roman 2 king of the monsters at the start of the film Kong is being monitored by the Monarch organization inside of a giant Dome that envelops Skull Island Dr Eileen Andrews played by Rebecca Hall is known as a Kong Whisperer as she is able to communicate with the enormous ape by way of geop played by Kaye hodle a deaf young woman who uses sign language to communicate with Kong Kong trusts Gia and has formed a bond with her elsewhere Godzilla has started attacking Apex cybernetics facilities seemingly out of nowhere and meanwhile apex's CEO Walter Simmons played by demon biter has recruited Dr Nathan Lind played by Alexander Skarsgard a geologist and Hollow Earth expert to venture into the Earth's core Lind won't be going there alone though as he swiftly convinces Dr Andrews to help them take Kong with them to the Center of the Earth but their Journey will be perilous as Godzilla knows a Titan is being transported from one end of the planet to another a dangerous battle between two Titans will commence as Humanity cannot safely control both of the monsters that are in a way vying for control of Earth's surface it may all sound a little bit complicated and admittedly it is it's actually even more complicated as this description has completely omitted the B plot involving Brian Tyrie Henry Millie Bobby Brown and Julian Dennison's characters and I'll explain why in a moment a problem that these films have had is that they tend to struggle to marry the great big Kaiju battles with a human narrative that feels like more than just filler content although I can't say that I am a huge fan of Gareth Edwards Godzilla from 2014 one thing that I did really respect it for was the subplot involving Brian cranston's character however these films have mostly failed to create a truly engrossing human element even though I did enjoy some of the genre archetypes from Jordan vob Roberts Kong Skull Island this problem is still apparent in Adam wingard's Godzilla versus Kong and it is my single biggest problem with this film not only are the main characters thinly written but some of them are also quite dull and get by almost solely on being overly cartoony I honestly do enjoy scars guard Hall and hoddle's characters but the characters involved in the aforementioned B plot just do not work for me and when it comes down to it I think this film would be much more entertaining if the B plot involving Henry Brown and Dennison had been scrapped in favor of additional scenes that further expand on the main characters and their mission some but not all of these verses films work on a very particular formula that tend to make the ultimate conclusion rather predictable that is also true with this film but that resolution and final battle is executed in a way that I thought was much more satisfying and exciting than it was in say Batman v Superman dawn of Justice to provide just one similar example though much like films like that in Man of Steel Godzilla versus Kong is also riddled with weightless destruction and so many presumed human casualties that are not made to feel particularly significant by the movie itself the reason why this film works though is that Adam wingard's approach to the Kaiju genre is focused so much on capturing scale and having a pleasing though slightly repetitive visual aesthetic though the film is perhaps overly complicated and includes a not so gripping subplot the film succeeds where it matters you can feel the love that wiard's film has for Kong especially so much so that some fans of Godzilla may be a little bit disappointed even though the lizard does get some wild moments the actual battles between the kaijas are triumphant and spectacular and there is enough action here to make the film's final act very engaging I love the choreography of the major battles I love how wiard's film frames the titular characters when they are involved in pivotal scenes I greatly appreciate that the action in wingard's film is rarely if ever indecipherable the titular characters often have their great battles in daylight and if they don't then rest assured that there are plenty of neon colors to help you make sense of things as well as add a touch of style to the film it should also be said that the film's major highlight outside of the major battles is a sequence inside of the hollow Earth I want wanted so much more from this environment and I would happily watch several films that take place there frankly Godzilla versus Kong is exactly what the average person would want from a big Kaiju Blockbuster film but it isn't anything more than that it doesn't try to be as extraordinary as Peter Jackson's outstanding Epic King Kong and it doesn't have as many Ambitions as Gareth Edwards Godzilla but Godzilla versus Kong succeeds where it counts for these films it is a return to form for the franchise after the very disappointing Godzilla Roman 2 king of the monsters but it is also a notable return to form for director Adam winguard Godzilla versus Kong is a big dumb action heavy cartoonish and stylish Kaiju film but that is exactly what it was meant to be it never takes itself too seriously and I think that's a good thing in this case with hindsight I'm ultimately grateful that the release of Godzilla versus Kong was delayed by Co in my neck of the woods quarantine shut down Dam near everything for over a year not only that my chosen profession dictated that I worked from home countless days of Zoom meetings isolation and doom Laden TV news tended to make one miserably long day blur into the next what I missed most of all was going to the movies so when restrictions began to loosen and my local independent theater reopened to limited capacity it was like the clouds had parted the first film they showed was Godzilla versus conch and what better way toell celebrate surviving the darkest year in recent history than taking in a high concept spectacle with no other agenda than pure entertainment watching these iconic movie Monsters Square Off on the big screen was a not only a ton of fun it was downright cathartic I don't know if I'd have felt the same way had it been released as scheduled back in 2020 with previous films in Warner Bros monsterverse laying the groundwork and it certainly helps if you've seen them Godzilla versus Kong more than delivers on the promise of its title additionally it is arguably the most uninhibited film of the franchise perhaps a reaction to the drab reception of Godzilla king of the monsters where that film was over long and took itself a tad too seriously this one runs a lean mean 113 minutes and essentially throws caution to The Wind unburdened by the boundaries of plausibility or geographical science as the middle Act Discovery of Hollow Earth demonstrates and if nothing else you got to admire the audacity to resurrect Mecha goodzilla one of the big lizard's more outlandish adversaries from the Toho era there's a human cast of course but like the other installments save for maybe Skull Island they are perfunctory mostly on hand to provide Exposition and context besides it's highly doubtful anyone pays their two bits to take in Millie Bobby Brown's thespian skills what matters are the titular Titans who show up early and often both separately and for two thrilling massively destructive clashes and this is before Mecha goodzilla even shows up to put their issues with each other in perspective the special effects are topnotch which includes instilling Godzilla and Kong with enough personality to render both equally endearing The Narrative even provides a plausible explanation for why they're now the same size we walked out of the theater with big dumb grins on our faces and our ears ringing just a bit Godzilla versus Kong was no outof body experience but certainly The Perfect film for the moment pure escapism and it time most of us need it most though its epic Grandeur is somewhat diminished on television Godzilla versus Kong is still pretty damned entertaining and looks great on Blu-ray allowing one to really appreciate the painstaking effort put into monsters expressions and the creative production design especially the neon Splendor of Hong Kong and its subsequent destruction like the best heavy metal music this is the kind of film that's meant to be played loud and the impressive Dolby Atmos track serves it well so many studios have tried the universe thing and good God it doesn't always work out the dark universe is perhaps the biggest failure in recent memory but the legendary monsterverse is incredibly muddled as well you have the polarizing Godzilla from seven years ago the mostly well-received Skull Island the even more polarizing king of the monsters and now Godzilla versus Kong all under different directors I mean even if you skipped around with the aforementioned flicks you're probably going to be showing up for the latest fix the name sells itself and you wouldn't be wasting your time within 10 minutes or so we get Godzilla doing their thing wrecking shop it's a good sign and although it's another half hour or so of table setting to get to the first round between Godzilla and Kong it's worth the wait why it took so long to give people an easy to follow knockout bout like this between two characters we actually care about is beyond me it seems like a winning formula the monsterverse could have been doing the entire time but finally just got around to after nearly a decade there are still multiple human storylines but smartly they often directly interact with the titular monsters and influence the bouts instead of annoyingly interrupting scenes the added bonus of those some arcs not being nearly as insufferable as most of the story lines in king of monsters is a huge bonus a low bar but a benefit nonetheless there's plenty of room for improvement though while the actors are more likable this time Godzilla versus Kong still meanders a lot you know the feeling when you're waiting for what feels like an eternity for two narratives to converge and in the end they don't mesh as well as you'd hoped this film does that sometimes you'll completely forget that someone exists Alexander Skarsgard and Brian Tyree Henry are the only actors that command the scenes therein Plus at this point I really don't care about the lore of the monster verse despite the best attempts from its Architects to sell me on it there are a lot of loose threads and weak payoffs all meant to shuffle IP into your face I can't help but think of the Lost potential at the very least this round is entertaining if you're remotely interested in Godzilla Andor King Kong this new project is worth one watch there's giant monsters on screen fighting each other and for a lot of people that's enough hey everyone welcome back to East K drama news today we're diving deep into the world of Cinema to explore a film that's been creating quite a buzz whether it's a blockbuster hit or a Hidden Gem we're here to dissect the story performances and everything in between so grab your popcorn sit back and let's embark on this cinematic journey together don't forget to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell icon to stay updated with our latest reviews and discussions now without further Ado let's jump right into today's movie review Godzilla versus Kong is a 2021 American Science Fiction monster film produced by legendary pictures and the fourth entry in the monster verse following 2019s Godzilla king of the monsters acting is a sequel to both king of the monsters and Kong Skull Island it is the 36th entry in the Godzilla franchise Godzilla versus Kong had a turbulent development and was originally set for release on May 29th 2020 before being pushed up to March 13th 2020 only to then be delayed to November 20th 2020 and then May 21st 2021 it then got pushed up to March 26th 2021 before ultimately being released to American theaters on March 31st 2021 the film was also streaming concurrently on HBO Max through to April 30th 2021 the film is directed by Adam winguard produced by Mary parent Alex Garcia Eric McLoud and Brian Rogers with the screenplay written by Eric Pearson and Max borenstein from a story by Terry rossio Michael doy and Zack Shields borenstein doy and shields also wrote king of the monsters Godzilla versus Kong begins 5 years after king of the monsters and sees Godzilla and Kong undergoing a Titanic battle in the wake of gora's Rampage a follow-up sequel to the film was released on March 29th 2024 with Godzilla returning once more to team up with King Kong with a movie with a title like Godzilla versus Kong I only require a few simple things Godzilla King Kong and Godzilla fighting King Kong that's is anything else is just window dressing director Adam winguard the guest your next knows this well and delivers plenty of monkey punching lizard action and that rules that's all anyone really needs or wants to know you want to see these two icons throw down and this movie provides everything the trailers marketing and very title promise winguard stages the fights in full Clear View they're well lit in the open shot wide enough to see the action and hot damn there's not a midnight rainstorm in sight hell he even proudly wears his 1980s action movie and pro wrestling influences as the two Titans Collide how can you not love Kong off the top rope the creature design and effects are fantastic and never ring false on the giant monster front this hits everything you want but as is so often the case in these situations the problem is everything else when it's fun it's an absolute blast but when it's not it's awful I legitimately hated most of the first half of Godzilla versus Kong every second that doesn't directly focus on Kong or Godzilla Which is far too many I found absolutely tedious and uninteresting the plot is a convoluted jumble of the asinine Titan and Hollow Earth mythology and spurious scientific logic of this shared monster verse characters toss around vaguely technical words in an overall attempt to poorly explain the madeup nonsense the pace somehow moves too slow and too fast at the same time dragging but also skipping over huge chunks dumb is one thing dumb can be dealt with boring on the other hand is unforgivable in a movie like this and that's the issue with most of the first hour again it's all the human characters it's not the actor's faults it's a weirdly stacked cast but the overwritten script is just terrible ooh there's a paranoid podcaster Brian Tyrie Henry ooh there there's a failed Fringe academic who wrote A far out book that while correct never sold Alexander Skarsgard who a billionaire CEO who appears magnanimous on the surface but may have questionable motives Demi and biter ooh a doood or scientist who cares about Kong's best interests Rebecca Hall and is also the caretaker of a deaf indigenous orphan girl who teaches Kong to sign and also to love Kaye hodle and the film just throws in more and more people Millie Bobby Brown reprises role from the previous film only now she's a teen conspiracy theorist with a soft spot for Godzilla Julian Dennison plays her BFF and plot device we get Isa Gonzalez as the tough hard-nosed corporate woman with a job to do it keeps going and going and getting nowhere at least Skarsgard and Henry know the movie they're in and enjoy themselves fully diving into their Wingnut personas even if the consistency fluctuates so much could easily be excised with little to no impact that's the first half of Godzilla versus Kong the film continually piles dumb on top of boring on top of yawn we get one solid action scene but every last surrounding detail is so so dull then however Everything Changes I only talk so much about the first half because especially in contrast the second half is spectacular at almost the precise midpoint Godzilla versus Kong reaches a state I like to call Apex stupidity and it is a glorious place place to be there's a moment where you feel the movie let go and release any lingering pretensions of seriousness or logic this freeze the filmmakers to indulge what this movie truly is and wants to be and it unfurls into Splendid Heights of absurdity and utter chaos it morphs into a b-grade Journey to the Center of the Earth riff everyone involved Cuts loose and wallows in the crazy and it only escalates from there the fights are bigger and batter lit with a neon color pallet lifted straight out of Tron and at one point I definitely yelled kiss at the scream no joke with a swelling film Noir style score in the moment I actually thought it might happen I was borderline hyperventilating with joy the final 20 minutes not to be hyperbolic but like I said I hated the first half of Godzilla versus K fortunately the back half is one of the greatest things I've ever witnessed this is where the film finds itself the filmmakers allow the story to become what it truly needs to be in order to be successful and they deliver exactly what a movie about Godzilla fighting King Kong needs to be and much more there are seriously things I can't wait for you to discover in the back half of this movie if you've spent any time on the internet lately you'll have seen reviews of Godzilla versus Kong pointing out that the human drama isn't any good I'm sure you'll have also seen a barrage of comments from fans saying something to the effect of this isn't why we watch these films or you don't know the genre God zilla movies are about monsters fighting or even it's monsters fighting of course it's not Shakespeare I find myself agreeing with the consensus of many critics in that yes the human drama is awful but I find the fan reaction particularly frustrating Godzilla films can and have repeatedly offered Great Character drama thematic weight lofty ideas and Earnest storytelling be it the post-war national identity conflict that characterizes the 1954 original or the gentle portrayal of unlikely friendships in Godzilla versus megalin 1973 the idea that these films uniformly don't deliver on good storytelling is silly at best if not condescending at worst it's not unreasonable to want or expect more from these films when we know that better things are possible even discounting the rich history of the Tojo films Gareth Edwards 2014 Godzilla while with its own issues was a smart and stylish film which understood that meaning could be drawn from Mass monsters 7 years later and were left with Godzilla versus Kong a film which seems to indulge in every crude stereotype placed on these films by Decades of critical and fan misunderstanding in the film Kong is contained on Skull Island meanwhile Godzilla destroys a facility belonging to Apex a shady company with an Alon musk style CEO the folks at Apex appeal to a scientist who wants to explore the hollow Earth something briefly mentioned in the last few months Erse films that really could have done with more thought the apparent home of the monsters the scientist agrees and decides that Kong must be their guide So Kong is taken via ship to the Arctic along the way Godzilla shows up to fight him because there can't be two apex predators at once then the rest of the film happens characters come and go speaking lines designed to move the plot along and little else it's all very perfunctory the acting befits the function as with the equally Dreadful Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 the script is peppered with quips and jokes that don't land thankfully there isn't a crass STD joke as in king of the monsters but Kong is referred to as a monkey by one character so often in the space of about 20 minutes that you have to suspect the writers really thought it was a good joke alas Godzilla versus Kong isn't as immediately offensive as king of the monsters unlike its predecessor it doesn't feature US military B named after a nuclear test that directly led to the death of one Japanese fisherman and contributed to the permanent dislocation of the residence of bikini at all the Castle Bravo test helped Inspire portions of the original Godzilla so it's a hip and cool reference right but that isn't to say it's without its issues Ken wat's Dr sarawa inspired by the character of the same name from the 1954 film had an interesting role in the 2014 film before he was diminished and killed in king of the monsters in a taste less scene which saw him revive Godzilla with a nuclear blast in Godzilla versus Kong his son appears as one of the henchmen of Apex and has little to do except stand around and look evil if he had been a nameless bad guy maybe it wouldn't have mattered but by giving him the name of the one character who in the 2014 film vocally embodied an anti-nuclear sentiment Godzilla versus Kong fulfills the complete stripping of character motivation personality and depth it's a gestural attempt at continuity maybe I was wrong to want so much more from Godzilla versus Kong considering its director Adam winguard actively said that politics are out the door in a recent interview for total film despite the few flaws of Gareth Edwards Godzilla reframing US nuclear tests as attempts to kill Godzilla instead of part of the Cold War arms race was clumsy at best that film gave me high hopes for how its sequels would develop unfortunately this series took such a nose dive into obnoxious excess that it's hard not to think about what might have been one final thing I like fun films I think there are a great number of the Toho films which are fun and light-hearted like Eber a horror of the deep 1966 or Son of Godzilla 1967 but what these films also have are endearing characters arresting stories visual flare memorable soundtracks and meaning I don't think Godzilla versus Kong has any of those things the original 1962 King Kong versus Godzilla was explicitly made as a comedy it's a fun sharp and witty film that cuts to the core of Japan's Contemporary TV culture and the Absurd economic growth of its time fun films can be both light-hearted and meaningful that's why I can't buy the defense that says it's just a fun monster movie for Godzilla versus Kong this film could have been both but it isn't I'll be honest Godzilla King of the monst 2019 left me disappointed and apathetic toward the future of the monsterverse as a result I didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for Godzilla versus Kong 2021 to be fair when the trailer hit I was definitely energized but I had also thought The 2019 Godzilla film had an excellent trailer as well so I probably wasn't alone in approaching the latest Godzilla and Kong movie with cautious optimism thankfully I can say that Godzilla versus Kong exceeded my expectations adding another solid entry to the franchise the film has its flaws particularly from the characters and the way the plot is divided the pacing action and effects though are enough to create something that's solid popcorn entertainment and worth revisiting in terms of plot the movie opens with Kong's new home on Skull Island as it turns out the harsh weather system seen around the aisle in Kong Skull Island 2017 has creeped further Inland this has forced Monarch to create an artificial Dome to protect a small part of the landmass and the now giant Kong meanwhile a conglomerate called Apex cybernetics has a facility uncharacteristically attacked by Godzilla this puts the world on high alert while Apex accelerates their plans this plan involves finding a new energy source to power the project they are working on findings pinpoint this energy as being in the center of the planet in the hollow Earth to acquire it they convince Nathan Lind a former Monarch researcher on the hollow Earth to make an expedition there Nathan believes Kong is key and would be able to lead them successfully the former researcher persuades Monarch to relocate Kong however this catches the attention of Godzilla who sees Kong as a rival the king of the monsters makes a direct path toward the Skull Island Defender while this is going on a group led by Madison Russell from Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 is trying to understand why Godzilla is acting uncharacteristically and what Secrets Apex is hiding all in all the plot is okay it's not particularly deep but does establish enough of the world and justification for the battle between the titular Titans it's also light on its feet rarely feeling like it bogs down the viewer as a result pacing is good here moving the story along at a good stride while sprinkling in frequent monster action to satisfy viewers the fault of the story though is the divided approach it takes essentially the movie breaks its story and character focus into two fractions one fraction is focused on Kong and the other is focused on Godzilla although as it turns out this is more on meca goodzilla by the end this type of story approach is difficult but can work however there just isn't much justification for it here the Godzilla side ends up being unnecessary their contributions are to provide the audience a window to see the secret meca goodzilla project this wasn't needed the film could easily have shown the perspective of the Apex CEO as it does on occasion to fulfill the same audience need the CEO's daughter is also among the Kong group providing easy justification to explore more about Apex without having to feature a separate cast of characters the Godzilla fraction's other contribution is to momentarily stall meca goodzilla this is also not needed and in fact feels like it was thrown in to give the group something to do oddly ju deposed with how this is approached in a lot of other films the fractions never really intersect there isn't a defining moment where they all meet up banter and then work to achieve a combined goal yes there is a final shot of everyone together but they don't verbally communicate with each other also while the pacing is good here there are a few moments where the story transitions from the Kong fraction to the Godzilla fraction that do feel like a slight drag now the other problem with the dividend approach is with the characters themselves franchise films with probably the best example being Avengers Infinity War can juggle large casts of characters amongst divided narratives this is thanks to earlier movies already developing those characters so they are familiar to audiences Godzilla versus Kong doesn't have this luxury only two characters here are reoccurring which are Madison Russell and her father in a small role as a result the movie suffers from the same dilemma as the prior two monsterverse entries too many characters to develop much of the large character assemble is paper thin in this movie for example we know next to nothing about Eileen Andrews played by Rebecca Hall even though she is one of the principal characters in the movie by the end she can be summed up by her Devotion to Kong and her Devotion to the child Gia and really that's it we don't learn anything else about her other characters aren't quite as bad for example for Nathan Lind we are given a brief but tragic backstory around his brother passing away for Bernie Hayes from the Godzilla fraction we are also given a brief but tragic backstory around his wife passing away you've also got the iwi native Gia who is given a brief but tragic backstory of her parents passing away and yes it should be apparent that the movie goes to the loved one passed away and is motivating their actions well one too many times this wouldn't be so bad if the movie developed the other cast even a little but no such luck which makes this scant development around the their loss really stand out in fact the best the audience gets is the Apex cybernetic CEO Walter Simmons and his desire to return Humanity as the Apex species usurping Titans it's cartoony and its Grandeur and never really given a personal justification but at least it's something that contrasts with others like Ren sarawa played by Sha augui for which the audience learns nothing about what drives him why is he here and what the heck is his relation to a s zawa from the earlier films nothing is touched on and it would have been better had he just been called Apex henchman HH zoza one so the film has too many characters how are the performances given the lack of development many don't have much to work with the standout performances are definitely Alexander skarsgard's Nathan Lind and Kaylee hoddle's performances Gia the IE native for Skarsgard the movie proves that he's just a very charismatic actor which helps make his character likable in fact he Nails the good-natured sometimes naive aspect of the character effortlessly and is someone I would like to see return to the franchise in future installments as for hodle she plays the deaf character Gia who communicates by sign language this presents a perfect bridge to the Kong character and their interactions are a highlight of the movie well outside of the monster action hle who herself is deaf gives a great performance here able to successfully emote in her actions and expressions consequently another character and actor who hopefully returns in later movies now I've picked on the film a bit at this point despite those faults though the film does work as a whole that is due to the strength and frequency of the monster scenes the movie does a great job of tying the Kong fraction in with Kong 2 they are often there right in the action making their scenes offer Exposition that is never far away from the monsters themselves the fact that Kong offers such a wealth of Expressions too helps make these monster scenes even better for the audience as director Adam winguard noted in our interview with him it's almost to the point where the human element isn't required anymore to tell the story not that that wouldn't be a Herculean task for a fulllength film but the audience can certainly understand and empathize with Kong on a basic level just through his Expressions thanks to the Stellar special effects as for the battles they are a highlight of the entire monster franchise in fact the only Contender for the crown outside of this film is the Stellar Kong versus skullcrawler Battle for the climax of Kong Skull Island 2017 which still deserves Kudos what makes the action work here is the creativity and energy infused in the scenes something which felt lacking in its immediate predecessor when Kong swings around the warbat and slams the other out of the sky it's hard not to elicit a reaction from the viewer whether that's a woe or a yeah sequences of the first Godzilla and Kong battle like Godzilla slamming into the warship with Kong on it or the famous punch to Godzilla as the camera pans were spoiled by the trailer but still impressed in the context of later watching them during the film in terms of the climax I will be honest that I was fooled by the tagline one will fall as a result I was bracing for one of the Titans to perish with my money on C neither does of course unless the tagline was referring to meca goodzilla speaking of my fear was that the MCH character would really feel thrown in a lot of work from the plot is devoted to make that not the case though introducing elements of him early while he does feel convenient as a way to give both Godzilla and Kong A Moment Of Glory at the end it's also just really satisfying to see a battle that isn't limited to one-on-one having Godzilla and Kong both battling Mecca Godzilla simultaneously wasn't something I realized I wanted so bad until I saw it on the screen now while I have heaped on praise here at the end I do want to briefly address the score by Tom hulkenberg the composer has worked on movies like Deadpool and is probably familiar to soundtrack fans although possibly as junky XL as he is sometimes known as for this film he turns in and okay score it's not very memorable but gets the job done in fact the only segments that really stands out is when it's evoking other themes and this only happens twice once although it's reoccurring is for Godzilla's new theme that sounds similar to Aira ify Cube's classic theme for a few seconds before deviating in a way that doesn't really connect back to it the other is the use of the Halo drop theme from Godzilla 2014 which is unexpected and actually a pleasant surprise in all this is a really enjoyable popcorn flick I do prefer the first two entries in the monster verse over Godzilla versus Kong but this is still a solid movie and one that has me fully energized and looking forward to more monst RSE films hopefully the momentum and Goodwill the movie has built up with audiences carries the franchise for years to come Godzilla versus Kong is the best movie in legendary pictures monsterverse it isn't great and it gets some of the same things wrong that its three predecessors did but it gets the most crucial aspect of these movies dead right go elsewhere for compelling characters or a decent story but if you want some satisfying action and special effects beautiful imagery and a melding of a few different science fiction subers buckle up an ominous Corporation do they come any other way in these pictures called Apex enlists disgraced geologist Nathan Lind Alexander Skarsgard to help them locate the entrance to the hollow Earth and find the source of the Titans powers for this he convinces Eileen Andrews Rebecca Hall a monarch anthropological linguist who leads a team that contains King Kong to allow him to use the giant gorilla as a guide meanwhile Godzilla attacks an apex facility in Pensacola leaving Monarch to assume Humanity's protector has turned on us the opening 10 minutes of Godzilla versus Kong establish what this movie will be and they set the tone perfectly the first scene is King Kong roaming Skull Island effectively going through his morning routine then after some humans who range from lifeless to pull your hair out annoying deliver Exposition and try pitifully hard to be funny Godzilla rises from the sea and destroys stuff this is how the rest of the film goes Kong is endearing Godzilla attacks people signal it's time to look at your watch on its face it's the same as the other monsterverse movies but Godzilla versus Kong understands that the monsters are the main attraction so The Human Side trips are mostly integrated into the Titan action it isn't perfect The Narrative gets sidetracked with scenes featuring characters that don't add much to the story and would have been better off cut from the film and man are these people dull for for example Nathan and eileene are the new lead humans in Godzilla versus Kong and there's nothing to either one of them a glance at a magazine cover suggests they were once romantically entwined but this is dropped even quicker than it's alluded to and they talk about nothing more than plot details for the rest of the movie Eileen also has an adopted daughter named Gia played by Kaye hodle a deaf girl who is the last survivor of skull Island's native tribe Gia has some kind of connection with King Kong and uses sign language to communicate with him what this connection may be is never explained and her kinship with Kong has no heart as a result certain moments between them are clearly meant to be touching but they did nothing for me and I'm a sucker for that kind of cinematic emotional manipulation it's also difficult to like these people because of the way they use King Kong like a tool chaining him up and forcing him to participate in their Quest while insisting that they love him elsewhere in Godzilla versus Kong there's Millie Bobby Browns Madison Russell returning after her tangle with him of the nuclear breath in Godzilla king of the monsters she lifts right out of this movie as do her obnoxious Sidekicks played by Julian Dennison and Brian Tyrie Henry Dennison is her best friend who's around to be a nerd and make Madison look cooler by default Henry is a conspiracy theorist podcaster who has turned initiating I rolls into an art form these three function to uncover some plot points that are more naturally revealed through action Kyle Chandler also shows up as Madison's dad who has now completely traded places with the idiot bureaucrats he chastised in his previous appearance and there are the requisite corporate bad guys thrown in for good measure as Bland and forgettable as you'd probably guess I like some of these actors especially Rebecca Hall but they have nothing to work with here but thankfully Godzilla versus Kong is much more interested in its title characters especially skull Island's resident champion Godzilla fans may walk away disappointed because King Kong is the protagonist of the movie and gets the Lion's Share of the screen time it makes sense as he's heavily outmatched by his Nemesis and needs to use his brain at least as much as his Braun when faced with the destructive force of the king of the monsters Kong is more of an audience surrogate than the humans a guy who just wants to help but who's in over his head despite having the best of intentions and remarkably both Kong and Godzilla have character arcs it's a funny thing to say but it's true and it's more than can be said of the people it's that appreciation for the monsters that was missing from legendaries two Godzilla movies and it's done better here than it was in Skull Island though that film had better human characters if only marginally that appreciation is felt in the action as well Godzilla versus Kong has some fantastic monster fights and unlike the pretentious Godzilla movies that came before director Adam Wingard doesn't cut away from the destruction to focus on a high school dance or some similar nonsense there is one scene where he shifts to Some Humans but they're doing something related to the battle I'd have much preferred they be ignored and they easily could have been but aside from that blip the Titan rumbles are handled much better this time the fights are tough and mean with neither Monster pulling any punches or going easy on his opponent and winguard gets some fascinating angles on the destruction one shot is through an office building's window as a creature is slammed through it and a few other floors and it's both inventive and exciting he shows great attention to detail as well and it's captured in the excellent special effects things like Godzilla's breath changing with his mood or King Kong vomiting water after surfacing from underwater make the monsters feel real there are also some beautiful shots of different locations that bestow Majesty to the Titans world and emphasize their Godlike stature both literally and in the hierarchy of the animal kingdom I'd love to see a movie in this world takes a l craan approach to them not that they need to be dark and Bleak but that they present mankind as insignificant and immaterial to the monsters but this is what we've got now and it's pretty good Godzilla versus Kong has a stock predictable plot and unlikable characters but it scores big with the monster action that should be the draw of these films the special effects are fantastic and the film making is the strongest this Series has had yet you won't feel any kind of human connection but you'll have fun I would absolutely love to go in depth with the plock from the film but in all honesty it was terrible and didn't really make any sense at all so many holes in it that make you utterly confused to why it was attempted to be so complex when it ended up stupid I love action SL SciFi mixed films like this but it really is starting to feel like a hell of a long time since we have had a good one Nathan Lind is part of the team that have been tracking and trying to keep Godzilla from attacking Eileen Andrews is is known as the Kong whisper as she lives in the containment facility where Kong was being kept along with Gia who has it turns out has been communicating with Kong through sign language as she is deaf something Eileen did not know until they were on the boats when then have Madison Russell with her friend Josh Valentine who tracked down a podcast host Bernie Haynes who is into the conspiracies surrounding Godzilla we hear things mentioned about the Titans and Origins but nothing is ever made all that clear and then it seems to go from one rid ridiculous moment to the next without it being enjoyable my biggest criticism for the film was the music and score used none of it fit in with the scenes and just sounded so out of place this included songs being used in particular the opening and closing moments with Kong it was just horrific and made a mockery of the whole film I actually lost count to the number of times I checked my watch something I don't do very often when watching a film at the cinema but this really was dragging out the running time The only only positive thing I can say was Gia and Kong added some emotional moments and that was about it everything else was just Bland and boring the buildup to Godzilla and Kong fighting didn't even feel worth it especially when these scenes were then so dark I mean when they made it to Hong Kong I was hopeful that would be better but it certainly was not at all which was a massive shame considering how amazing Hong Kong can be made to look when based on the many tall buildings why did Kong have an axe I am assuming that this film will have a decent following but it's one that I will not be watching again the high Rotten Tomato score really does have me baffled I really thought it was going to be a lot lower than 75% versus films are certainly nothing new films with titles such as Godzilla versus Kong will probably always make me think of Paul WS Anderson's Alien versus Predator and its tagline whoever wins we lose which in turn makes me think of both Ronnie use Freddy versus Jason and Zack snip ERS Batman v Superman dawn of Justice none of those films are necessarily highly regarded by the vast majority of film critics though I enjoy a couple of them but there is of course one versus film that trumps them all Robert Benton's legal drama Kramer versus Kramer that Oscar winning Masterpiece which is nothing like the aforementioned films is however to put it mildly an exception to the general rule which is that versus films are at least now mostly known as these show stopping mashup popcorn films that is certainly the case with Adam wingard's latest film it is as one expected nowhere near as good as Benton's film but it is however better than most of the other films that I've mentioned in this paragraph because Godzilla versus Kong is a fun popcorn movie which with these kinds of Blockbusters is all you can ask for the fourth film of legendaries monsterverse Adam wingard's Godzilla versus Kong takes place sometime after the events of Godzilla Roman 2 King of the mon monsters at the start of the film Kong is being monitored by the Monarch organization inside of a giant Dome that envelops Skull Island Dr eileene Andrews played by Rebecca Hall is known as a Kong Whisperer as she is able to communicate with the enormous ape by way of Gia played by Kaye hodle a deaf young woman who uses sign language to communicate with Kong Kong trusts Gia and has formed a bond with her elsewhere Godzilla has started attacking Apex cybernetics facilities seemingly out of nowhere and meanwhile apex's CEO Walter Simmons played by demion biter has recruited Dr Nathan Lind played by Alexander Skarsgard a geologist and Hollow Earth expert to venture into the Earth's core Lind won't be going there alone though as he swiftly convinces Dr Andrews to help them take Kong with them to the Center of the Earth but their Journey will be perilous as Godzilla knows a Titan is being transported from one end of the planet to another a dangerous battle between two Titans will commence as Humanity cannot safely control both of the monsters that are in a way vying for control of Earth's surface it may all sound a little bit complicated and admittedly it is it's actually even more complicated as this description has completely omitted the B plot involving Brian Tyrie Henry Millie Bobby Brown and Julian Dennison's characters and I'll explain why in a moment a problem that these films have had is that they tend to struggle to marry the great big Kaiju battles with a human narrative that feels like more than just filler content although I can't say that I am a huge fan of Gareth Edwards Godzilla from 2014 one thing that I did really respect it for was the subplot involving Brian cranston's character however these films have mostly failed to create a truly engrossing human element even though I did enjoy some of the genre archetypes from Jordan Ved Roberts Kong Skull Island this problem is still apparent in Adam wingard's Godzilla versus Kong and it is my single biggest problem with this film not only are the main characters thinly written but some of them are also quite dull and get by almost solely on being overly cartoony I honestly do enjoy Skarsgard Hall and hoddle's characters but the characters involved in the aforementioned B plot just do not work for me and when it comes down to it I think this film would be much more entertaining if the B plot involving Henry Brown and Dennison had been scrapped in favor of additional scenes that further expand on the main characters and their mission some but not all of these versus films work on a very particular formula that tend to make the ultimate conclusion rather predictable that is also true with this film but that resolution and final battle is executed in a way that I thought was much more satisfying and exciting than it was in say Batman v Superman dawn of Justice to provide just one similar example though much like films like that in Man of Steel Godzilla versus Kong is is also riddled with weightless destruction and so many presumed human casualties that are not made to feel particularly significant by the movie itself the reason why this film works though is that Adam wingard's approach to the Kaiju genre is focused so much on capturing scale and having a pleasing though slightly repetitive visual aesthetic though the film is perhaps overly complicated and includes a not so gripping subplot the film succeeds where it matters you can feel the love that wingard's film has for especially so much so that some fans of Godzilla may be a little bit disappointed even though the lizard does get some wild moments the actual battles between the kais are triumphant and spectacular and there is enough action here to make the film's final act very engaging I love the choreography of the major battles I love how wiard's film frames the titular characters when they are involved in pivotal scenes I greatly appreciate that the action in wingard's film is rarely if ever indecipherable the titular characters often have their great battles in daylight and if they don't then rest assured that there are plenty of neon colors to help you make sense of things as well as add a touch of style to the film it should also be said that the film's major highlight outside of the major battles is a sequence inside of the hollow Earth I wanted so much more from this environment and I would happily watch several films that take place there frankly Godzilla versus Kong is exactly what the average person would want from a big Kaiju Blockbuster film but it isn't anything more than that it doesn't try to be as extraordinary as Peter Jackson's outstanding Epic King Kong and it doesn't have as many Ambitions as Gareth Edwards Godzilla but Godzilla versus Kong succeeds where it counts for these films it is a return to form for the franchise after the very disappointing Godzilla Roman 2 king of the monsters but it is also a notable return to form for director Adam Wingard Godzilla versus Kong is a big dumb action heavy cartoonish and stylish Kaiju film but that is exactly what it was meant to be it never takes itself too seriously and I think that's a good thing in this case with hindsight I'm ultimately grateful that the release of Godzilla versus Kong was delayed by covid in my neck of the woods quarantines shut down Dam near everything for over a year not only that my chosen profession dictated that I worked from home countless days of Zoom meetings isolation and Doom Laden TV news tended to make one miserably long day blur into the next what I missed most of all was going to the movies so when restrictions began to loosen and my local independent theater reopened to limited capacity it was like the clouds had parted the first film they showed was Godzilla versus conch and what better way to celebrate surviving the darkest year in recent history than taking in a high concept spectacle with no other agenda than pure entertainment watching these iconic movie Monsters Square off on the big screen was a not only a ton of fun it was downright cathartic I don't know if I'd have felt the same way had it been released as scheduled back in 2020 with previous films in Warner Bros monsterverse laying the groundwork and it certainly helps if you've seen them Godzilla versus Kong more than delivers on the promise of its title additionally it is arguably the most uninhibited film of the franchise perhaps a reaction to the drab reception of Godzilla king of the monsters where that film was over long and took itself a tad too seriously this one runs a lean mean 113 minutes and essentially throws caution to The Wind unburdened by the boundaries of plausibility or geographical science as the middle- Act Discovery of Hollow Earth demonstrates and if nothing else you got to admire the audacity to resurrect Mecha goodzilla one of the big lizard's more outlandish adversaries from the Toho era there's a human cast of course but like the other installments save for maybe Skull Island they are F funter mostly on hand to provide Exposition and context besides it's highly doubtful anyone pays their two bits to take in Millie Bobby Brown's thespian skills what matters are the titular Titans who show up early and often both separately and for two thrilling massively destructive clashes and this is before Mecha goodzilla even shows up to put their issues with each other in perspective the special effects are top-notch which includes instilling Godzilla and Kong with enough personality to render are both equally endearing The Narrative even provides a plausible explanation for why they're now the same size we walked out of the theater with big dumb grins on our faces and our ears ringing just a bit Godzilla versus Kong was no outof body experience but certainly The Perfect film for the moment pure escapism at a time most of us need it most though its epic grandure is somewhat diminished on television Godzilla versus Kong is still pretty damned entertaining and looks great on Blu-ray allowing one to really appreciate the painstaking effort put into monsters expressions and the creative production design especially the neon Splendor of Hong Kong and its subsequent destruction like the best heavy metal music this is the kind of film that's meant to be played loud and the impressive Dolby Atmos track serves it well so many studios have tried the universe thing and good God it doesn't always work out the dark universe is perhaps the biggest failure in recent memory but the legendary monoverse is incredibly muddled as well you have the polarizing Godzilla from 7 years ago the mostly well-received Skull Island the even more polarizing king of the monsters and now Godzilla versus Kong all under different directors I mean even if you skipped around with the aforementioned flicks you're probably going to be showing up for the latest fix the name sells itself and you wouldn't be wasting your time within 10 minutes or so we get Godzilla doing their thing wrecking shop it's a good sign and although it's another half hour or so of table setting to get to the first round between Godzilla and Kong it's worth the wait why it took so long to give people an easy to follow knockout bout like this between two characters we actually care about is beyond me it seems like a winning formula the monsterverse could have been doing the entire time but finally just got around to after nearly a decade there are still multiple human storylines but smartly they often directly interact with the titular monster ERS and influence the bouts instead of annoyingly interrupting scenes the added bonus of those some arcs not being nearly as insufferable as most of the storylines in king of monsters is a huge bonus a low bar but a benefit nonetheless there's plenty of room for improvement though while the actors are more likable this time Godzilla versus Kong still meanders a lot you know the feeling when you're waiting for what feels like an eternity for two narratives to converge and in the end they don't mesh as well as you'd hoped this film does that sometimes you'll completely forget that someone exists Alexander Skarsgard and Brian Tyree Henry are the only actors that command the scenes therein Plus at this point I really don't care about the lore of the monsterverse despite the best attempts from its Architects to sell me on it there are a lot of loose threads and weak payoffs all meant to shuffle IP into your face I can't help but think of the Lost potential at the very least this round is is entertaining if you're remotely interested in Godzilla Andor King Kong this new project is worth one watch there's giant monsters on screen fighting each other and for a lot of people that's enough hey everyone welcome back to East K drama news today we're diving deep into the world of Cinema to explore a film that's been creating quite a buzz whether it's a blockbuster hit or a Hidden Gem we're here to dissect the story performances and everything in between so grab your popcorn sit back and let's embark on this cinematic journey together don't forget to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell icon to stay updated with our latest reviews and discussions now without further Ado let's jump right into today's movie review Godzilla versus Kong is a 2021 American Science Fiction monster film produced by legendary pictures and the fourth entry in the monster verse following 2019s Godzilla king of the monsters acting as a sequel to both king of the monsters Kong Skull Island it is the 36th entry in the Godzilla franchise Godzilla versus Kong had a turbulent development and was originally set for release on May 29th 2020 before being pushed up to March 13th 2020 only to then be delayed to November 20th 2020 and then May 21st 2021 it then got pushed up to March 26 2021 the four ultimately being released to American theaters on March 31st 2021 the film was also streaming concurrently on HBO Max through to April 30th 2021 the film is directed by Adam Wingard produced by Mary parent Alex Garcia Eric McLoud and Brian Rogers with a screenplay written by Eric Pearson and Max borenstein from a story by Terry rossio Michael dhy and Zack Shields borenstein dhy and shields also wrote king of the monsters Godzilla versus Kong begins 5 years after king of the monsters and sees Godzilla and Kong undergoing a Titanic battle in the wake of gora's Rampage a follow-up sequel to the film was released on March 29th 2024 with Godzilla returning once more to team up with King Kong with a movie with a title like Godzilla versus Kong I only require a few simple things Godzilla King Kong and Godzilla fighting King Kong that's is anything else is just window dressing director Adam winguard the guest your next knows this well and delivers plenty of monkey punching lizard action and that rules that's all anyone really needs or wants to know you want to see these two icons throw down and this movie provides everything the trailers marketing and very title promise winguard stages the fights in full Clear View they're well lit in the open shot wide enough to see the action and hot Dam there's not a midnight rain storm ins sight hell he even proudly wears his 1980s action movie and pro wrestling influences as the two Titans Collide how can you not love Kong off the top rope the creature design and effects are fantastic and never ring false on the giant monster front this hits everything you want but as is so often the case in these situations the problem is everything else when it's fun it's an absolute blast but when it's not it's awful I legitimately hated most of the first half of Godzilla versus Kong every second that doesn't directly focus on Kong or Godzilla Which is far too many I found absolutely tedious and uninteresting the plot is a convoluted jumble of the asinine Titan and Hollow Earth mythology and spirous scientific logic of this shared monster verse characters toss around vaguely technical words in an over attempt to poorly explain the madeup nonsense the pace somehow moves too slow and too fast at the same time dragging but also skipping over huge chunks dumb is one thing dumb can be dealt with boring on the other hand is unforgivable in a movie like this and that's the issue with most of the first hour again it's all the human characters it's not the actor's faults it's a weirdly stacked cast but the overwritten script is just terrible ooh there's a paranoid podcaster Brian Tyrie Henry o there's a failed Fringe academic who wrote A far out book that while correct never sold Alexander scars guard ooh a billionaire CEO who appears magnanimous on the surface but may have questionable motives Demi and bitcher O A doood or scientist who cares about Kong's best interests Rebecca Hall and is also the caretaker of a deaf indigenous orphan girl who teaches Kong to sign and also to love Kaye hodle and the film just throws in more and more people Millie Bobby Brown reprises her role from the previous film only now she's a teen conspiracy theorist with a soft spot for Godzilla Julian Dennison plays her BFF and plot device we get Isa Gonzalez as the tough hard-nosed corporate woman with a job to do it keeps going and going and getting nowhere at least Skarsgard and Henry know the movie they're in and enjoy themselves fully diving into their Wingnut personas even if the consistency fluctuates so much could easily be excised with little to no impact that's the first half of Godzilla versus Kong the film continually piles dumb on top of boring on top of yawn we get one solid action scene but last surrounding detail is so so dull then however Everything Changes I only talk so much about the first half because especially in contrast the second half is spectacular at almost the precise midpoint Godzilla versus Kong reaches a state I like to call Apex stupidity and it is a glorious place to be there's a moment where you feel the movie let go and release any lingering pretensions of seriousness or logic this frees the filmmakers to indulge what this movie TR truly is and wants to be and it unfurls into Splendid Heights of absurdity and utter chaos it morphs into a b-grade Journey to the Center of the Earth riff everyone involved Cuts loose and wallows in the crazy and it only escalates from there the fights are bigger and batter lit with a neon color pallet lifted straight out of Tron and at one point I definitely yelled kiss at the screen no joke with a swelling film Noir style score in the moment I actually thought it might happen I was borderline hyperventilating with joy the final 20 minutes not to be hyperbolic but like I said I hated the first half of Godzilla versus Kong fortunately the back half is one of the greatest things I've ever witnessed this is where the film finds itself the filmmakers allow the story to become what it truly needs to be in order to be successful and they deliver exactly what a movie about Godzilla fighting King Kong needs to be and much more there are seriously things I can't wait for you to discover in the back half of this movie if you've spent any time on the internet lately you'll have seen reviews of Godzilla versus Kong pointing out that the human drama isn't any good I'm sure you'll have also seen a barrage of comments from fans saying something to the effect of this isn't why we watch these films or you don't know the genre Godzilla movies are about monsters fighting or even it's monsters fighting of course it's not Shakespeare I find myself agreeing with the consensus of many critics in that yes the human drama is awful but I find the fan reaction particularly frustrating Godzilla films can and have repeatedly offered Great Character drama thematic weight lofty ideas and Earnest storytelling be at the post-war national identity conflict that characterizes the 1954 original or the gentle portrayal of unlikely friendships in Godzilla versus megalin 1973 the idea that these films uniformly don't deliver on good storytelling is silly at best if not condescending at worst it's not unreasonable to want or expect more from these films when we know that better things are possible even discounting the rich history of the too films Gareth Edwards 2014 Godzilla while with its own issues was a smart and stylish film which understood that meaning could be drawn from massive monsters s years later and were left with Godzilla versus Kong a film which seems to indulge in every crude stereotype placed on these films by Decades of critical and fan misunderstanding in the film Kong is contained on Skull Island meanwhile Godzilla destroys a facility belonging to Apex a shady company with an Alon musk style CEO the folks at Apex appeal to a scientist who wants to explore the hollow Earth something briefly mentioned in the last few monsterverse films that really could have done with more thought the apparent home of the monsters the scientist agrees and decides that Kong must be their guide So Kong is taking taken via ship to the Arctic along the way Godzilla shows up to fight him because there can't be two apex predators at once then the rest of the film happens characters come and go speaking lines designed to move the plot along and little else it's all very perfunctory the acting befits the function as with the equally Dreadful Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 the script is peppered with quips and jokes that don't land thankfully there isn't a crass STD joke at in king of the monsters but Kong is referred to as a monkey by one character so often in the space of about 20 minutes that you have to suspect the writers really thought it was a good joke alas Godzilla versus Kong isn't as immediately offensive as king of the monsters unlike its predecessor it doesn't feature US military base named after a nuclear test that directly led to the death of one Japanese fisherman and contributed to the permanent dislocation of the residence of bikini at all the Castle Bravo test helped Inspire portions of the original Godzilla so it's a hip and cool reference right but that isn't to say it's without its issues Ken wat nam's Dr sarawa inspired by the character of the same name from the 1954 film had an interesting role in the 2014 film before he was diminished and killed in king of the monsters in a tasteless scene which saw him revive Godzilla with a nuclear blast in Godzilla versus Kong his son appears as one of the henchmen of Apex and has little to do except stand around and look evil if he had been a nameless bad guy maybe it wouldn't have mattered but by giving him the name of the one character who in the 2014 film vocally embodied an anti-nuclear sentiment Godzilla versus Kong fulfills the complete stripping of character motivation personality and depth it's a gestural attempt at continuity maybe I was wrong to want so much more from Godzilla versus Kong considering its director Adam winguard actively said that politics are out the door in a recent interview for total film despite the few flaws of Gareth Edwards Godzilla reframing US nuclear tests as attempts to kill Godzilla instead of part of the Cold War arms race was clumsy at best that film gave me high hopes for how its sequels would develop unfortunately this series took such a nose dive into obnoxious success that it's hard not to think about what might have been one final thing I like fun films I think there are a great number of the too films which are fun and light-hearted like Eber a horror of the deep 1966 or Son of Godzilla 1967 but what these films also have are endearing characters arresting stories visual flare memorable soundtracks and meaning I don't think Godzilla versus Kong has any of those things the original 1962 King Kong versus Godzilla was explicitly made as a comedy it's a fun sharp and witty film that cuts to the core of Japan's contempor orary TV culture and the Absurd economic growth of its time fun films can be both light-hearted and meaningful that's why I can't buy the defense that says it's just a fun monster movie for Godzilla versus Kong this film could have been both but it isn't I'll be honest Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 left me disappointed and apathetic toward the future of the monsterverse as a result I didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for Godzilla versus Kong 2021 to be fair when the trailer hit I was definitely energized but I had also thought The 2019 Godzilla film had an excellent trailer as well so I probably wasn't alone in approaching the latest Godzilla and Kong movie with cautious optimism thankfully I can say that Godzilla versus Kong exceeded my expectations adding another solid entry to the franchise the film has its flaws particularly from the characters and the way the plot is divided the pacing action and effects though are enough to create something that's solid popcorn entertainment and worth revisiting in terms of plot the movie opens with Kong's new home on Skull Island as it turns out the harsh weather system seen around the aisle in Kong Skull Island 2017 has creeped further Inland this has forced Monarch to create an artificial Dome to protect a small part of the land mass and the now giant Kong meanwhile a conglomerate called Apex cybernetics has a facility uncharacteristically attacked by godz Zilla this puts the world on high alert while Apex accelerates their plans this plan involves finding a new energy source to power the project they are working on findings pinpoint this energy as being in the center of the planet in the hollow Earth to acquire it they convince Nathan Lind a former Monarch researcher on the hollow Earth to make an expedition there Nathan believes Kong is key and would be able to lead them successfully the former researcher persuades Monarch to relocate Kong however this catches the attention of Godzilla who sees Kong as a rival the king of the monsters makes a direct path toward the Skull Island Defender while this is going on a group led by Madison Russell from Godzilla king of the monsters 2019 is trying to understand why Godzilla is acting uncharacteristically and what Secrets Apex is hiding all in all the plot is okay it's not particularly deep but does establish enough of the world and justification for the battle between the titular Titans it's also light on its feet rarely feeling like it bogs down the viewer as a result pacing is good here moving the story along at a good stride while sprinkling in frequent monster action to satisfy viewers the fault of the story though is the divided approach it takes essentially the movie breaks its story and character focus into two fractions one fraction is focused on Kong and the other is focused on Godzilla although as it turns out this is more on Mecha goodzilla by the end this type of story approach is difficult but can work however there just isn't much justification for it here the Godzilla side ends up being unnecessary their contributions are to provide the audience a window to see the secret meca goodzilla project this wasn't needed the film could easily have shown the perspective of the Apex CEO as it does on occasion to fulfill the same audience need the CO's daughter is also among the Kong group providing easy justification to explore more about Apex without having to feature a separate cast of characters the Godzilla fractions other contribution is to momentarily stall meca goodzilla this is also not needed and in fact feels like it was thrown in to give the group something to do oddly juxtaposed with how this is approached in a lot of other films the fractions never really intersect there isn't a defining moment where they all meet up banter and then work to achieve a combined goal yes there is a final shot of everyone together but they don't verbally communicate with each other also while the pacing is good here there are a few moments where the story transitions from the Kong fraction to the Godzilla fraction that do feel like a slight drag now the other problem with the dividend approach is with the characters themselves franchise films with probably the best example being Avengers Infinity War can juggle large casts of characters amongst divided narratives this is thanks to earlier movies is already developing those characters so they are familiar to audiences Godzilla versus Kong doesn't have this luxury only two characters here are reoccurring which are Madison Russell and her father in a small role as a result the movie suffers from the same dilemma as the prior two monsterverse entries too many characters to develop much of the large character assemble is paper thin in this movie for example we know next to nothing about eileene Andrews played by Rebecca Hall even though she is one of the principal characters in the movie by the end she can be summed up by her Devotion to Kong and her Devotion to the child Gia and really that's it we don't learn anything else about her other characters aren't quite as bad for example for Nathan ly we are given a brief but tragic backstory around his brother passing away for Bernie Hayes from the Godzilla fraction we are also given a brief but tragic backstory around his wife passing away you've also got the I of Gia who is given a brief but tragic backstory of her parents passing away and yes it should be apparent that the movie goes to the loved one passed away and is motivating their actions well one too many times this wouldn't be so bad if the movie developed the other cast even a little but no such luck which makes this scant development around their loss really stand out in fact the best the audience gets is the Apex cybernetic CEO Walter Simmons and his desire to return Humanity as the Apex species usurping Titans it's cartoony and its Grandeur and never really given a personal justification but at least it's something that contrasts with others like Ren sarawa played by Sha aeri for which the audience learns nothing about what drives him why is he here and what the heck is his relation to akiro Cawa from the earlier films nothing is touched on and it would have been better had he just been called Apex henchman HH zoza one so the film has too many characters how are the performances given the lack of development many don't have much to work with the standout performances are definitely Alexander scarg guards Nathan Lind