The day monster lovers have long-awaited has arrived with “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Directed by Adam Wingard, the film brings together the titans, who fans will finally get to see battle for supremacy. When Godzilla turns on humanity, many look to Kong to lead them to salvation. Others, however, seek their own paths to dominance.
The start of “Godzilla vs. Kong” sees humanity’s reptilian anti-hero attacking without warning the very people who called him savior. There are those like Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell, first appearing in the last Zilla installment, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019), who believe Godzilla won’t attack without reason, but most people are now concerned with stopping the giant before he puts humanity beneath his foot. To that end, the now-gargantuan Kong is recruited to help find the original home of the titans, and with it, a way to hopefully beat Godzilla. However, Zilla doesn’t take well to the appearance of the massive ape, and as Rebecca Hall’s Ilene Andrews states, “Kong bows to no one.” The board is set, and only one king can be left standing.
Aside from giant monsters duking it out, the most appealing aspect of “Godzilla vs. Kong” is the visual presentation. Far from the stories’ origins when actors were filmed in monster suits, the massive creatures are now almost entirely rendered through computer animation. While of course the images wouldn’t hold up against real life comparisons, the quality of “Godzilla vs. Kong” is at such a point that one doesn’t even have to work to suspend their belief in what is happening to be immersed in the plot. Kong and Zilla are very lifelike, and when Kong shares the camera with real people, it doesn’t look like they’re against a green screen. At times, the screen will zoom into the monsters’ faces, and while these shots are nothing less than intimidating, one can’t help but appreciate the level of detail put into making them look realistic.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” may be a monster-mashup, but it’s not the only thing the movie brings to the table. The story still makes time to continue the “man vs. nature” message that has been featured in the preceding films in the series. While Kong and Zilla compete to be the true “King of the Monsters,” Walter Simmons and his Apex Cybernetics corporation are working to put humanity back on the throne of the world. As usual, when humans try to overthrow nature it goes horribly wrong, leaving both in danger of annihilation. Meanwhile, Jia, Kong’s best friend, played by Kaylee Hottle, who is deaf and arguably steals the show from every other actor, is the only human Kong really trusts, and the two have a deep relationship. Even though the rest of the story may not be very well-developed, Kong and Jia’s interactions will surely grab an audiences’ attention.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” brings with it the promise of a spectacular showdown. It might not have much more to offer than that, but as stated before, the action is the main attraction of such a film. Animation has truly come a long way, and to be able to watch something of this scale and detail is beyond impressive. “Godzilla vs. Kong” is definitely worth watching in theaters, though if that option is not available for you, it can be streamed on HBO Max for home viewing.