GODZILLA VS KONG

 

GODZILLA VS KONG

 

Okay, wow. Despite all the hype and my pressing doubts that Godzilla would take precedence over King Kong, I thought…let me give this a chance. I’m no huge Millie Bobby Brown fan but this movie might nudge me in that direction. I didn’t like her turn in season two of STRANGER THINGS but whatever.

 

This is surprisingly better than the original and I find that an entertaining classic (and yes, I love the original’s USA soundtrack more than the Japanese version soundtrack but in general the soundtracks of the 1960s movies, Japan and US are far better than modern day soundtracks) with a better soundtrack (US version). I do miss the native music, though.

 

With a few strands of plot that meld together nicely and KONG as the hero, cast sympathetically as such, and a great supporting cast of actors and fairly good writing, this is a winner.

 

First thing I noticed is the monsters are cast as monster, animals that follow instinct. Kong protects but kills Maia and her surviving team of ONE because it’s what he does against those he perceives as enemies. Just as Godzilla attacks Kong, regardless of a loss of life on his part (and eight lives…after that not sure how many innocents on the streets he is responsible for losing their lives…and happily the movie does NOT dwell on those that the monsters kill who are on the streets and in buildings…though it does look like at least some are vaguely shown running for their lives and don’t quite make it? but that is debatable as the film does not linger on that). Even Mecha Godzilla does what Mecha Godzilla goes on instinct: attack ALL life on Earth as it is linked to the evils of Ghidorah.

 

I thought having the face offs ends the way they did was perfect, despite my early feelings that they’d make Kong lose and die just because Godzilla is Godzilla and fans might revolt. Who cares what fans would do? This is a lively, entertaining, well made, well executed movie. With Kong cast as hero, sort of, and Godzilla as villain, sort of, neither is just that. They’re forces of nature.

 

Even the humans, all of them well developed, act according to what they think is right. Walter, the villain who orchestrates the trip to Hollow Earth (a sci fi trope that’s been around for decades and NEVER presented as well as in this film), is doing what he hopes will be the best for humans…and maybe to keep himself rich (?), too. The sneaking up of Mecha Godzilla behind him is marvelous, maybe the best scene in the whole movie.

 

Skarsgard as Nathan does a great job, redeeming what could have been an idiotic character, who also causes most of the problems by …not being the coward in many scenes and the actor gives him a genial personality.

 

Millie is straight laced in this and flanked in her sub plot (love the sub plots in this, and to be honest, it all feels like part of a larger TV show/movie series and that’s not a negative in my mind) by two strong characters, that provide the humor and have the best scenes in many ways.

 

Brian Tyree (he has a Star Trek middle name?) Henry as Bernie Hayes, is comically funny in every scene he’s in and while a comic book, X FILES type character, he’s far from predictable and everything he says amuses.

 

Julian Dennison is the hero of the entire film and it’s annoying that Millie’s characters Madison introduces Bernie as the “man who saved us all,” when it is really Josh’s thinking and actions that saved them ALL, including Kong and Godzilla. In fact, Madison’s dad’s “Shut up, Josh,” is mean spirited and uncalled for, perhaps the only line that is.

 

I do wonder who built all that stuff that is clearly not natural buildings in Hollow Earth. Did Kong’s ancestors build his throne and that huge domicile as well as create the axe from a fin of a Godzilla creature that can power up inside a stone edifice on the floor? Were there highly advanced humans that lived in Hollow Earth? I’m not sure THIS movie tells us but maybe one of the previous two movies in this series did? Either way, it is no fun dwelling on that stuff as the action there and above is wonderful, even the highly unlikely event that Godzilla can drill a hole into the center of the earth! I just went with it. All of it. Highly visual, wonderfully depicted, and stunningly exciting, all of it is just fantastic to see. THIS is the best movie in this new Godzilla series. It’s not slow or boring in any moment, everything that it does makes sense in a story beat and the action is incredible.

 

Two other characters were also in the movie but didn’t make it into the finished cut. One of them was from one of the other movies. This was an excellent choice as the movie has just the right amount of characters to follow, care about, and hope for. The one character I felt for was Ren Serizawa but it makes sense that as the son of the first Serizawa (or second?), he would try to stop Godzilla for Walter. I wish he had survived (though synopsis say he’s dead, maybe he’s not?). I think  the actor, Shun Oguri, is fantastic and underused here. Maybe he will be back in some other movies. I will follow his career!

 

Having Jia, a deaf character, communicate and be a friend to Kong is inspirational and a brilliant movie!

 

All in all, with wonderful action sequences, iconic monsters handled as instinct followers, rather than “evil” and “good”, perfect special effects, and a sort of okay score, this movie is just highly entertaining and not to be missed for fans of the genre. Or anyone else really.