‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Review: The Fight of the Century

Godzilla vs. Kong is the culmination of Legendary’s MonsterVerse that began with 2014’s Godzilla, and while the three previous films in the franchise have been mediocre at best, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers exactly what you expect/want from these too behemoths finally going toe-to-toe with each other. The story itself can fluctuate from boring to absurd, but the film is heavy on the action, with Godzilla and Kong putting on a dazzling display on strength. Godzilla vs. Kong is the fight of the century and demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

It’s been years since Godzilla proved himself to be the alpha titan in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and in that time he’s been dormant in the ocean but that all changes when he suddenly attacks one of the Florida labs of Apex Cybernetics. Meanwhile on Skull Island, Kong has grown too big for the containment dome Monarch has enclosed him in. Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) believes that there exists a Hollow Earth deep below the planet’s surface where Kong and the rest of the titans originated from and with the help of Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and Apex CEO Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir), they devise a method to have Kong lead the way to its location. But by simply taking Kong off Skull Island he presents himself as an immediate threat to Godzilla’s alpha status. And we all know that there can only be one alpha titan at a time.

In all honesty, the story and human characters don’t matter all that much. Everything they do is simply a setup, either for Godzilla or for Kong. And it’s for the best because the titans are the real stars of the film. And even though Godzilla gets first billing, Kong is the real star of the show and has the most character development. Most of that is from the special bond he has with the young Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who he communicates with via sign language. Their scenes together are absolutely heartwarming and paint Kong in a heroic light. The film clearly wants you to root for him in this clash of titans. Kong just wants a home and family, while Godzilla has no human intermediary and is essentially there to wreck everything and cause chaos. Kong is the one who is tasked with saving the day.

It’s most definitely not the humans, that’s for sure. If anything, they simply get in the way of the action. The side-plot of Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) teaming up with her friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and conspiracy podcaster Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) to investigate Apex Cybernetics is laughable, especially the film needs an excuse for them to be in Hong Kong so they hitch a ride on some underground levitating rail system that gets puts them directly in the action in no time. As ridiculous as it is, it doesn’t matter all that much because Godzilla and Kong are the real show.

And boy does Godzilla vs. Kong put on a show. The opening act has Godzilla attacking a Florida city so the film doesn’t hold anything back in showing the power of these titans. Godzilla and Kong finally go toe-to-toe as Kong is being transported by a giant cargo ship, and it’s a great warmup for what’s to come in the third act. Godzilla clearly has the upperhand most of the time because let’s face it, a radioactive dinosaur who breathes atomic fire is always going to beat a giant ape, period. The stacked odds never make it any less entertaining though. It’s flashy, fun, and overwhelmingly satisfying to watch these two fight it out.

Godzilla vs. Kong delivers big blockbuster thrills with intense action and gorgeously cinematic fights. It’s a feast for your eyes and a step in the right direction for the MonsterVerse. For once, I’m excited to see where they head to next.