Godzilla vs Kong: Clash of the Titans

As a child, growing up in the 70s, I loved the old Godzilla movies.  It didn’t matter how badly dubbed or corny they were, I loved them!  The very sound of Godzilla’s roar stirs nostalgic feelings of a simpler time in the world.  I especially liked when Godzilla was the hero, the protector of the earth.  King Kong was not one of my favorite monsters of old.  I have enjoyed his movies, but never in the fanatical way I felt towards Godzilla.  Maybe because Kong’s story to me is sad.   So you might say, in this epic battle, I am more “Team Godzilla”.

Godzilla vs. Kong is a continuation of the first two Godzilla Movies and Kong: Skull Island, and is the fourth film in the Legendary’s MonsterVerse.  Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown return as Dr. Mark Russell and his daughter Madison, although not the main characters in the plot, they do lend continuity to the linking the previous films together.   Julian Dennison is Madison’s friend Josh, who she ropes into helping Bernie Hayes, played by Brin Tyree Henry, prove that something is causing Godzilla to attack.  The human stars of the movie are Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle as two scientists, Dr. Nathan Lind and Dr Ilene Andrews, and Jia, a young deaf skull island native.  The trio try to help Kong find a new home, while also using him for their unselfish personal gain.  Demian Bichir is Waler Simmons, and the symbol of mankind’s pride and greed.  As usual, the real villain in the story is man!

Unfortunately, the only characters I really enjoyed were Dr. Lind, Dr. Andrews and Jia.  They were the heart of the film and the tenderness Jia shared with Kong was interesting, I wish they would have expanded more on this and wove it deeper into the storyline.  The rest of the cast were just a bit annoying.  The acting was quite good for a Godzilla movie, but the characters themselves weren’t entirely likeable.  The plot seemed a bit disjointed, and the beginning scenes jumped around a lot and it seemed like they were throwing exposition at you so fast that it was sometimes hard to catch everything that was happening.  I am particularly sensitive to a films rhythm and if the film does not flow well, if it doesn’t keep a certain beat, it is not as enjoyable for me.  The plot itself was predictable down to the very last scene.

That being said, you don’t go see a movie called Godzilla vs. Kong, for Oscar worthy writing, acting or directing.  You watch it to see the non-human stars.  The fight scenes were enjoyable, and action packed.  The special effects were stunning as you would expect.  The movie is fun and if you don’t think to hard it’s a good watch.  Godzilla is portrayed as bit of the bad guy although he is really doing nothing outside of his nature, but this is a bit of a problem for people like me, who are more “Team Godzilla”.  We don’t like to see our heroes portrayed in an ill-tempered light.

Interesting fact: Some may not know that this is the second time these two titans have fought. The first time was in King Kong Vs Godzilla, a Japanese film from the 60s.