Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the first big blockbuster movie since last March! I’m a big fan of ‘creature features’ so to speak but I had never seen any of the modern “Monsterverse” iterations from Warner Brothers so I sat down this week to binge Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters because they’re all streaming on HBO Max and why not? I was actually thoroughly surprised to find out most of them are actually pretty good and super entertaining. When I watch any kind of movie like this all I ask for is to be entertained and that’s just what I got while watching the penultimate Godzilla vs. Kong. The film revolves around the lead up and ultimately the battle between the two titular characters Godzilla and King Kong.
The acting and the film’s human characters are one of the only gripes I’ve seen anyone have with the film. And I have to agree. While all of the actors are of substantive talent it’s severely underused and wasted on stilted dialogue and lack of character development – even for those that have been involved in several of the movies. One particular performance though that I did enjoy was Kaylee Hottl’s who is a deaf actress playing a deaf character and has scenes with a large CGI monkey that are more captivating than scenes with any of the older actors. But I’m not sure who watches these films to really be dazzled by its acting.. I wasn’t particularly bothered by it and it doesn’t take away anything from the film for me.
I do think however that the film suffers a little by too many plotlines. In the end it all does eventually I think come together but I was still left with a few questions. But that’s not to say it was all bad! It was pretty formulaic which is fine considering we’ve been making Godzilla and King Kong movies since the 50s. But it never stopped being fun and my full attention was on it for its entire runtime. Like I said before I don’t think people go into these movies looking at the characters or necessarily even the plot.
Now what this film does give the audience plenty of is action! The action is thrilling. The last battle scene is insane and action-packed to the gills but you don’t have to wait until the last battle to for action because there are several parts that will have you on the edge of your seat! It’s ridiculous and thrilling and that’s why people pay to see this movie and why I enjoyed this so much! That’s not to even mention the film’s truly glorious CGI and graphics. None of it is the slightest bit dodgy and it’s even quite beautiful in some places! Pair that with a riveting score that I couldn’t help but notice and you have an outstanding, gloriously action-packed end of a saga that is most satisfying!
I knew this was one I had to see in the theaters and I think honestly the cinematic experience definitely added to my enjoyment! It’s something that you have to see on the big screen if your local theaters are open – safely! You can also stream it on HBO Max until May 1st so catch me watching it again because I loved every minute of it! Also, Team Kong for life, just saying.
Reed’s Rating: 7.5/10