Epic Showdown! – review of the film “Godzilla vs. Kong “

The thing is, the movie Godzilla vs. Kong was waiting for both fans of the so-called Monsterverse, as well as fans of Godzilla, Kong or even monster movies. As a fan of this Monsterverse, from the very beginning I watched the actions of our fearless creatures. And just as in 2014 I had the opportunity to see the new American Godzilla in the cinema opening this universe , I went symbolically to its grand finale with great joy and enthusiasm . Has it met my expectations?

An excellent movie about monsters

There is no need to talk too much about the plot of the film. Generally speaking, a group of scientists decides to lead the isolated on Skull Island of the Congo to the so-called Hollow Earth in order to obtain an extremely powerful source of energy. This source is to help stop Godzilla, which for unknown reasons suddenly turned against humanity. During the expedition, however, it turns out that there are forces behind everything that lead to a clash between the two Titans … With what result?

The answer is: electrifying! The film definitely satisfied me (you probably didn’t think that I would tell you who won?). There are so many reasons that I don’t know where to start. We should probably start with the fact that we finally got a picture in which the monsters are actually in the center, and people, although they are not superfluous and are not paper characters, seem to be just a bridge between the threads of the title monsters. We are dealing here with a perfect balance between both groups, which was not entirely successful in the previous installments of the series. Director Adam Wingard and screenwriters Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein have skillfully balanced the scenes with both types of characters, so you don’t feel overwhelmed with either of them.

Speaking of the golden mean, it is impossible not to mention the scenario for a monster movie, was surprisingly well written. The most intriguing element of the story is that it has two tracks. Each of the monsters is accompanied by a group of people (a kind of “Team Kong” and “Team Godzilla”) who support their favorite, and although, of course, the Titans meet twice (in a sense even three), people do not even for a moment they get in the way of each other. At the same time, it does not give the impression of “scratch”, on the contrary: the whole is coherent and does not leave us unsatisfied, which may be related to, for example, unfinishing one of the stories. This procedure not only works in terms of building tension (believe me – this movie is really addictive), but also allows you to get to know the characters a bit deeper and, more importantly, identify with the characters, which may affect which team will be rooting for.

Of course, cheering concerns mainly the titanic protagonists of the production. And this aspect is one more plane on which you can see balance. The film does not suggest which side we should take. The choice is left to the viewer who will support a specific creature according to their preferences or likes. It is worth adding that the director once mentioned that, unlike the iconic King Kong vs. Godzillafrom 1962, this time we will see the undisputed winner. And indeed – only one colossus comes out of the clash (as I have already mentioned, I cannot tell you which, although, oh … so much tempting me!), Nevertheless both of them are fairly. The title fight is brilliantly written, and the result is logical and justified. At this point, however, I will sow a hint of mystery, because, in fact … each of the monsters in the film achieves a certain victory.

Monsters that feel, people who do not disturb

Monsterverse protagonists have always been monsters (called “Titans” after Godzilla: King of Monsters ). It is around them that all history has been built and it is their fate, in fact, that was the most important. Not only that, they were created in such a way that the viewer would perceive them like human figures.

It is no different in this production. I do not think it will be a spoiler if I reveal that Kong is the main character (which, contrary to appearances, does not determine anything at all). This is completely justified because less time was devoted to him in the universe – we could see as many as two films about Godzilla, while only one about Congo, and in addition from the time when he was still a young, ungrown individual ( Kong: Skull Island ). Here, despite the presence of a great lizard, he plays the first fiddle. Not only do we notice his physical change, i.e. we see him as a much older ruler of the island, already somewhat battered by his life, but we can also penetrate his psyche and emotional sphere. And, believe me, these emotions really make you feel. Despite the subjective sympathy I have for Gojira(c’mon, the dude defeated both MUTO and Ghidora, so what are we talking about?), I shared with the giant gorilla his joy, sorrow, pain and anger. Kong seems incredibly human here, which makes it possible to understand him better and just like him. Even, as you can see, the most die-hard fans of Jaszczur.

Godzilla, on the other hand, is a bit out of the way this time – we do not follow his actions in the way we have so far, so we do not know his motivations for some time. This atmosphere of mystery, however, makes his character even more intriguing, especially since at first he seems to be an antagonist of production (which also does not define anything). Ultimately, the hardships that he goes through also evoke compassion, and even certain looks or reactions humanize him a bit, so that one still does not lose sympathy for him. In the end, both monsters seem to be equal to each other, and their fight is also equal. I honestly admit that I didn’t really support any of them – in my eyes none was worse than the other and each one deserved recognition. In addition, during the screening I realized that regardless of who would lose,

On the other hand, we also have human figures. And they also, surprisingly, do not fail. First of all, there are no “dramas” woven into the plot, such as the story of a broken family in Godzilla: King of the Monsters , unanimously recognized as one of the worst points of the film. Yes, the human heroes may not be very complex, but they are also not flat. We learn something about almost each of them, be it about their problems, past or relationship with someone, but each one has something to offer that makes them different in their own way.

The exception here is Madison Russell (played by Millie Bobby Brown), who we had the opportunity to meet in the second film about Godzilla. Here we can see the changes that have taken place in her from the clash with Ghidora – the girl is mature and, unlike the previous image, she is a person who makes key decisions on her own. It is on her initiative that the team, including her friend Josh Valentine (Julian Dennison) and podcasters about conspiracy theories, Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), embarks on a journey to understand why Godzilla turned against humans. Congo, in turn, is supported by a group consisting of anthropolinguist Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), geologist and cartographer Dr. Nathan Linda (Alexander Skarsgård) and a deaf girl named Jia (Kaylee Hottle).Godzilla vs. Kong. Dr. Andrews’s adopted daughter, able to communicate with Congo, developed an unusual bond with him, an intimacy that allowed her to influence him. It is the bridge between the great ape and humans. This peculiar account is explained, albeit only partially, which leaves room for conjecture and makes it even more intriguing. Jia’s uniqueness lies not only in her inborn defect, but also in the way she perceives the world. We can “incarnate” in it several times – then we find out that it interprets the world through impulses sensed only by it, which allows it to discover things that are inaccessible to others. It is also impossible to deny its credibility. Kaylee Hottle, who in fact is also deaf, puts her heart and soul into the protagonist,

Of course, there are also neglected characters. They include, among others Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir), president of Apex Cybernetics and CTO of Ren Serizawa (Shun Oguri). Both play quite an important role in the film and seem to be very interesting gentlemen with ambiguous motives, yet we know too little about them to care about their fate. The character of Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), Madison’s father, is practically useless. In the film, it was placed only to show how much the ties between him and his daughter have tightened, but it does not completely affect the plot of the production. Well, well – apparently you can’t have everything.

The final is imperfect

Speaking of which, Godzilla vs. Kongit is not without its flaws. As for the culmination of the universe, it’s quite predictable. The main axis of the story runs quite obviously and during the screening we can conclude how it will all end (despite the monsters’ fight that is not so obvious in its course). Here and there we can also come across some nonsense, e.g. Godzilla emerging from the water exactly in the place where there is a bridge with lots of cars, just to be able to destroy it (yeah, yeah …) or for completely unnecessary moments, such as … laughing Godzilla (seriously?) Or single, slightly showy shots with individual creatures, without which the picture would not lose its spectacular effect. At the beginning of the screening, I also missed the broader background of the conflict between “Goji” and the Congo. There is talk of an ancient war between their races and that they are both Alpha Titans, so automatically in the world there is no room for both at the same time, and yet we do not find out what really led to this war. The lack of this genesis makes the conflict seem to appear out of nowhere, and as a result, it doesn’t feel so much that the story throughout the Monsterverse has been heading to this point.

A climax worthy of a Monsterverse

However, do the above-mentioned shortcomings really affect the enjoyment of the screening? Not at all! You can either turn a blind eye or justify each of them. The failure to explain the causes of the Titans’ war ceases to be of any importance with the course of action and the increase in tension. The first is so fast, and the second so skillfully constructed that the film fully absorbs the attention of the viewer, who does not think about individual aspects later and simply waits impatiently for further developments. In addition to efficient directing, the picture also impresses with its extremely atmospheric music and general audiovisual setting (the main battlefield, Hong Kong, is a real visual masterpiece). The acting is also at a high level. The belief of the main characters in the rightness of the motivations of both monsters seems genuine, and the rest of the characters can arouse either intrigue or reluctance (such as Eiza González’s badass Maia, daughter of Walter Simmons). Finally, from time to time we get various flavors – there will be references to various films about Godzilla and the Congo (including one very, very characteristic reference to the original from 1962), including the previous Monsterverse scenes, which makes the production one big a tribute to the heritage of these pop culture icons. So what more could you want from a culmination worthy of a universe of great monsters? It only remains to wait for the continuation. And I hope that one will come into existence one day. from time to time we are treated to various kinds of flavors – there will be references to various films about Godzilla and the Congo (including one very, very characteristic reference to the original from 1962), including the previous versions of Monsterverse, which makes the production one great tribute to heritage of these pop culture icons. So what more could you want from a culmination worthy of a universe of great monsters? It only remains to wait for the continuation. And I hope that one will come into existence one day. from time to time we are treated to various kinds of flavors – there will be references to various films about Godzilla and the Congo (including one very, very characteristic reference to the original from 1962), including the previous versions of Monsterverse, which makes the production one great tribute to heritage of these pop culture icons. So what more could you want from a culmination worthy of a universe of great monsters? It only remains to wait for the continuation. And I hope it will be created one day. So what more could you want from a culmination worthy of a universe of great monsters? It only remains to wait for the continuation. And I hope that one day it will be created. So what more could you want from a culmination worthy of a universe of great monsters? It only remains to wait for the continuation. And I hope that one day it will be created.

We would like to thank the Cinema City chain for the opportunity to watch the movie Godzilla vs Kong !