Riot’s Movie Reviews: Godzilla vs. Kong
I want to preface this review with some information that is pertinent to how I interpreted/watched this film: 1) I have not seen Kong: Skull Island, which was #2 in the Monsterverse series 2) I have seen Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters 3) I am a big fan of big monster movies but I have never seen any of the old school, Japanese Godzilla flicks. Now, is any of this a prerequisite for watching the new Godzilla vs Kong movie? It’s kind of a toss-up really. While I admit there were a couple plot points to the Kong storyline that I was missing very soon into the movie, I believe that the things that were established leading up into this new chapter were fairly minor. It never hurts to be well-informed though. It is quite the tall order to try and put character development into monsters and in that sense, the Monsterverse has delivered more than I would have previously thought possible. Imagine my surprise then that this film fails to do so for its actual human characters along the way. The expectations for any type of monster film is to get lost in the action and destruction that goes along with it. So in that sense, Godzilla vs. Kong sort of failed on that endeavor as well. What you end up with is a bit of a mixed bag that excels in some things, but could have used a bit more all-around.
After beginning a quick attempt at a plot synopsis, I decided against it. There are a number of spoilers that I wouldn’t want to give away for anyone who still hasn’t seen the film. I will have to start with my list of grievances though, as it’s a bit more extensive than my “pro’s” section. First off, the acting is pretty bad. Overall, the human characters of Godzilla vs. Kong did a poor job at best. There is certainly an argument that this could be intentional. Sometimes the over-the-top, reactionary style of acting lends to the feel of the film. After all, when you’re dealing with wild ideas, it’s not out of place to have humans reacting in wildly emotional ways. (I think of Star Wars: A New Hope here) But the two previous Godzilla films had some stellar acting performances that didn’t come across as unreasonable or out of place. (ex: Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe) I couldn’t point to a single performance in this one that was overtly likeable outside of the adorable deaf girl and Kong’s BFF Jia (Kaylee Hottle). The “comic relief” antics of Millie Bobby Brown, Julian Dennison, and Bryan Tyree Henry fell flat at almost every turn. When it comes to the monsters themselves, I have no complaints about the special effects/design choices that went into them. What did confuse me though, is the abrupt shifts in the monster’s movement dynamics. Why do they move slow in some scenes but not others? Why is Godzilla so unbelievably fast in water? The questions keep going but that would entail some spoilers; I just wish they would have picked a speed and stuck with it. The monsters in this film are nimble as hell in its majority which makes them a bit more terrifying. I would have just preferred some consistency. Another quick touch point is the “physics” behind the Hollow Earth concept that is essential to the plot of the story. The creators took a cool idea/backstory and threw in long sequences that truly didn’t make any sense. (There’s a question about its accessibility that is so baffling it’s almost not worth mentioning, you’ll know it when you see it) That’s kind of all I have to say about that. Finally, I lost track of the plot holes. I expected this and to be perfectly honest, a lot of them can be easily glazed over. But this opens up another discussion when it comes to monster films and what it takes to allow humans to play in the game of the kaijus.
Either way you slice it, the humans in giant monster storylines inevitably end up being made bystanders in the final events of the story because duh, what are they really going to do against a 400ft Gorilla/Nuclear Lizard? Their involvement is necessary for driving the plot though, which is exemplified in this new film through the discovery/exploration of the Hollow Earth concept. What typically turns people off to the idea of human involvement in these narratives is the necessary use of deus ex machina-style events. Ex: the Transformers were mercilessly (and I’d argue unfairly) cut down for this exact reason. There is always some small thing, some convenient button or latch, some computer code, that inevitably helps to turn the tide. (Godzilla vs. Kong used all of these) I think it’s important to go into these films prepping yourself for these inevitable events because at the end of the day, everything in these films is supposed to be outside of the realm of reality. I just think there are plenty of films/examples that show unbelievable concepts being approached with care and planning that more carefully helps move the audience toward believability (think a good example here is Avatar). At the end of the day, it’s important also to remember that the narrative of having a single human alter the course of catastrophic events is a storytelling archetype as old as time.
So, why should you see Godzilla vs. Kong? The special effects are pretty incredible and the fight scenes are definitely worth watching (particularly the final battle, which is impossible not to be excited about). The design of the Hollow Earth is stunning, however unrealistic it actually is. I see two approaches to watching this film really: 1) shut your mind off and just enjoy the action while it’s there 2) go in with an open/forgiving mind and accept the plot holes for what they are. Approach #1 I think is the more difficult of the two, being that there was a lot less action than I was expecting. The trade-off here again is that there is a lot more character development for Kong, which is kind of cool. To be sure, you will likely have more questions than answers at the end and I often wondered why Godzilla is still left so shrouded in mystery. If that is an homage to the original character and what it is about, I’m all for sticking to tradition. With such an abundance of questions left to be answered while maintaining a strong resolution at its end, the Monsterverse has certainly set itself up for more films to come. I just hope they can smooth out some of its bumps before moving forward.
Riot’s Rating: 6/10: If you’ve seen all the previous films leading up to this, there is nothing that should stop you from watching this one. I don’t recommend coming in cold-turkey and it’s likely that the theater experience is much more satisfying than watching at home.
Comments