Godzilla vs. Kong
Might contain spoilers.
Quite a fun film. Head and shoulders above Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island . It makes me glad I skipped Godzilla: King of the Monsters despite yet another incredible trailer. When I heard this battle had a clear winner, I assumed it would be Kong, as the more human and easier to empathize with of the two—it was a pleasant surprise to see Godzilla reign supreme.[1]
For once, I didn’t mind the humans. Quite the contrary: I really liked Bryan Tyree Henry, and I was happy to see ‘Rucky Baykuh’ from Hunt for the Wilderpeople in a major film, though Julian Dennison deserves much better than being someone’s sidekick. Kaylee Hottle and Rebecca Hall both did very well as Jia and Ilene Andrews, respectively. Demián Bichir was distinct and interesting as the villain of the piece. On the other hand, Millie Bobby Brown’s American accent was a touch distracting as always. (I assume Alexander Skarsgard’s character wasn’t meant to have an American accent at all.)
I wasn’t as impressed by most of the CGI this time around, but the Hollow Earth was fantastically well-executed. It was a solid concept with beautiful scenery and interesting fauna. The property damage on display throughout the film was painfully believable, too. I remain displeased by the amount of gore, but it was mostly kept to what the story required.
I’m uncertain what purpose Eiza González’s character was meant to serve in the story other than looking pretty. I did wonder, too, whether Lance Reddick’s character was originally supposed to, well, be a character, before being reduced to two lines during editing. (Yes, he apparently was.)
- Like the Internet says: it’s a giant, strong ape against a radioactive dinosaur with a nuclear attack. Who do you think will win?↩