94% Spicy
Synopsis I: Fearsome monsters Godzilla and King Kong square off in an epic battle for the ages, while humanity looks to wipe out both of the creatures and take back the planet once and for all.
Synopsis II: Legends collide in “Godzilla vs. Kong” as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.
Studio: Legendary Pictures / Warner Brothers
Release Date: March 25, 2021 Singapore / March 31, 2021 USA
Format: IMAX, Movie Theaters, HBOMax
Genre: Live Action – Sci-Fi / Action / Adventure / Fantasy
Runtime: 2 hours, 3 minutes
Godzilla vs. Kong, firmly establishes itself as Warner Brothers / Legendary Pictures third franchise or MonsterVerse, to widen the footprints of the blockbuster Harry Potter / Fantastic Beasts series and their mostly icy, sometimes spicy – DC Comics, Superhero Universe. Check out my recent review of Jack Snyder’s Justice League, here.
First things first… let’s set some ground rules for this review and perhaps for those I’ve posted before and after this particular one. You are welcome to do the same in your own JouleView Reviews, if you like. While a “professional” film critic may enter with an established methodology, formula or criteria… Mine lens is a bit less complex. For the sake of AppFlicks fans, I review a game title, musical recording, tv series or film for what it was intended to be – not hold it to a standard for which it wasn’t. I’ll explain as I review Godzilla vs. Kong, below.
A long time ago… back in Massachusetts, where I’m from, a young boy, on Saturday afternoons, would watch Creature Double Feature on the UHF (round antenna, poor reception) over-air channel WLVI-TV56 (coincidentally part of WB, today), which would often feature repackaged Japanese Toho-styled films such as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), Giant Robo (1967) and Gamera, the Giant Monster (1965). Many of these films were later shared with future generations on shows like Mystery Science Theater 3000.
As I grew up watching these low-budget, but extraordinary Monster/ Kaiju / Sci-Fi films for their time, I certainly have a great bit of nostalgia for the genre. While they do not hold up as well today, as the original Star Wars (1977) has, they should be credited for helping to pave the way forward, by expanding and inspiring the audience appeal for classics such as Forbidden Planet (1956) film and the original Lost In Space (1965) TV series.
Why start with this long intro? To establish that I am going to judge Godzilla vs. Kong, released in 2021 to the standards set by the 1962 original, King Kong vs. Godzilla (Kingu Kongu tai Gojira) by director Ishirō Honda, repacked for the West and released in 1963 by John Beck.
For me Godzilla vs. Kong checks all the important boxes… its pacing is fairly well cut, actors do their job, the narrative isn’t without its plot holes, yet achieves the desired set-up, delivering what audiences paid to see… giant monsters or as this WB / Legendary MonsterVerse calls them…”Titans” – duking it out in major cities. In this case, Pensacola, Florida & Hong Kong unlike my home town of Boston as the backdrop for the epic clash in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). As expected in all films, these epic battles are where skyscrapers fall and crowds rush for the subways to hide from the destruction. The score was fantastic, though not as good as Godzilla (2014), while hitting all the right notes, especially the callbacks to the 1960s-1970s classics I referenced, earlier.
In terms of the Titans… while Godzilla is more-so the hero of his first two WB film outings, he’s a bit more of a savage, anti-hero to the more humanized Kong in this film, even much more so, than in his first WB appearance in, Kong: Skull Island (2017). This is mainly conveyed through his relationship with the adorable, young actress Kaylee Hottle, who portrays the orphaned Jia who uses sign-language to speak with Kong.
I’d be remiss, if I didn’t say… Spoiler Warning, before talking about the film’s big bad villain, Mechagodzilla, whom first appeared in the 1974 Japanese film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. I liked the idea of the Mechagodzilla’s Human controlled AI – neural link being overridden by the skull / brain from one of King Ghidorah’s three severed heads, seen being preserved, at the end of the 2019 film. Side note: Kong has his own mechanical advisory in the 1967 Toho movie King Kong Escapes, though that is not referenced (unless I missed it) in this Godzilla vs. Kong film. While Mechagodzilla 2021 is menacing, it wasn’t as terrifying as I feel it should have been.
There were no end credit clues or bonus scenes, so we are left to wonder what’s next with the MonsterVerse. While there was talk that Godzilla vs. Kong may be the last film in the series, as shooting was well underway during 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters under-performing theatrical run, I don’t see it being the end of this franchise as Godzilla and King Kong’s dual outing, is the highest grossing film since the pandemic / flu closed most movie theaters during 2020 and the start of 2021.
How would I rate this film? To me, it’s an instant classic within the genre. While not the best film I’ve ever seen, I have zero complaints worth registering. While AppFlicks is supposed to be “all-about streaming” – I was fortunate to watch Godzilla vs. Kong on IMAX for the true effect. As I’m residing in Singapore movie theaters are open here, they have been open most of time, with full-on contact tracing. Unfortunately, there have not been many Hollywood film releases, so I’ve only caught Tennt, Wonder Woman 1984 and this MonsterVerse film since the world went to hell and “life” as we once knew it, has practically stood still.
Alright, what are your thoughts on this film, portraying two of cinemas most gargantuan stars? Please offer you comments below. Consider becoming a member of the AppFlicks community as either an AppFlicker Critic, JoulePepper Contributor or AuteurX Creator via our Login page. Once you do, at the JoulePepper Contributor level, you can not only rate everything via our Icy OR Spicy JoulePeppers, you can also comment on anything, vote in the JoulePoll Polls and author your very own JouleView Reviews & JouleStream Forums. Don’t forget to consume all the curated entertainment buzz: news, gossip, trailers and popular: play (gaming), watch (video tv series / films) & listen (music) feeds across AppFlicks too!
I am looking forward to your JoulePepper rating of my review of Godzilla vs. Kong. It should be apparent already, that I give this film a 4 / 5 JoulePeppers, just like Godzilla’s nuclear-fire breath, it’s Spicy!
Welcome, from AppFlicks Chief AuteurX! I created AppFlicks out of my love for all-things entertainment, stints as a music manager, producer and as an advisor to film & game studios, telcos, lux brands, retail, hospitality & theme parks. Thank you for taking part in our streaming community! NOTE: Activity from my account, may also be initiated by AppFlicks Admin.
Cool! I’m excited to see this in big screen.😎