Godzilla VS Kong: The Long Awaited Rematch

In 1962, Godzilla and King Kong crossed paths for the first time. This meeting, while it is unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) hilarious by today’s standards, was a big deal. The two kings of the kaiju genre, the founding fathers, exchanged blows in what was then a legendary cross-over. It was east VS west. King VS king.

For 59 years have kaiju fans waited for their reunion. Long have we waited to see the two icons of the genre face-off for a second time. And for all that time, for nearly six decades, the wait seemed eternal.

Now, in 2021, the wait has finally ended! Godzilla and Kong are once again exchanging blows on the big screen! And this time, it’s got all the power of modern Hollywood magic behind it! The battle for the title ‘King of the Monsters’ was set to be the biggest kaiju event of the decade!

So, was it? Did this movie meet expectations? Or did the long-awaited rematch end in disappointment?

Well, Kong shoves something down Godzilla’s throat in this movie. It’s not a tree, sure, but it’s still all that I ever wanted.

The plot is pretty simple. Godzilla has returned and has started rampaging through human cities without any obvious reason. In response, humanity has decided to take a bet: to have Kong, another Alpha Titan, lead them to the world hidden beneath the earth, in which they theorize they can find a new energy source capable of defeating the titans. But can they escort Kong to where they need him without invoking Godzilla’s wrath?

Yeah, so, this movie is very much a Kong movie. He’s definitely the protagonist of the film, sporting far more screen time than Godzilla, who is the antagonist for most of the runtime. And they go all the way with it; Kong is cute and sympathetic while Godzilla looks incredibly sinister and acts really sadistically. Like, Godzilla looks like an actual fucking super villain in this movie!

Wasn’t Godzilla supposed to be the good guy in this series? Or is Kong so good and pure that Godzilla looks like Satan in comparison?

Now, story wise, this movie won’t surprise you. It tells you exactly what you’re going to get you right in the title. You’re gonna get Godzilla fighting Kong. That’s it. End of story.

However, there is one thing that genuinely surprised me: this movie has an actual victor! Going in, I fully expected the fight to end in a tie as the two kaiju teamed up to beat a bigger villain. Which… is exactly what happened (and it was amazing, don’t get me wrong). But before that happens, we actually get a definitive answer as to who would actually win in a fight between Godzilla and Kong!

That alone would be enough to satisfy me. But then there’s the presentation.

Visually speaking, this movie is absolutely incredible! Both in terms of cinematography and special effects, it’s a sight to behold! It’s a better looking action movie than 90% of the competition!

Kong and Godzilla themselves look better than they ever have in these movies! The sheer amount of attention paid to every single detail of the models is insane! From how snow gets caught in Kong’s fur to the scars on Godzilla’s body and the gaps in his teeth, you can tell that they put a lot of time into making and animating these characters. Plus, their faces are more expressive than ever before!

All the environments are just as good looking! Whether it be a real set or a CGI battleground, it all looks amazing! Its use of color certainly helps; the colors and unique lighting give this movie an incredibly unique and appealing look. I could look at this for days!

Listening to it, on the other hand, is kind of disappointing. The music in this movie is super generic and forgettable. I’m sorry, but after King of the Monsters, which featured some incredible new music and reworked tracks from Akira Ifukube’s original tracks, the bar for music in this series has been raised. Unfortunately, Godzilla VS Kong doesn’t reach that bar.

Now, let’s talk about the big complaint people have about this movie: the human plotlines are boring.

Yes. Yes it is. Like, it isn’t all that boring or painful to watch. The writing isn’t great, but the actors more than make up for it. But you’ll still be pressed to remember a single character’s name and wondering when the movie will get back to letting giant monsters hit each other.

Welcome to the kaiju genre. They’re all like this. I’m too used to it to even complain anymore.

Godzilla VS Kong isn’t some cinematic masterpiece. It’s not going to change the landscape of Hollywood and it doesn’t have some deep message. It’s just a dumb fun movie where two giant monsters punch each other in the face.

And it. Is. GLORIOUS!!

If you need something simple and fun to watch, give Godzilla VS Kong a go. Yes, the humans are boring. But when the monsters start to fight, you’ll be glad you powered through. This is definitely one of the better movies of the Legendary Monsterverse so far.

Please, please, for the love of whatever God might be watching, let the Monsterverse continue!