Godzilla vs. Kong

Godzilla vs. Kong – After a seemingly unprovoked attack by Godzilla on an Apex Cybernetics installation, the race is on to find a rumoured power source deep within the mythical Hollow Earth. Humans have never been able to enter such a place, and so turn to ancient titan Kong to show them the way. But Kong and Godzilla are rivals as old as time and the modern world has just become their battleground. Will the mystery of Godzilla’s sudden aggression be revealed, and will Kong survive long enough to discover it? 

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) – Director: Adam Wingard

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66522708

Rating: 12A

Running Length: 113 mins

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall

Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy / Action

REVIEW: ‘GODZILLA VS. KONG’

In this concluding part to the ‘MonsterVerse’ series, any semblance of plot that may have fought through before (see Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters) has been thrown away to make room for a good old ‘who will win?!’ punch up excuse. ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ lays out its statement of intent right there in the title.

The effort gone into at least some semblance of human emotion in the preceding movies is sadly gone here. The human cast in ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ has been reduced entirely to exposition heavy blurb and disposable comic relief. A power hungry CEO and daughter have been plonked in but get no scenes to do anything, and even recurring cast (Millie Bobby Brown as Madison and Kyle Chandler as her father, Mark) have had their importance to the plot removed, leaving only characters bustling around and barely moving the story with their actions.

Such lack in human element means that it is only the gargantuan scraps that will linger in your mind. Thankfully these are Very Good Indeed. Whatever is supposedly happening on screen is obviously just manoeuvring pieces to let these two legends of the screen duke it out. Three massive battles make up a decent chunk of the movie and each is full of cool moments, all very much helped by what appears to be considerable effort made to animate expressions on Kong, in particular. Seeing as the humans are utterly forgettable, it is likely the moments of tenderness, panic, and fury that flash across Kong’s face during a desperate battle that will stick with you.

Although ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is one of the weaker entries of this run of four movies, it is certainly the most entertainingly ludicrous. Some sneaky ‘wow!’ moments get saved until the end and the climactic scenes contain enough campy ridiculousness for fun to be had, which isn’t easy to pull off (as movies like ‘Pacific Rim‘ have shown). Fans of the series so far will certainly have a good time, and any newcomers drawn to a title like ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ will get exactly what they came for. Enjoy!

CONTENT: IS ‘GODZILLA VS. KONG’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Godzilla attacks a base. A character has talked their way into the facility but has been stopped by two guards. A nuclear blast from Godzilla tears through the building right where they are standing. The guards are not seen again although if they were killed this is not shown.

Shortly after the first battle between Godzilla and Kong there one character says that ‘crazy shit’ is happening.

A gravity ship containing unnamed characters is destroyed.

Kong battles with a flying lizard creature. He rips its head off and as the head drips green blood he raises it up to his mouth and drinks.

Kong and the human characters discover a room that can be opened by Kong’s palm pressed against a marking. It is referred to as a ‘sacrifice pit’ and indeterminate heads, skulls, and spines are on the floor.

Deep in a research facility discovered by Maddison (Millie Bobbie Brown) and Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) a violent adversary blasts a creature in the head and the energy beam splits it down the middle, tearing it in half.

An unnamed soldier is grabbed by a bird like creature. There are visible ‘pecking’ motions’ that would likely kill him and he is carried off. No blood or gore is visible.

Kong is inadvertently blocking an exit and is shot in the back by a gravity ship trying to get past. Inside is a female character who has had some screen time and lines up to now and been shown to be an antagonist. Kong grabs the ship in retaliation and there is a close up on her face. She screams, “No, no, no, NO!” before the camera cuts to an outside shot showing Kong crushing the ship and tossing it aside. The scream and death lasts just a few seconds.

A battle between Kong and Godzilla takes place within a city. Both are heavily thrown against skyscrapers throughout and cause devastating damage to the city, presumably at the cost of many lives. However, we do not see any people die or flee. No people at all are shown beyond the main human cast.

A human character who is piloting a machine using a mental electronic link up is shown to be electrocuted and die.

A sound effect displays the slowing heart beat of a character, indicating they are dying. Other characters are upset at this. This is sustained for around 3 – 5 minutes.

A head and spine of the final adversary is ripped off but this is without any blood.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘GODZILLA VS. KONG’ FOR KIDS?

We were a long way in to ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ before we had to make any notes at all. The movie is a big dumb action film and any human deaths are usually incidental characters and not lingered on. The movie isn’t aimed at kids but the inherently cool nature of big creature punch ups means that it will likely be suitable for children aged 8 and up.

• Violence: 3/5 (some deaths, some fantasy violence, the “no, no, no, no!” scene could be a bit strong for younger viewers even if it is a ‘baddie’ who dies)
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (when one of the Titans is gravely wounded other characters show concern)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (the large creatures could scare younger children)
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 1/5 (very infrequent and moderate use)
• Dialogue: 0/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of seeking power, creating forces beyond your control, conspiracy theories, the innocence of children, and making touch decisions to save those you care about.

Words by Mike Record