Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), directed by Adam Wingard, stars Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgard, Kaylee Hottle, Brian Tyree Henry, Millie Bobby Brown, Demian Bichir, Eiza Gonzalez, Julian Dennison, Shun Oguri, and Kyle Chandler. The film is the 4th entry in Universal’s “Monsterverse” and finally sees the titular monsters come face to face in a battle to determine who’s the true “King of Monsters.” When Godzilla reappears after attacking a secret government research base, a group of researchers and scientists realize teaming up with Kong may be their only hope for survival. As the group travels to Kong’s home world in order to gain his trust, a shady business owner begins work on a weapon capable of destroying both Godzilla and Kong. When events begin to spiral out of control, it’s up to Godzilla and Kong to set aside their petty rivalry and face a threat that neither of them can handle on their own. 

Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgard work as likable leads and David Tyree Henry is fun as a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but the rest of the cast are unfortunate letdowns. This has more to do with how these characters are used/developed as opposed to the performances themselves. A lot of these characters have strong setups and unique personalities, but not a single arc is followed through. There are far too many characters as well, only amplifying the issue. Granted, this is less of a problem than it would be in other films considering that the stars of the show here are Godzilla and Kong, but it’s just not a strong excuse to ignore the human characters in the film’s climax. The film also refuses to build off of the stories/characters that were established in previous films. Granted, there are a few returning characters but they seem shoehorned in and receive little development. The film spends too much of its non-monster moments establishing new characters when the series should be far beyond that. 

Where the film succeeds in the character department is the CGI monsters. The monster action is edge-of-your-seat compelling in a Saturday morning cartoon sort of way and might just be the best version of this kind of entertainment. The film is great in the way sugar cereal is: tasty, but not a whole lot of substance. The CGI isn’t always perfect but there’s a certain level of cohesion with the film’s visual style. The sometimes cartoonish-looking monsters fit well with the bright neon color palate that once again doubles down on the film’s Saturday morning cartoon feel. The scale/size of these monsters is also on point, providing us with the necessary feeling that the humans on the ground are nothing more than ants. What pulls this all together is that the monsters, specifically Kong, have a decent amount of personality. Kong has clear motivations and morals without sacrificing the fact that he’s a wild, 100-foot-tall monkey. 

Director Adam Wingard seems to have a clear vision of what this movie should be to satisfy fans, and he delivers. The concept is inherently wild and Wingard plays into it, making a film that embraces its goofiness and is therefore a ton of fun. Wingard also finds a smart way of delivering on the film’s “versus” concept by providing a clear winner while still satisfying fans of both monsters. There’s also some very disciplined fan service, only providing those moments when they can support the film’s plot. It’s a textbook example of how to do fan service correctly. 

The film stumbles in the sense that we don’t get into the monster action (the film’s main redeeming quality) until almost 40 minutes in. Some jumps in logic were tough to ignore as well. For example, the group brings along a young child on a supposedly dangerous other-worldly mission. I’m usually able to suspend my disbelief, but not to this extent. The comedy also rarely lands which is a shame considering that this would’ve only increased the film’s fun factor. 

Overall, this a movie that has a lot of flaws but also succeeds at being one of the most exciting monster movies I’ve seen. Is it as good as Godzilla Minus One (2023)? No, but it’s a different kind of film. If a person wants something a bit more disposably fun, I’d recommend this. It justifies its 2-hour runtime and feels no longer than 90 minutes while providing some good setup for the next chapter in this franchise. This is an unapologetic B-movie, but it’s the movie I dreamed about when I was 12 years old. If the viewers can put themselves in that headspace, this is an unbelievably good time. B