Godzilla vs Kong — Review Thread

You asshole! This was my flag to plant!

I'm going to keep it brief because it's 4 AM and I have a theatrical screening of it in eleven hours (and an additional screening tomorrow with friends). Sleep must happen somewhere in between.

Here is what occurs to me about this movie, most Godzilla fans my age are fans because we grew up with the Godzilla films of the 1960's. Out of all the American Godzilla movies, Godzilla vs. Kong is the closest we've seen to a recreation of that 60's Godzilla flick feel. There is a mostly absurd storyline that exists mostly to get stoic characters to gawk at the monsters, said stoic characters run into adversaries with a lot of power and their own agenda which sets off a chain reaction that somehow pits Godzilla up against another monster. This is also mostly an excuse to give a film an unapologetic sci-fi aesthetic that, realistic looking or not (mostly not, and one can argue that Godzilla vs. Kong looks just as fake), is never tiring to look at, like most Japanese effects movies. Also featuring some wildly exaggerated comic relief and a little kid who befriends a monster (this was more common in Gamera movies, but Godzilla had a couple as well). Godzilla vs. Kong is probably the most "Japanese" of Godzilla's tenure in America.

Funnily enough, a lot of this has to do with just how many swings King of the Monsters took. The 2014 Godzilla was a bit timid, showing people going about life then suddenly HOLY SHIT GIANT LIZARD. King of the Monsters really tried to push a mythology for the Titans, a lot based on ideas from previous Godzilla films. But one of its biggest faults is that it probably pushed too much in one go, and the film, while fun to watch, collapses under its convolutedness. Godzilla vs. Kong runs with several ideas the previous film presented, but keeps them simple. Even when it goes completely silly with them, it at least has the smarts to know if it takes itself seriously then the dimwittedness will drain the audience. Instead it maintains a spirited sense of the absurd, and it feels very much like it's a Godzilla movie that's targeting the people who enjoy the spirit of the absurd presented in a Fast & Furious movie.

I have more thoughts on this movie, but I'm going to collect them and watch it a few more times to sit with how I feel about this movie. After first watch (on my phone) I really enjoyed it. I'd probably say it's the best of all the American Godzilla films, though out of the MonsterVerse I'd probably still side preference to Skull Island. I'll probably have a much longer review up in my Godzilla thread by this weekend, and I'll probably estimate a ranking (I'm toying with #12 right now, just after Monster Zero), but we'll see how I feel after the big screen experience.

I can see that. But without the camp, Godzilla has nothing to do. This was really Kong’s movie as he’s the emotional anchor of the whole “story.” I think one of the reasons Skull Island works and the two other Godzilla movies don’t is because Kong can emote. It makes it easier for audiences to get invested. So this should have been a Kong movie that featured Godzilla instead of the other way around. Placing Kong in the context of a Godzilla “story” shines a light on the stupidity of the plot and also devalues Godzilla as he essentially has nothing to do.

But fans of the MonsterVerse don’t care about any of that. They just wanna watch Giant Lizard vs Giant Monkey vs Giant Robot and the movie does deliver the goods.

The fight at sea wasn't

much of an even fight. Kong was being kept partially sedated. Godzilla basically tried to drown him. Godzilla is conveniently much quicker than he was in the 2014 flick.

Godzilla had just finished a fight with Kong. He was worn down, and Mechagodzilla had both the element of surprise and a full weaponry advantage. It's not really hard to see why Godzilla was getting his ass handed to him.

Kylo Ren got beaten by a girl cause he sucks and she made his dick hard.

I thing Godzilla made it clear to Kong by the end that he likes to be on top.

This script was just a fulfillment of the director's childhood wish to get the outcome HE always wanted.

Fresh of my second viewing, in a theater this time.

Holy shit, the battle in Hong Kong plays so fucking well on the big screen.

I'm watching now and this second fight makes up for a lot of faults.

It's so good I rewound to watch again before proceeding.