In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in...
WHAT I LIKED: There's certainly a surface-level appeal to 'Godzilla vs Kong,' as the action is undeniably spectacular, and the visuals are absolutely stunning. Also, it's thankful that, unlike in the woeful 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters,' you're never asked to take things too seriously, as there's plenty of humorous dialogue, and any "dramatic" moments are over in a jiffy.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The issue is however that, yet again, there's nothing beyond the spectacle to engage the audience. You wont care about any of the characters because they're all caricatures rather than genuine, well-rounded people with arcs of their own, there's nothing of the tiny thematic brush-strokes of Jordan Vogt-Roberts' 'Kong: Skull Island,' and there's no mystery or intrigue to the ridiculous exposition-laden plotting either.
But, like in its franchise predecessor, perhaps the biggest shortfall here is an atmospheric one. These films could be big dumb monster movies where you don't have to care about the characters or the plot, but the way tension or anticipation is built could mean you're hooked regardless. Films don't have to have anything more than that to work; look at Chris Nolan's 'Dunkirk,' for example, or a whole host of horror movies. If a director delicately places you in the action with the use of intelligent editing, visual choices, music and performances to tease things and give them impact, the raw, visceral potential of cinema can shine through without engaging characters or plots, or thought-provoking themes.
Here though, there's no attempt to build tension; it's all just massive explosions, ridiculous score cues, huge punching matches and laughable reaction shots or screams, and that all gives even the most spectacular action the least possible impact on the senses. Apparently it was helmed by slasher-director Adam Wingard, but quite frankly it could have been anyone behind the camera as none of his atmosphere-building sensibilities show through. The end result is another boring slog of a film from this series, and its light-heartedness isn't nearly enough to make up for that.
VERDICT: A weightless action movie that could have worked had it developed some atmospheric engagement, 'Godzilla vs Kong,' has almost all the same shortfalls as its predecessor. This is the kind of film people talk about when they criticise modern cinema. It's just noisy, explosive rubbish, and it deserves none of your time or money.
