G Watch: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Watched:  12/23/2023

Format:  4K disc

Viewing:  Second

Director:  Adam Wingard

This is the first Monsterverse movie that finally understood why people show up for a Godzilla movie.  That seems remarkable given the money spent, audience participation in prior films, etc...  This was maybe the first one not made for the edgelord 18-24 y.o. market in mind.  

Way back in April of 2021, Godzilla enthusiast Stuart and I discussed the movie for the podcast.  I invite y'all to listen to that podcast at your leisure.

On a rewatch, and knowing what I was getting into, it's still a fun watch.  I don't know if I'd say "this is a good movie" because it's definitely YMMV territory.  It's big and ridiculous, and, arguably, there's way too much continuity in these films and not enough "hey, a new monster for Godzilla to fight".  Like, Godzilla existed over at Toho for decades and decades just showing up from time to time, and no one was trying to worry about 10,000 years of Titan history.  Godzilla just was, and everyone had to deal with it.

But when I get to see Kong slug Godzilla across the jaw while both are standing on an aircraft carrier, I almost want to stand up and salute these filmmakers for giving me the thing I did not know I needed to see in a movie, but had waited my whole life to see.  

This movie seems to also be aware that by this point, you're winning over 12 year olds, but the odd seriousness with which adults were suddenly watching Marvel and DC movies in the 2010's was not going to apply here the same way.  So, let's just make it for that younger audience, make it ridiculous and fun-forward, and by that virtue, everyone else will just come along.  And I think it works better than anything we saw in prior films.

There's a lot of ridiculous pseudo-science thrown around, so much that they almost choke on it from time to time, but the movie is about BIG IDEAS, so, yeah, an Astrodome that houses Kong?  Why not.  A single scientist at Monarch authorizing moving Kong and a fleet of naval ships?  Why not.

What is important is that we play by 1970's comics rules, and the two heroes will fight until a bigger threat emerges, and then they'll team up.  And, wow, does that work.  

The human stuff is nowhere near as tedious as the two previous films.  MBB's story is limited to her becoming a conspiracy nut and dragging her funny friend along as they team up with a grown man whose backstory is on the cutting room floor, but they all wind up neck deep in the action of the movie.  Meanwhile, Rebecca Hall is a Kong-Scientist for Monarch and is talked into taking him to test a Hollow Earth exploration theory by Alexander Skarsgaard, who is employed by the shady APEX Corp.  Hall is also shepherding an orphan from Skull Island who has taught Kong sign language.  It is a really neat idea.

There are, technically, a few things that this movie does that the prior Monsterverse G movies didn't do, that Kong did do well.  1)  They show G and Kong in full daylight, fighting and otherwise.  2)  They lit the night scenes in Hong Kong in the most fun and exciting way with all that neon.  3)  They clearly used motion capture for the characters, getting quality movement surpassing Man-in-Suit, but making it feel organic.  4) They know where to place the camera.  It's not the same terrifying impact as G Minus One, but it's right for this movie (I loved the wide shots and then the inside-the-vehicle POV shots).

Anyway, there's like an hour of conversation on the podcast, and I welcome you to give it a listen.