After an interesting, often spectacular, but very unsurprising first film of the new generation of the franchise in 2014 , Godzilla returned to the theaters in 2019 ( Godzila: King of the Monsters ) with the same vigor and visual luster, but extremely weakened and cluttered in the human interactions, with a tendency towards basic feelings, where there was no lack of pathetic sacrifice and maternal, paternal and fraternal relationships touching the primary lameness.
This tremendous return visit to the worst that the cinema catastrophe of the 90s had in itself (which in some cases was so bad that it became good), is further accentuated in “ Godzilla vs. Kong ”(2021), which besides all the same problems in the human characters and in their relationships in the previous film, presents an almost total absence of humor, having in itself a seriousness and sobriety that together with its absurd narrative only transforms him into worst and most pathetic of the last 3 films in the saga.
The lack of global nexus and the feeling of emptiness in this luxury B-series is almost unspeakable, which continues to have as its only attraction the visually stunning artifices among the creatures, with them destroying boats, airplanes and entire cities, without a dead person even being seen. On the scene. And it all starts here when Godzilla, inexplicably (of course there is a reason) is determined to attack research facilities run by the Apex Corporation. On the other side of the ring is Kong, who is under restraint on Skull Island. At two by three the two monsters are on a collision course and in the middle are the humans, here commanded by the stupid theories of two well-intentioned scientists (Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgard without chemistry).
I am not going to enter here in the conversation of cinema vs fairs vs amusement parks, which Scorsese has already exhausted in his words, but more than a film we have a circus audiovisual exercise, which naturally – and after 2 films – will sound like it has already been seen and redundant. Of course, for many, all of these fights are ultra “ fun ”, as the Americans say, but all of this is much closer to the video game, to a rehearsed wrestling match , whose arena is the world, always full of fireworks ( explosions), which only by turning off the brain becomes bearable.
And if in terms of creatures we have what we expected – visual exuberance – in the human aspect we have imbecility after imbecility, bad options after bad options, in fact, as almost always in these catastrophe films. Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgard are as credible in their roles as the spokespersons for Science For Truth, but it is up to a young silent actress, and her interaction with Kong, the ability to emotionally connect the viewer to what she watches and create some form of empathy.
And yes, Millie Bobby Brown is also there – in parallel actions – with two more characters, but she and her cronies also seem lost in relevance until the last moment, where they will be pivotal to unravel the real villain of this all that is only strange don’t be Russian.
In King of the Monsters in particular, it was the human element that failed the film and tried to sell us a jumbled, overexposed, and downright silly plot about ecoterrorism. Although the new work is directly related to the events of the previous film, I am much more likely to see this nonsense in the film today. Godzilla vs. Kong also has bad dialogue and a terribly boring exposition, but it takes director Adam Wingard much less time to realize that Kong and Godzilla are supposed to beat each other up.
Though, of course, it boils down to a few words on the plot: Godzilla has turned away from humanity and there is really no real explanation for it. While the world continues to be shaken by the massive battle between Godzilla and Ghidorah, the Monarch organization is seizing the one opportunity at their disposal (they can either eliminate Kong or turn him into a rampant alpha predator). So they goad the monkey and a fight ensues. That was it.
While the geologist Skarsgård and the anthropological linguist Hall Godzilla’s self-indulgence try to understand, Millie Bobby Brown again gives a rather mediocre performance than Madison Russell. As I said, Wingard understands that we didn’t take the time to see what these people were up to and that is why human involvement has been reduced a bit. There is still a human presence in this monster film, unfortunately, but in contrast to its terrible predecessor, the component has been cut back a lot.
Hall and Skargård also make pleasant performances, which makes them the central anchors of the film. The Godzilla vs. Kong focuses its attention primarily on Kong, who, unlike the people in this film, has become a round character (which is equally impressive and depressing). Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for the two titans to clash and then they fight for almost two hours (and how great these fights are!). In contrast to King of the Monsters, Wingard has mastered his craft, which can be recognized by the positioning, the speed, the extremely successful choreography and the exquisite camera work.
The battles look really good, with an all-round good CG animation that provides space for spectacles and a decent boxing match. The film even impresses with a fairly elaborate color palette and contrast that, when combined, should ensure that we understand the extent of what is at stake when these unimaginable forces clash. It is also gratifying that the film never runs out of ideas to make the fights refreshing during its entire duration.
In some ways, however, it’s a shame to see Wingard still completely indulging in the B-movie thrill. Most fans and critics seem to be thrilled that Godzilla vs. Kong sees themselves only as entertaining entertainment, but for me, Godzilla from 2014 proves that you can produce a menacing monster movie with a slightly over-eaten, egocentric plot without that it’s utter nonsense. All of that is missing here, as the film prefers to be a wrestling match in the end, which is now and then surrounded by unwanted background noise.
Godzilla vs. Kong is still a return to the earlier form of the franchise and thus at least proof that Warner Bros. can make exciting monster films. What the future holds for this monster verse is hard to say, but this current outlook has at least gotten pretty entertaining.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/toolbox/2021/04/01/monsterverse-godzilla-vs-kong-king-kong-trailer/
//stateimpact.npr.org/toolbox/2021/04/01/monsterverse-godzilla-vs-kong-king-kong-trailer/
