'Godzilla vs. Kong' Review

Synopsis: Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans -instigated by unseen forces- is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the Earth's core.

Runtime: 113 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of creature violence/destruction and brief language)

Who should see it? Fans of Godzilla and King Kong.

After seven years, Warner Bros. and Legendary's MonsterVerse culminated in the greatly anticipated, super-sized showdown between King Kong and Godzilla. However, this isn't the first time these creatures have come face-to-face, as they previously duked it out in the 1962 King Kong vs. Godzilla. Regardless, the appeal of this updated confrontation is clear. It's purely a matter of witnessing this silly spectacle on the largest screen possible. Audiences expect a giant monkey and gargantuan gecko to fight one another with zero regard for their surroundings- however, with modern special effects this time around. Directed by Adam Wingard with a story and screenplay from Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields, Eric Pearson, and Max Borenstein, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers on that very promise.

Like prior MonsterVerse installments, Godzilla vs. Kong is especially disinterested in its human characters. There are also stupid contrivances that happen purely to move the plot along and ensure the titans fight one another. These observations aren't huge revelations, as it's become the norm for this franchise and is to be expected at this point. However, sheer spectacle compensates for the absurdity. This blockbuster extravaganza is best enjoyed on the largest screen you currently feel comfortable seeing it, with your brain turned off and a tub of popcorn in your lap. For all its shortcomings concerning story and character, the action and effects in Godzilla vs. Kong will keep your eyes occupied. Wingard knows precisely the kind of movie he's making, and entertainment value is rightfully his highest priority.     

One noticeable improvement from King of the Monsters is the clarity in kaiju fight sequences. The environmental effects enhance the atmosphere rather than obscure the action. And on that note, the two titular combatants look incredible thanks to the many talented visual effects artists' phenomenal work. This movie wouldn't be possible without them. And I'd be remiss to ignore the sound department and composer Thomas Holkenborg for their essential contributions. This movie is downright ridiculous, but the soundscape lends a sense of gravitas to the smackdown.

As I attested to earlier, meaningful human characterization is severely lacking here. An ensemble of A-listers imbues a series of stock characters with as much life and personality as they can, but the script offers very little substance. Kaylee Hottle and Rebecca Hall share a sweet maternal bond while Brian Tyree Henry and Julian Dennison flex their comedic chops. Strangely, Godzilla vs. Kong downplays recurring characters from King of the Monsters in favor of introducing many fresh faces. Millie Bobby Brown's Madison Russell has a subplot but feels tangential to the central conflict, with that thread existing to introduce a surprise third combatant. Her father, Mark Russell, portrayed by Kyle Chandler, has been promoted to director of Monarch, the government agency monitoring these monsters. However, the promotion comes with the caveat of reduced screen time and personality. Though I like these actors, Alexander Skarsgärd and Eiza González seemed the most inconsequential among the cast. And it was a pleasant surprise to see Demián Bichir play a mustache-twirling corporate executive, considering I like his role in The Hateful Eight.

That said, humans aren't the main attraction. Godzilla and King Kong are headlining this crossover blockbuster brawl, and audiences want to see these behemoths fight each other. The movie delivers on that front, and the spectacle is well worth the price of admission (or HBO Max subscription). For those curious, the filmmakers sympathize much more with Kong over his reptilian counterpart, practically begging viewers to root for the underdog. Godzilla's diehard fans probably won't be swayed, but there are convincing arguments that advocate for Kong as humanity's champion.  

At the end of the day, Godzilla vs. Kong is exactly what you expect. The plot dictates that a giant monkey and lizard should fight one another to accumulate ticket sales and HBO Max subscriptions. It's incredibly entertaining but equally as stupid. However, fun blockbusters are in short supply right now, so who am I to complain? Let them fight!

Film Assessment: B

Throwback Thursday Review: 'King Kong' (2005)

This week I'm reviewing the 2005 Peter Jackson rendition of King Kong to coincide with the release of Kong: Skull Island this weekend, I've already seen and reviewed it so click on the blue hyperlink if you're interested in checking that out. Next week I'll be reviewing Disney's 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast to tie in with the release of the live-action incarnation. Reviews you can expect throughout the remainder of March include Throwback Thursday Reviews over Beauty and the Beast (1991), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Spider-Man 2 and new releases Kong: Skull Island, Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Belko Experiment, Power Rangers, Life, The Boss Baby, The Zookeeper's Wife, and Ghost in the Shell (2017).

'King Kong' (2005) Review

Nominated For: Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. 
Won: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. 

King Kong tells the story of a film crew venturing to the mysterious Skull Island to shoot a picture, only to have their lead actress apprehended by the natives to be sacrificed a 25 foot gorilla. The primate chooses to take Ann Darrow himself and a bond is formed between the two before the crew capture Kong to showcase as "The Eighth Wonder of the World" back in New York. If you know anything about King Kong then you know how that turns out... He escapes, finds the lady, and scales the Empire State Building. Yes, this is the typical Kong story we've grown accustomed to hearing set in 1930s New York.

Peter Jackson had a hand in writing and directing this 2005 remake, hot off his successful adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, spanning the 1933 story about the great ape into a (longer than necessary) feature-length epic. The one thing that makes this version quite difficult to sit through is its three hour and seven minute running time. In my mind anything that lasts longer than three hours overstays its welcome unless it's one of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong unfortunately suffers from symptoms of a bloated running time.

Fortunately, the technical aspects of King Kong hold up remarkably well. Jackson captures the spirit of Depression-era New York rather quickly in the film's opening thanks to accentuated '30s costume & production design and James Newton Howard's gorgeous musical accompaniment. Howard's score is all-encompassing of what you would want for a Kong feature; he's got the epic themes for the action, resonant character compositions for the more emotionally-moving sequences, and eery accompaniment for the mysterious moments.

I would be remised to forget the visual effects though, which are awe-inpiring. Kong remains the ever fascinating CG-creation, largely thanks to the animators and Andy Serkis' motion capture performance. Serkis nailed the monkey mannerisms and subtle expressions exhibiting the creature's emotional spectrum, which only added further credence to the beast's authenticity. It's no wonder he's still playing the lead mo-cap primate in The Planet of the Apes franchise and stands as one of the motion capture kings today.

One slight complaint/nitpick that stuck out to me was Jackson's tendency to encourage blurred camera movement from long time collaborators cinematographer Andrew Lesnie and editor Jamie Selkrik in some of the more exhilarating moments. I feel this went in direct opposition to the momentum built up in some action sequences and came across a bit too often for my taste. In the writing department, Jackson reunites the writing braintrust behind adapting The Lord of the Rings trilogy including Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and himself.

It's apt that screenwriter character Jack Driscoll is the hero of the story but by the time the credits are rolling the character doesn't receive his due for his heroics. That's just the nature of filmmaking, general audiences respond to a film and will praise/scorn the director and cast but typically the screenwriter's left in the dust. Thankfully that's not an issue for this version of King Kong. The script does a remarkable job fleshing out its characters (a little too excessively in some cases) but I can't say that I finished the film without any concerns over certain logistics. I wondered such things as how the crew possibly got King Kong on their boat once he was captured, where they put him considering the cages on the boat were all intended for smaller creatures, how the boat made it off Skull Island with Kong onboard. Wouldn't he have significantly weighed the vessel down? These are relatively remote plot-holes to say the least but questions I genuinely pondered over, unable to conjure up any explanations behind any of them.

Anyways, the cast amassed for King Kong are quite something. Naomi Watts' Ann Darrow exemplifies beauty in addition to making a sufficient damsel. Watts is in-distress but showcases enough emotional range to more than compensate for her classic role. Adrien Brody's playwright Jack Driscoll makes for a likable protagonist while Jack Black plays the stubborn yet exuberant director Carl Denham that you can't help but feel conflicted over liking. Meanwhile, Kyle Chandler, Thomas Kretschamen, Collin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis (who has a role as the boat's chef along with his Kong duties) each have brief supporting roles worth acknowledging.

In summary, King Kong has almost everything going for it but a tight running time. Had Jackson trimmed the film down, he may have had a masterpiece on his hands.

Film Assessment: B

'Kong: Skull Island' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

In Kong: Skull Island secretive government organization Monarch sets off to explore the uncharted Skull Island, dropping bombs to map the island's terrain, only to have their expedition brought to a screeching halt when a 100 foot ape trashes their helicopter convoy. That ape is Kong of course, who happens to be the largest incarnation of the raging gorilla yet.

Kong: Skull Island is the second entry in Warner Bros. and Legendary's MonsterVerse which kicked off with 2014's Godzilla and is headed towards a monster showdown between these two versions of Kong and Godzilla (the reasoning behind Kong's size-up), and there are plenty of breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the film hinting towards that confrontation including a post credits scene I highly advise you wait for afterwards. Kong: Skull Island is unique when contrasted to the other Kong flicks, its set in 1973 and takes place almost entirely on Skull Island once the crew arrives (Don't be hopeful for an Empire State Building standoff because you'll be severely disappointed).

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and cinematographer Larry Fong soak Kong's cinematic resurgence in 'Nam napalm to evoke Apocalypse Now's vibrant color palette, leaving Kong: Skull Island's stylistic aesthetic to be one of the film's highlights. On that note, Kong: Skull Island's quite impressive from a technical standpoint. It's got superb sound design and a rousing rock soundtrack but I found the score to be lacking. None of the arrangements from Henry Jackman were particularly memorable, something I found disappointing since I hold Jackman in high regard for his scoring of X-Men: First Class, Big Hero 6, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War.

The various creatures brought to life by the team of visual effects artists assembled for the feature are absolutely incredible though, with the great ape standing chief among them all as the film's crowning achievement. Kong manages to simultaneously exhibit inspiration from cutting edge motion capture animation work showcased in recent Planet of the Apes films while paying homage to the look of the model utilized in the 1933 King Kong production composed of rabbit fur, rubber/foam for muscle structure, and a metal mesh skeleton. It obviously looks much better than that original model but I noticed a few similarities when looking at Kong from a distance that I'm sure were intentional. One thing that annoyed me to no end about 2014's Godzilla was how long it took for director Garth Edwards to show the King of Monsters in his full reptilian glory, I understand the visual effects required to render the beast are expensive but consistently playing with your audiences expectations by teasing the beast's emergence only to cut away was downright cruel.

Thankfully, Kong: Skull Island doesn't suffer from this issue as it doesn't take long for Kong to trample onto the scene and Vogt-Roberts lets you back in his glory once he shows up. Kong's fight sequences against the other monsters are magnificent to say the least. My screening was in IMAX 3D and I can say in these moments the experience payed off, largely due to the larger screen and fuller sound, but overall I'm not quite sure it would be worth the uncharge. However, Kong: Skull Island does have story and character vulnerabilities that somewhat drag it down. Admittedly, that's not exactly what one would come to a monster movie like Kong: Skull Island to see but it doesn't hurt to have characters the audience will actually care about. I legitimately can't remember a single character's name and couldn't tell you any character traits beyond their corresponding skill set, appearance, and occupation for a vast majority of the characters.

This largely derives from the screenplay penned by Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly featuring a story from John Gatins. The script just has too many characters to juggle so the result is that virtually all the characters are underserved. On the flip-side, I was pleasantly surprised how the screenwriters toyed with genre conventions and cliché moments leading to some fantastic situational humor (I'm not even sure I was supposed to laugh at these moments but I relished in the irony). Otherwise, the plot of Kong: Skull Island is fairly paint-by-numbers so don't expect anything too abrupt.

Kong: Skull Island's cast is stacked with plenty of prestigious talent as well as names you may recognize from a genre film or two. Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, and Shea Whigham all do the most with what's provided to them but but it's Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly who were able to flip things around and make the most of meager caricatures. Oh and Tian Jing shows up out of nowhere and literally adds nothing of significance to the story just so Warner Bros. and Legendary could shoehorn in an Asian actress and cover all demographics I guess?

Really just about every cast member but Jackson and Reilly are wasted space, something I'm disappointed to say considering their show of talent elsewhere. Something interesting to note though is that Tobey Kebbell has a small live action role and provided the motion capture performance for Kong, along with Terry Notary, similarly to how previous Dawn of the Planet of the Apes costar Andy Serkis was utilized in King Kong (2005). It's funny how the two were rival characters in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and have become the pillars of motion capture acting today. I rarely see motion capture performance driven films today that don't take advantage of all Serkis and Kebbell have to offer.

If you're looking to take a trip to the theater this weekend, I'd prioritize seeing Logan over Kong: Skull Island. However, if you're looking for a dumb popcorn blockbuster then Kong: Skull Island should suit your mindless monster movie needs. Sadly, the vague strokes of characterization hold Kong: Skull Island back from its true potential but the impressive effects work, adrenaline-fueled action sequences, and stylish visuals help position it to be an entertaining monster flick.

Film Assessment: C B-