Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) review (HBO Max)

 

‘Creature features’ have been a staple of film for many decades, and when it comes to this particular genre, there are two cinematic monsters who reign supreme. First, there was King Kong, the titular 24-foot-tall prehistoric gorilla, dubbed the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, who debuted in the 1933 film of the same name directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. With groundbreaking stop-motion effects by Willis O’Brien and an iconic finale in which the title character scales the Empire State Building, King Kong quickly became one of the most highly regarded films of all time, undoubtedly inspiring numerous generations of filmmakers. Case in point, in 1954, another giant monster came onto the scene known as Gojira, a 164-foot-tall radioactive reptilian beast. Created in the wake of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the tail-end of World War II, Godzilla (which is the character’s English-translated name) also became a landmark for both the monster genre and the art of special effects while simultaneously revolutionizing the genre of Japanese giant monster films AKA Kaiju films. Following their quintessential debuts, both characters would go on to appear in several other films over the years. The original King Kong, for example, was notably remade twice; one in 1976 starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange and the other in 2005 directed by Peter Jackson. As for Godzilla, he would end up appearing in a whole bunch of follow-ups with the character’s parent company, Toho, producing over 30 sequels that span 4 distinct eras and saw the King of the Monsters face off against new and exciting creatures such as King Ghidorah and Mothra.  

But while these two towering icons have mostly operated on their own accord, they did notably appear together on-screen in Godzilla’s third official cinematic outing, 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla. Primarily spawned from a story outline from Willis O’Brien that had King Kong fighting a giant-sized version of the Frankenstein monster, this concept evolved into a figurative and literal ‘clash of the titans’ that ended up being one of the Godzilla franchise’s most popular installments. But now, nearly six decades after the original’s debut, the ‘King of the Monsters’ and ‘The Eighth Wonder of the World’ are back at it again in Godzilla vs. Kong, the latest installment of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse series which reimagined the titular characters for a worldwide audience. It all began, of course, in 2014 with the release of the second attempt at an American-made adaptation of Godzilla after the infamous 1998 adaptation directed by Roland Emmerich. A sequel would follow in 2019, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, while King Kong headlined his own cinematic reboot two years prior with Kong: Skull Island. For this latest installment of the franchise, directorial duties go to Adam Wingard who, like his immediate predecessor Michael Dougherty (who directed King of the Monsters and has a story credit for this film), is mainly known for his work in the horror genre, having directed films such as the 2011 slasher You’re Next and the 2014 thriller The Guest. In short, it goes without saying that this has been one of the most anticipated films in recent memory, and while there are plenty of instances where it showcases some of the MonsterVerse’s most common shortcomings, Godzilla vs. Kong still manages to be a delightfully entertaining crossover event.   

With humanity now fully aware of the existence of gigantic creatures known as ‘Titans’, much of their attention has been geared towards learning more about the Titans’ homeworld, Hollow Earth, that’s hidden directly underneath the planet’s surface. This includes Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir), the CEO of tech conglomerate Apex Cybernetics, who recruits geologist Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), a former member of the Titan-studying organization Monarch, for a mission to travel to Hollow Earth and retrieve a power source that they could potentially use to deal with Godzilla, who has recently been on a series of inexplicable rampages around the world. As part of the operation, Lind recruits Monarch linguist Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), who has been monitoring the apex predator of the mysterious Skull Island, Kong, and has also been looking after the island’s last native, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a young deaf girl who has a unique friendship with Kong. But, as to be expected, their journey to Hollow Earth soon results in Kong crossing paths with Godzilla, thus putting Lind and his team in a time-sensitive situation as they race to give Kong a fighting chance against his incredibly imposing adversary. Meanwhile, Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), her best friend Josh Valentine (Julian Dennison), and conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) go undercover to investigate into Godzilla’s recent attacks, which leads to them uncovering a sinister plot by Apex that could result in devastating effects for both them and the Titans.

Godzilla vs Kong knows exactly what kind of film you’re here to see, and as always, this franchise more than delivers when it comes to its monster-based action sequences. In fact, this one even manages to surpass all its predecessors, especially the Godzilla films, by having multiple sequences take place during the day rather than at night, and even when they do have a night-time action sequence, they’re lit far better than the ones from previous films. Tonally, this film is more in line with the generally light-hearted Kong: Skull Island rather than the more serious Godzilla films, and while it is admittedly a bit jarring to see the returning characters from Godzilla: King of the Monsters partake in some of this film’s wackier antics, it’s also arguably a far better route to go for a film of this nature. However, as entertaining as this film is, it goes without saying that it maintains one of the most recurring problems that the MonsterVerse has faced over the years in that all that great action can’t entirely make up for its mediocre plot. In this instance, we have what is probably the franchise’s most sci-fi heavy premise to date given everything revolving around Apex Cybernetics and the journey to Hollow Earth… and yet, it still manages to feel like a complete afterthought with a bunch of extraneous characters and plotlines. But like I just said earlier, the fact that this film is more upbeat in tone than the previous films helps to alleviate much of that since, at the very least, it’s not trying to take itself too seriously.    

As always, the human element of the MonsterVerse films has never been the point of the franchise. Case in point, Godzilla vs. Kong follows in the footsteps of Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters by featuring an impressively stacked ensemble cast… and doesn’t really give any of them anything of value to work with. Still, for what it’s worth, I do think that this film handles the human side of its story better than King of the Monsters, where I’d argue that the human plot was even more poorly executed than usual. Obviously, Godzilla vs. Kong isn’t that much better by comparison, but there are a few decent character moments here and there, namely via the friendship between Kong, who’s basically the main character of the film, and Jia, the last surviving member of Skull Island’s Iwi natives. Newcomer Kaylee Hottle and Rebecca Hall headline the film nicely as Jia and her adoptive mother Ilene, respectively, in what is probably the franchise’s best example of human characters who have a strong connection with one of the title characters. Everyone else in the cast from Alexander Skarsgård to Brian Tyree Henry is just there, for the most part, but they work well enough with what they get. This includes the returning Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler from King of the Monsters as Madison Russell and her father Mark, and while Chandler is sadly limited to an extremely minor supporting role this time around, Brown thankfully isn’t sidelined like she was for most of the previous film. Granted, her role here is arguably the most prominent case of the film’s ‘extraneous’ plotlines, but at the very least, she does get more to do this time around.      

If you’ve been following this site for a while, you might recall that my thoughts on the MonsterVerse have varied considerably from film to film. Overall, I thought that the first Godzilla from 2014 was a solid kick-starter for a new cinematic universe style franchise a la the MCU. Sure, it didn’t have much of the title character and the main human protagonist was the very definition of a bland and generic lead but at the very least, director Gareth Edwards did a fantastic job of mirroring the serious tone of the original Godzilla film from 1954, especially when compared to the franchise’s campier follow-ups. As for 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, it’s easily my favorite of the first three MonsterVerse films. While it was arguably a major case of style over substance, its unabashedly extravagant visual style helped make this full-on homage to 1970’s war films an incredibly entertaining watch. Conversely, the second of the MonsterVerse’s Godzilla films, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, was a film that, unfortunately, I wasn’t too big on when it first came out, and upon my most recent re-watch… well, nothing’s really changed on my end. Granted, I fully understand why this film became such a hit with fans of the franchise, namely due to how it delivered on many of the things that they didn’t get from the first film such as the sight of Godzilla fighting some of his most iconic adversaries such as King Ghidorah. Overall, though, the film suffered immensely from some incredibly sluggish pacing, and while the lack of any decent character development is to be expected from this franchise, this is one instance where I’d argue that the human side of the story almost derailed it entirely.

I’m happy to report, however, that I’m far more positive towards Godzilla vs. Kong, which is basically the cinematic embodiment of the MonsterVerse franchise in a nutshell. From a visual perspective, it goes above and beyond to present some of the most exciting action sequences involving cinema’s most iconic monsters. But from a narrative perspective, it’s barely held together by a bare-bones plot, and while the film does boast an excellent cast, said cast is just there to help move things along. Thus, at the end of the day, it ultimately comes down to how everything came together in the end, and this is where I’d argue that this film turned out to be a lot better than Godzilla: King of the Monsters, especially when it comes to these films’ overall tone. Whereas King of the Monsters took itself a bit too seriously, Godzilla vs. Kong fully understands that what we’re mainly here to see is the awesome sight of a giant monkey punching a giant lizard in the face. Thus, while it’s undoubtedly the MonsterVerse’s most undemanding installment to date, its lighthearted tone and far more vibrant color palette compared to some of the other installments of the franchise helps to make up for the usual narrative shortcomings, for the most part. In other words, Godzilla vs. Kong is an incredibly fun popcorn flick whether you’re watching it at home via HBO Max as part of Warner Bros.’ simultaneous theatrical/streaming plan for its 2021 releases or in theaters, where it has arguably been the most successful blockbuster that’s been released since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Rating: 4/5

The Legend of Tarzan (2016) review

Prior to 2007, director David Yates was mostly known for his work in television, being behind the camera for various British shows and mini-series, including a 2001 adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now and 2003’s State of Play, which was later adapted into an Americanized film in 2009. But then in 2007, Yates got his big break in the film industry when he was hired to direct the fifth installment of the Harry Potter franchise; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As expected at that point, the film was another big hit for the franchise, grossing nearly a billion worldwide and regarded by some (including this reviewer) as the best film in the franchise. Because of this, Yates was then brought back to direct the final three installments of the franchise; 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the two-part adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with Part 1 released in 2010 and the series finale, Part 2, released the next year in the summer of 2011. He is set to return to the Wizarding World this November with the J.K. Rowling-penned spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But before that, he has a different project coming out that also happens to be based off of a popular literary character; Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan. The legendary jungle warrior who was raised by apes has seen numerous film adaptations over the years, the most recent ‘big one’ being Disney’s 1999 animated film of the same name. With Yates’ new film, The Legend of Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgard takes on the title role in a film that sees the character return home to the jungle to deal with a new threat. What follows is a story that’s generally old-fashioned in terms of its execution but still succeeds in being an entertaining adventure flick.

The film takes place many years after a young John Clayton III, stranded in the African Congo with his parents, was orphaned and then subsequently raised by a family of Apes, becoming the legendary jungle warrior known as Tarzan. Since then, ‘Tarzan’ (Alexander Skarsgard) has returned home to England as heir to the Greystroke name while also marrying Jane Porter (Margot Robbie), whom he first met while living in the jungle. Meanwhile, control over the Congo has mostly been held by the government of Belgium though they are on the verge of bankruptcy due to their various ventures in the area. As a result, King Leopold II sends his trusty envoy, Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), to collect the treasured diamonds of the lost city of Opar. His expedition soon leads to him coming face to face with the local tribe defending the area, led by Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou), who offers Rom the diamonds in exchange for bringing Tarzan to him, as Mbonga seeks revenge against Tarzan for the death of his son. And so, Rom and King Leopold ‘invite’ John to the area under the guise of having him check out the area and report on their proceedings. John ultimately decides to go, joined by Jane and American envoy George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), with the latter looking to investigate into the rumored enslavement of the natives. However, as soon as they get there, they are ambushed by Rom and his men, who proceed to capture Jane, leading John and George into having to trek through the dangerous jungle in order to rescue her.

In terms of execution, this is a fairly old-fashioned adventure flick that certainly harkens back to the Tarzan films of old. As such, this certainly isn’t going to win any awards for its plot. It’s basically just a straight-forward chase through the jungle and not much else. However, even with that said, the film very much succeeds in being just that; an old-fashioned adventure flick. Yates’ direction is solid and as partially exemplified by the Harry Potter films, he does a good job when it comes to directing period pieces. And for the record no, the Potter films aren’t primarily ‘period pieces’ (though Fantastic Beasts will be one as it is set in the 1920’s) but they do sometimes have the look and feel of one. Overall, the film maintains a solid light-hearted tone throughout with a few humorous moments peppered in here and there to lighten up the mood, which mostly come courtesy of Samuel L. Jackson’s character. At the same time, there actually does manage to be quite a few moments of effective emotional gravitas, namely in regards to the overall conflict between Tarzan and Chief Mbonga and why Tarzan killed Mbonga’s son. And because the film takes place after the character’s origin story, that backstory is represented in this film via flashbacks that effectively further develop Tarzan as a character. The action is a little hit-and-miss due to the occasional use of fast cuts but it still delivers on exactly what you’d expect from a Tarzan film in terms of the character swinging through the jungle and what not. Visually the film does a similar practice that The Jungle Book did by having the animals created via CGI and overall the CG is pretty solid.

Alexander Skarsgard does a pretty good job in the role of Tarzan. He certainly brings the right physique to the part while also working well in terms of conveying Tarzan’s jungle expertise. He has solid camaraderie with Samuel L. Jackson’s George Washington Williams as well as a very nice romantic chemistry with Margot Robbie’s Jane. As for Jane, this film does maintain the usual plot-point of having Jane be a ‘damsel in distress’ as she spends a good chunk of the film as Rom’s prisoner. However, like the Jane of Disney’s 1999 Tarzan, this actually isn’t a bad thing as Robbie gives the character a fun assertive and spunky attitude, especially in the scenes where she interacts with Rom. Plus, because the film takes place after Tarzan had met Jane and they have already married, she has the same level of experience living in the jungle as her husband. All of this does keep in line with how the character has evolved over the years. As for Christoph Waltz as the film’s main villain Leon Rom, he’s about as good as you’d usually expect from Waltz whenever he plays a villain; diabolical but also charismatic. However, arguably the real standout of the cast is actually Samuel L. Jackson as George Washington Williams. Based off of an actual person, Jackson, as noted earlier, has a solid camaraderie with Skarsgard and provides some of the film’s more humorous moments as a result of their interactions with each other.  

I recall hearing some reports a few months ago that David Yates had apparently abandoned the film while in post-production, mainly to go work on Fantastic Beasts. How true this is I’m not entirely sure but if it is, it could mean that perhaps Warner Bros. was a little hesitant about the film, especially after the commercial failure of their other recent big ‘famous literary’ adaptation, last year’s Pan. However, this film actually isn’t as bad as its low rating on RT may suggest. If anything, the fact that it’s actually been doing pretty decently at the box-office (I’ll admit I thought this would be one of the big ‘box-office bombs’ of the summer but it’s actually doing pretty fine) shows that it’s succeeding at being a solid crowd pleaser and I can see why. Sure at the end of the day the film is fairly simple in terms of its plot and overall execution but sometimes that’s actually a good thing. Yates certainly does a good job direction-wise and the cast is solid as well from top to bottom. Tarzan has certainly had plenty of film adaptations over the years, good and bad. As for this film, I think it definitely stands amongst the former. In short, the film succeeds at what it attempts to be; a light-hearted, old-fashioned jungle adventure. At the very least, I’m glad that this hasn’t been a ‘total disaster’ for Yates as a director, who I’m sure will have a solid critical/commercial success on his hands with Fantastic Beasts when it’s released later this year. But as for Tarzan, if you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned popcorn flick, you’ll probably really enjoy this one.

Rating: 4/5