In Retrospect: Godzilla Vs. Kong

Let the good times roll!

Yeah the enjoyment factor really hasn't shifted too much, granted I noticed more contrivances and the one aspect of the film I really wasn't there for didn't improve like, at all. But I still stand by my very fan biased opinion, though on a purely objectionable basis this movie is a 7.5 to a 8/10, but f*** that this is my show and it gets that 10/10. So let's expand upon my opinions in no particular order. I payed a lot more attention to the soundtrack this go around, and while it is highly unconventional for a monster movie I had a real good time with it and hearing a smidge of Judas Priest was a treat. Effects still look good, the kaiju have weight to them and the hits feel rough and impactful, the fact the movie looked as good as it did when production was very much occuring during a darker phase of this world I must congratulate the effects team. I'm sort of mixed on the cast, not so much the actors with one crucial exception, but more the characters. I genuinely could see this movie not incorporate any previous actors from King Of The Monsters, kinda keep the fresh new cast angle this series has been doing since the start. I feel it would have worked better if we stuck to our 3 main characters and their journey with Kong, not to diss Millie or Kyle but they didn't really have to be here especially in Kyle's case the poor guy has like 5 scenes grand total of maybe 3 minutes of screentime. And Millie well it's good to see her but the means do not justify the ends in her side story. I know people gave Brian Tyree Henry some shit for his performance but he only aggravated me once, really you think some super ultra secret piece of tech is just gonna be laying about after an attack on the factory where it is housed? Stupid! I think he performed it well and while probably could have been written better I hold no grief towards him. The same cannot be said for Rebecca Hall. Sweet...God. This woman gave me nothing in terms of performance, the number of f***s given by her in this movie was almost below zero, I really cannot firmly grasp and convey my opinions on this character and performance but it's undoubtedly negative. Again, not hating on the actor here but I just wasn't feeling it. And now comes the part where I relieve you the little Kong warriors of the burden of your failed and useless arguments. It is astounding how much this film really nails it into your head that Kong would be the winner, you get more emphasis on him, you see his relationship with Jia, the character profess their need for Kong as some sort of savior, you see him return to his ancestral home and reclaim the weapon of his forefathers, everything points to him winning. But he doesn't. And I know. I know. The cases people are making for the lovable big ape. Well actually Kong never submitted and would have beat Godzilla. Well actually if Kong could beat Mechagodzilla, and Mechagodzilla beat Godzilla, then ipso facto Kong could beat Godzilla. Well actually it was a tie at the end, and they decided to go their seperate ways. Oh honey, bless your heart. He got his ass kicked, needed to be saved by the humans, and submitted. Twice. I will go full hardcore nerd beatdown on you, don't try it. I have the high ground! Even if Mechagodzilla was not part of the equation and we had the 3 round fight throughout the movie, Godzilla still was winning 2-1, and nobody wanted a tie again. But Dude clearly at the end of the original, Kong won even though they both fell into the ocean and there was no real decisive winner, because Kong was seen and Godzilla was not. Dream on hooker, I got news for you good buddy you're leading two things right now. Jack and shit, and Jack left town. It was a tie. But not this time. Hail to the king baby. I'm done busting your chops Kong fans, I actually really like him and I hope we see some more films with him. For the purposes of comedy. I'm not ever that serious. 4 stars, 10/10 despite the flaws and contrivances, goodnight everybody! You're a wonderful crowd and I'll be here all week, be sure to tip your waitress.

Godzilla Vs. Kong

Is it a 10/10? No. THE END

Now in all seriousness how was the movie? Well it certainly gets a thumbs up from me and while it may not be my favorite in the Monsterverse, I cannot deny the results were great. So it's been about 3 years in movie time since King Of The Monsters, Kong has been placed in a secure location on Skull Island, Godzilla has been pissed right the hell off and starts blowing shit up, and the humans are more or less trying to find truth to the hollow earth theory that's been cropping up in these movies. Now I know there's probably lots of people who are just like, "I don't care about all this stuff, I came here to see who wins." well genius this is what happens when you enter the fourth movie in a franchise! New shit has come to light man, they're ever expanding this Monsterverse with lots of cool new stuff. Believe you me, there is a lot to appreciate in this film. The sound design, holy fiery balls, is incredible and the fact that we actually hear things from the perspective of this little girl who is deaf really pushed it over the top for me. I dare even say she was my favorite human character in the film, but the other actors do fine work and treat it seriously. I'll have to keep my eye out for Shun Oguri who plays Dr. Serizawa's son, this was his first american film and I was so interested to see him in this. The effects are excellent, this film is not afraid to have color to the point where it's almost comic book-esque, Godzilla and Kong look outstanding and considering the shape of the world now I'm impressed with how they did it all. The fights are brutal, mutilating at times, with tons of moments that probably made my face look like I was having a stroke, and yes there is a winner. It may not seem like it when credits roll, but one Titan did yield and undisputedly lost no matter how you slice it. No one died, I knew that was never the intention, so they're both gonna stick around. The real question now is what comes next? This was kinda sorta the culmination of it all. 2014 Godzilla was a humble beginning to see if they could do it right, Skull Island reintroduced Kong and set the stage for future events such as these, King Of The Monsters still has a part to play but placed Godzilla at the zenith of the kaiju tower, now the dust has settled from the rematch of the century with both monsters still out there. I'm stumped beyond belief as to what happens next, I can't imagine how the creators feel. It didn't disappoint, gave me a lot of what I wanted, and was a highly enjoyable movie. 4 stars, 8/10, but the kaiju action never stops. See you next month.

Talking Trailers

I do not recall ever really talking about trailers and it is good to have your opinion on record to compare when you actually see a movie, plus I wanted to do something new so I might as well. We got 3 trailers to talk about that I have seen recently, each having a strong impact on me so let's discuss.

Mortal Kombat (2020): I hated it. Which is so dang weird because when I heard they were doing a new live action Mortal Kombat film I was interested. A hard R rating? Cool looking production stills? A chance to talk about the 90s films? Far out man. And then the trailer happened. Shite. It lost me very early on when the narration stated they were hunting a fugitive and then Sub-Zero popped up and I was just like, huh?? How is he a fugitive? Then they said superhuman abailities and I lost a lot of hope, because the trailer seems like it's trying to do this semi-realistic take on Mortal Kombat which I find to be unforgivable. Just go mental with it, don't try to pin some superhero-esque bullshit like you're expecting Superman to appear, they tried that shit before and it was not pretty. Not to say that the character designs weren't cool, they look pretty grand, and the gore looks legit, but it's the actual elements of the plot that have me seriously dreading this movie. I think they're even gonna pull some nonsense with this Tom Dick nobody being the main character and not an actual person from the video games, which I am praying with all of my might is not true. I don't want to hate it but this trailer has inspired little hope.

Cruella: God I am gonna get so much shit for this. I'd rather watch this than Mortal Kombat. I really am very interested in seeing this. First of all, Emma Stone you have the biggest balls in Hollywood today to say that you are taking up this role after Glenn Close, I mean you have all of my respect for taking it on. Second I heard a lot of people say the trailer had Birds Of Prey/Joker vibes and while I can slightly see it, I feel it's an unjust and ultimately naive label to put on this movie. This looks like such a different beast, because it's not a live action remake. It's a character piece on a Disney villain, which I know they did with Maleficent but even then this looks so different. I don't need to know why Cruella DeVille is the way she is, but she's entertaining regardless. And I for real for real have zero idea what they are going to do with it. That's why I'm so genuinely intrigued to see it. It looks actually kinda cool! So yeah, sign me up for this!

Godzilla Vs. Kong: Ooh. Ooh momma, hold on now. Gotta take a minute. Whew....holy f***!! It's happening, footage has been released! So much to talk about. Great effects, good buildup, I wasn't gaga for the soundtrack but truthfully the Monsterverse has always had such interesting musical choices. 2014 Godzilla had the 2001 A Space Odyssey theme, Godzilla KOTM had frickin' Claire De Lune, Kong Skull Island had Bad Moon Rising, so it has variety if nothing else and we'll probably get some more brilliant music choices for another trailer. It was very Kong centered, I like the relationship with this little girl, we see some other new monsters he fights, but come on man. Godzilla man. Yo, I changed my computer desktop to that neon filled city shot with Godzilla in it, I'm such a damn nerd but how could I ignore such a gorgeous shot? The action looks stellar, Godzilla may be a bad guy which I really love, the reprise of the 2001 theme brought me back to 2016 when I was constantly watching Godzilla, I seriously cannot stop watching this trailer. And to hell with all of you who side with Kong. "Kong bows to no one.", bitch please he gon' learn today! Last movie wasn't called Godzilla KING Of The Monsters for no reason, thank you very much. One shall stand, one shall fall. I trust you'll make the right decision.

Hopefully I can keep doing this, just a sort of trailer roundup of the stuff I've seen and my initial reactions. I had some hot takes for sure but I speak my mind truthfully as always. So I'll see you for a new review later this week.