MOVIE
Godzilla Vs. Kong
Rebecca Hall, Alexander
Skarsgard, Kaylee Hottle
Director Adam Wingard
Review Ray Chan
Everyone’s favourite gargantuan reptile, Godzilla, long seen as a friend of humanity, has started to attack the puny homo sapiens and destroy their towns and cities, seemingly without provocation.
So what’s up with that? In their desperation, the military and scientists call upon help from the supersized simian Kong – who has been held captive in an artificial simulacrum of his homeland, Skull Island.
And therein lies the basic premise of this epic monster mash, with Godzilla taking on gorilla, the two creatures squaring off for the alpha title.
Indeed, it’s not long into the film before the commotion starts, as director Adam Wingard takes the audience up close to the encounters: every punch, every growl, every movement taken in anger, quite unlike previous instalments in which action is obscured behind dust, debris and deluge. There’s even a nod to the original King Kong movie as the oversized ape jumps from skyscraper to skyscraper, in scenes shot in Queensland, no less.
This the fourth film in this monster universe (after 2019's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2014's Godzilla), and one in which the primordial protagonists get the most screen time.
As such, personal human relationships and characterisation take a back seat, unlike the initial chapters of the franchise when there was an underlying moral conundrum of whether the kaijus should be kept alive to balance the forces of nature.
That being said, the standout performer is undoubtedly Kaylee Hottle as Jia, a little girl who can communicate with her primate pal, which gives this movie the right amount of heart. The young actress comes from an all-deaf family in real life and steals the show with her charm, innocence and genuine use of sign language.
While the story won’t win any Oscars, the movie definitely lives up to its title in every way - monster-size entertainment worth catching on the biggest screen possible.
#godzillavskong #universal
So what’s up with that? In their desperation, the military and scientists call upon help from the supersized simian Kong – who has been held captive in an artificial simulacrum of his homeland, Skull Island.
And therein lies the basic premise of this epic monster mash, with Godzilla taking on gorilla, the two creatures squaring off for the alpha title.
Indeed, it’s not long into the film before the commotion starts, as director Adam Wingard takes the audience up close to the encounters: every punch, every growl, every movement taken in anger, quite unlike previous instalments in which action is obscured behind dust, debris and deluge. There’s even a nod to the original King Kong movie as the oversized ape jumps from skyscraper to skyscraper, in scenes shot in Queensland, no less.
This the fourth film in this monster universe (after 2019's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2014's Godzilla), and one in which the primordial protagonists get the most screen time.
As such, personal human relationships and characterisation take a back seat, unlike the initial chapters of the franchise when there was an underlying moral conundrum of whether the kaijus should be kept alive to balance the forces of nature.
That being said, the standout performer is undoubtedly Kaylee Hottle as Jia, a little girl who can communicate with her primate pal, which gives this movie the right amount of heart. The young actress comes from an all-deaf family in real life and steals the show with her charm, innocence and genuine use of sign language.
While the story won’t win any Oscars, the movie definitely lives up to its title in every way - monster-size entertainment worth catching on the biggest screen possible.
#godzillavskong #universal
