Godzilla fans have had a lot of reasons to be happy lately. With Minus One, a Japanese movie finally arrived last year, and now the latest installment of the American Monsterverse has hit the theaters. MyMMO author Nikolas Hernes had a great time with Godzilla x Kong, even though the story is once again quite nonsensical.
Kong is relaxing in the Hollow Earth after Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla is doing his job as the protector of the Earth and taking care of the other Titans. While he may destroy cities, at least he saves the people.
A new threat to Earth is lurking in the Hollow Earth, wanting to conquer the planet. However, Kong alone cannot win the fight, so he and Godzilla will have to join forces to stop the new enemy.
You can find a contribution about another Godzilla movie here: I had real goosebumps at the cinema again after a long time, and it’s all thanks to Godzilla Minus One
You can find the trailer for the film here:
The story is complete nonsense
I love well-written stories. But not every film needs one. Godzilla x Kong attempts to tell a story, but it is mostly nonsense. There is talk about the Hollow Earth, secret organizations, and indigenous peoples.
This is all really nonsense, but as it is taken so seriously, at least it is entertaining. The real story
in this case is Kong’s journey in the Hollow Earth. Kong works quite well as the main character because his gestures and facial expressions exude a certain charm. They could have made the film with Kong as the sole protagonist, and it would have worked wonderfully.
I also found the flora and fauna in the Hollow Earth fascinating and would have liked to see more new monsters, as the Hollow Earth had quite a lot to offer.
However, the villain is a disappointment, which I do not wish to spoil further. Unlike Mecha-Godzilla or King Ghidorah, the enemy is not an iconic character from monster history, but a completely new one. He never really comes across as threatening; he is more of a rival and an equal opponent for Kong. This brings us directly to the film’s major highlight, which is the fights.
The epic battles are the focus
The focus of the film is, as in the previous installments, the massive battles. They are a lot of fun again. The physicality and size of the opponents are beautifully captured, and of course, the environment does not escape unscathed during the fights.
While Godzilla fights with pure power, Kong uses weapons and traps. This creates interesting premises where it’s not just the bigger fist that wins. A bit more creativity would have done the film good, as the previous movies had more interesting choreography. Nevertheless, it feels good to watch when Kong punches an opponent in the face and then grins mischievously.
Nevertheless, it is just cool to sit in the cinema while the Titans roar and fight through a city. That has worked before and it still works for me today. Next to films with gunfights and martial arts action, you just need big monsters to fight. You really get into it when the monsters roar and the dust and houses fly around.
Unfortunately, my favorite, Godzilla, does not get much screen time in this film; when he fights, it’s always powerful, but the focus is more on Kong. The creators struggle to utilize the monstrous lizard properly, as he is significantly stronger than the giant ape.
Godzilla x Kong shows that the story is irrelevant in the right genre and context. This is an entertainment film. It’s about the big monsters and their battles. If you’re into that, you’ll have fun in the cinema; if you want a thoughtful story, you’d be better off looking at other films. The Japanese Godzilla films usually offer more in their subtext.
Not every film has to be the best
film. Sometimes it’s just enough to be entertained. For the legendary director Quentin Tarantino, there is a favorite when it comes to entertainment: “There is no better” – A cult film from the 70s is the greatest film of all time for Quentin Tarantino
