Godzilla vs. Kong

Please don't listen to any reviews calling this movie a "film." Anyone watching this fun summer movie expecting complex characters and an original story probably needs professional counseling. The last three Godzilla and Kong movies have been perfect. Kong Skull Island, Godzilla King of Monsters, and now Godzilla vs Kong are perfect monster movies. They're not films, they're movies. They're not trying to be films, they embrace being movies. There's a huge difference between films and movies. Films try to be artsy, intricate, thoughtful, inspiring, and original. Movies just want to entertain people for no reason at all except to enjoy a good ride. All we want to do is grab some candy and popcorn, turn off our brains for two hours, and watch mega beasts punch each other in big cities, and this movie was a blast. I'm so glad the writers and directors of this franchise don't listen to the feedback of film critics, whom you can almost never please no matter what you put out there on the screens. This was a wild ride, super fun. My parents came over to our house, my son is 10, and we had popcorn, oreos, hot tamales, reese cups, heath bars, trolli worms, and sweet tart rope. We played it loud and laughed a ton, and cheered at the end of every fight. I mean this was a blast, and I hope we see more and more of these really creative and exciting movies coming out of Hollywood. Future movie writers and directors: don't even read film critic reviews, just keep making these super fun times for families like mine.

From 2014 to 2019, I am a big fan of the Legendary Monsterverse. Is this fourth installment worth all of the weight (err...wait)? A team of compassionate scientists, Dr. Nathan (Alexandre Skarsgard), Dr. Ilene (Rebecca Hall), and her deaf daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle) are going to find Hollow Earth; a new home for Kong (releasing him out into the wild/relocate him to his real habitat), But along came the calamity that's blocking the way: Godzilla has developed a tremendous inferiority complex, creating carnage around the globe, leading up to the battle for the ages between Kong and Godzilla in the style of "WWE" in the form of dominant forces of nature, as they deploy some new weapons and ways to fight. Why is Godzilla going rogue? Maddison Russell (Millie Brown) with the help of her two colleagues, her nerdy friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and a comical Whistleblower named Bernie (Brian Henry) are going to find out why and eventually stop this madness. Adam Wingard (director) and his crew created a smartly-crafted thrill ride of epic proportions; there is no denying that this incredible technical achievement is a surefire crowd-pleaser. I knew nothing about him and his company, but as far as I'm concerned, these filmmakers are masters at surprises, letting my guard down so often with the persuasive dialogue, well-utilized timing (depending on the scene), impressive camerawork (with some scenes that look like a literal roller coaster), and some twists and turns. They have used a special tactic that is rarely used in some movies: spectacle storytelling; this is where the filmmakers brainstorm some ideas to skillfully construct a screenplay to let the visuals tell the story. But that's not all, The storytelling is also supported by the dialogue and even the surprises that the characters had to offer to keep the story moving and give out answers to what is going on. The plot of this film has one of those storylines that have separate sub-plots that eventually come together In the third act. During the third act, I have realized that the whole plot of the film delivers a genuine moral: Never build futuristic man-made creations to compete with nature. Most of the time, I was intrigued and curious throughout the whole movie, and the battles between Kong and Godzilla never disappoint me whatsoever. These action-packed fights are always thrilling. Amped up by vibrant colors and detail, the exterior is striking and dazzling. As visual effects go, the production design and CGI are some of the most jaw-dropping I have ever seen since "Pacific Rim." (Gasp) wait a minute! The visuals and some of the elements do seem familiar to me, because in terms of the exterior, this is the "Pacific Rim" of the Monsterverse. What about the characters? As I mentioned earlier, the characters offer some surprises and I allow the filmmakers to let the exterior tell the story. Every single character supports each other. No Spoilers! But In the second half of the film, the big surprises come from the hateful characters in Apex Cybernetics, and they played me like a fiddle. The chemistry between Jia and Kong is engaging to see; they both speak sign language. As Kong speaks sign language, it made me think about the sign language that real gorillas used to communicate with humans, like Koko, a female lowland gorilla who lives in California. Unfortunately, this is not the monster of a masterpiece that I was hoping for; I have noticed a few flaws about the characters: Two male characters have these sympathetic character backgrounds that are trite; the death of their loved companions. And the two scenes in particular, involving the sign for "brave" and "coward" are redundant, because they are ludicrous. Recommended.

This is an amazing modern kaiju film; action, excitement, surprisingly great fight scenes, everything you'd want in a summer blockbuster. I would've liked to see a little more focus on Godzilla rather than Kong, but it's easier to humanize an ape than a giant dino-lizard with thermonuclear death breath. I've seen literally every Godzilla movie made by both Toho and Legendary, and this one is easily at or near the top of the ladder. I'm anxiously awaiting the next entry in the series.