Godzilla vs. Kong Movie Review - Titans Rule, Humans Drool

In Godzilla vs. Kong, the Titans are drawn together by nature and human manipulation to fight for supremacy. Head of Apex Cybernetics Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) wants the two to destroy each other so Mankind can be the Alpha species on Earth again. Godzilla is driven to destroy the H.Q. of Apex after a period of quiet. Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) knows that the Titan only attacks when provoked.

Kong inside his simulated jungle domeCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Kong’s simulated home in a dome on Skull Island is falling apart. His “keeper” scientist Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) knows he needs a new home. To make sure Mankind rules, Simmons needs the extreme power only found in Hollow Earth and scientist Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) is hired to go get it. Kong, whose original home is there, must lead a team to the power.

A Day in Kong’s Life

It’s five years after Godzilla killed powerful Ghidorah. He and Kong are the last Titans on the surface of the Earth. With the climate on Skull Island unstable, Kong now lives in a giant jungle simulation dome there where his only friend is Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a deaf little girl. They communicate through sign language she has taught him. She is also the last of her kind, the native Iwi tribe, and was adopted by Ilene Andrews. The dome is damaged but if Monarch moves Kong, Godzilla will come for him. They are ancient enemies and only one can rule. 

Jia is friends with KongCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Attack at Apex

Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), who runs a Titan conspiracy theory podcast, infiltrates Apex looking for proof that they are trying to manipulate Titans. When Godzilla suddenly attacks their Pensacola, Florida facility, Bernie discovers a device like ORCA which was used to communicate with and control Titans and proof of big mystery equipment shipments going to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Madison Russell, a fan of the podcast, knows Godzilla had to be provoked to attack. When her dad Mark (Kyle Chandler) has no time to listen to her, she enlists her friend Josh (Julian Dennison) to investigate the cause of Godzilla's attack. The two search for Bernie who will agree with them. They find him and the trio breaks into the almost destroyed Apex facility where they end up in a shipment to Hong Kong!

Josh, Madison and Bernie arrive in Hong KongCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Hollow Earth Trip?

Meanwhile, Simmons enlists Nathan Lind, who believes in the Hollow Earth theory, to go there to retrieve a massive power source that can stop Godzilla. Due to his explorer/brother’s demise on an expedition there, Lind knows there is a strong anti-gravity field that kills humans. Lind agrees to go after Simmons reveals that Apex has developed flying vehicles called HEAVs to withstand the anti-gravity field.

Hollow Earth believer Dr. Nathan LindCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Sure that Hollow Earth is the original home of the Titans, Lind goes to Ilene Andrews to see if she will let Kong out to show them the way to the power there. They can enter via a tunnel in Antarctica. She reluctantly agrees and Kong is mildly sedated and chained atop a huge aircraft carrier. Ilene worries that Godzilla will sense this and come. Only Jia can calm the upset Kong down.

Only Jia can calm down KongCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

First Battle and Massive Discovery

On the Tasman Sea enroute to Antarctica, Godzilla arrives and the two Titans have an extreme battle that destroys ships escorting the group. Thinking he’s won, Godzilla swims away.

The Titans battle at seaCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Kong will have to be carried via powerful helicopters the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Madison and the guys arrive at Apex’s secret test facility in Hong Kong (CAUTION: SPOILER AHEAD) where they discover that Simmons has created a giant mechanical Mechagodzilla, seemingly controlled by young scientist Ren Serizawa (Shun Oguri) but actually through the DNA, neural networks of Ghidorah. APEX has acquired one of his severed heads.  However, there isn’t enough power to fully operate the iron giant. That is really why Simmons wants the power of Hollow Earth! His creation can beat both Titans!

Walter Simmons has a secret agendaCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Entering Hollow Earth

Arriving at the Antarctica tunnel to Hollow Earth, Jia has to convince Kong to go in, thinking he might find more of his kind there. The team, including Simmons’ unsavory daughter Maya (Eiza Gonzales) follows in two of the flying HEAVs. Below is indeed a whole, lush other land. After fighting off several weird, attacking creatures, Kong leads the group to the source of the power, his ancestral home, a throne room with, sadly, only the skeletons of beings like him. There is a strange huge, axe that can be recharged by the power source and Kong unleashes it. Maya sends the power source’s signature back to her dad at the Hong Kong base but Godzilla senses the energy and comes ashore in Hong Kong, causing destruction before finding the Hong Kong tunnel to Hollow Earth and fighting there with Kong.

Lind and Ilene ask Jia to help with KongCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Back to Hong Kong

Lind, Jia and Ilene escape in one of the HEAV vehicles back to Hong Kong where Kong and Godzilla have traveled continuing their mega-battle. Simmons manages to send the power through Ghidorah’s skull to his Mechagodzilla and the fully-charged iron Titan busts out into the city while Madison and Josh try to use Simmons’ equipment to shut him down.

Madison, Josh and Bernie must stop APEX plansCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

The Titans’ fight escalates and it appears, at various times, that each might win the battle but with Mechagodzilla joining the mix, can either survive? Will the Titans have to somehow work together to beat this formidable adversary? Can some of the humans help to accomplish this?

Godzilla powers up during the Hong Kong battleCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Wrapping Up

Godzilla vs. Kong certainly provides the well-choreographed battles fans of the “Monsterverse” expect. Fights look great and the addition of Kong’s atomic-powered axe is a fun visual. However, as is unfortunately true for most monster movies of this type, the humans and their stories receive little development. The story unfolds on many fronts and requires more acceptance of wacky theories (forget science) than needed. Also, story developments are “telegraphed” way in advance by human actions or dialogue (a huge and classic screenwriting error).

Madison sees Simmons' creationCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

The actors do the best they can as they run around trying to interact with or control giant creatures but only little Jia, played with great expression by young Kaylee Hottle, garners our true sympathy. The talented Millie Bobby Brown is wasted as her character rushes around in a van with two guys like the Scooby Doo gang trying to solve a mystery. It would have been nice if the son of Godzilla: King of the Monsters scientist Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, included as a misguided aide to baddie Simmons, had a real part to play but “dad” and his sacrifice are never mentioned and the character is thrown away.

Young scientist Ren SerizawaCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Attempts at humor, mostly provided by the Bernie and Josh characters, fall flat and the few popular music numbers added to the soundtrack seem out of place although the basic score by Tom Holkenborg compliments the battle action. Effects-wise, Kong’s size varies. He is far bigger than he was in the Kong: Skull Island movie and even fluctuates within this film a bit.

Kong is ready for GodzillaCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

If you only want to see a movie like this for the monster vs. monster battle action, you probably won’t be disappointed but I like a logical Sci-Fi story and some human characters who evolve and have more influence on the outcome. I’d award close to five stars for the battle action but, as a whole, the entire film garners three.  

Godzilla vs. Kong Movie Rating: 

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

See Godzilla vs. Kong in some theaters and streaming on HBO Max starting March 31^st.