{"id":16210,"date":"2021-03-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/?p=16210"},"modified":"2024-03-02T21:16:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T05:16:52","slug":"review-godzilla-vs-kong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/review-godzilla-vs-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Godzilla vs. Kong<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years I\u2019ve had a recurring dream where I\u2019m surrounded by people and something important is happening. I\u2019m supposed to solve some major problem and that the people around me are important, but I have no idea who they are, or what\u2019s going on. Just as I\u2019ve pieced together what\u2019s happening and devised a plan, the rules either change, or I wake up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also the experience I had watching Godzilla vs. Kong<\/em>. Even strong familiarity with the series will leave viewers uncertain of what\u2019s happening in its latest entry. Godzilla vs. Kong<\/em> is two separate movies, smashed together to create the feeling of one. It never coheres, and is so overloaded with characters and exposition that nothing connects either. Adam Wingard\u2019s film skimps on titan beatdowns as well as character arcs, mostly in the service of confusing, unimportant lore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first of the two storylines is Kong\u2019s: he\u2019s living in a biodome under the care of biologist Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her ward Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a native of Kong\u2019s former home, Skull Island. Ilene, Jia and Kong are conscripted by scientist Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd) for an expedition funded by biotech magnate Walter Simmons (Demi\u00e1n Bichir) to the center of the Earth, which houses the dimension Kong comes from, as well as a valuable power source Simmons wants to get his hands on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing in their way is Kong\u2019s blood enemy, Godzilla, who\u2019s drawn to him like an ancient grudge-powered magnet. Once thought to be humanity\u2019s protector, Godzilla runs into problems of his own after attacking Simmons\u2019 company\u2019s Florida headquarters. Godzilla\u2019s human pal Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) is certain there\u2019s a reason for the big lizard\u2019s behavioral change. She tries to find it with the help of her friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and a conspiracy podcaster (Brian Tyree Henry). As promised, Godzilla and Kong eventually encounter each other, with combative results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The two titans don\u2019t duke it out for the first time until almost 40 minutes in. Considering the time it takes to get to the match-up we\u2019re here for, it\u2019s odd that all the table setting does nothing to communicate what we\u2019re seeing and why. There are so many different storylines in Godzilla vs. Kong<\/em> that Wingard and the movie\u2019s team of screenwriters spend only a minute or two introducing a character or advancing one plot before zooming off to the next one. The lack of context makes it feel like we should know all of these characters from previous films, but of the major players, only Brown\u2019s Madison and her dad Mark (Kyle Chandler) are returning. The rest are totally new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true that nobody goes to a movie like this for the human drama, but even by an action metric, Godzilla vs. Kong<\/em> is a disappointment. There are three big fights over two hours, two of which happen in the last 30 minutes (at least they\u2019re fun). The rest of the time, we\u2019re stuck with a befuddling jumble of plots and dialogue that feels less like a script and more like a word cloud. You\u2019d be forgiven for forgetting the characters\u2019 names; several of them, including Dennison\u2019s Josh, could be entirely removed with no impact. The film is a mess, but knowing Wingard is capable of better, and that this series can be (and has been!) better makes it even more of a letdown. \"\"\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C-<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

“Godzilla vs. Kong” is in theaters and on HBO Max Wednesday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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