Review: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
This is the second round of a fight that has been decades in the making; the King of the Monsters takes on the reigning monarch of Skull Island in a fun, but wildly uneven Godzilla vs. Kong. This film is the fourth entry in what has been dubbed as Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ “Monsterverse;” one of the only remaining interconnected cinematic universes that are, for lack of a better term, aping the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir.
What Worked with Godzilla vs. Kong
Do you like the idea of seeing Godzilla fight King Kong with some other monsters in the mix? if so, this film largely delivers on the potential of giant monster fights. The film features three major fight sequences in its runtime, the last of which lasts around 20 minutes. As far as who wins and who loses, there will most definitely be a debate. Yet all sequences are thrilling and serve the headliners well.
The fights are the main draw of the film and are by far are worth the price of admission. While some Godzilla projects emphasize the horror of the destruction, this film runs purely on spectacle, sanitizing the kaiju combat. The impetus for the conflict is a death total of 8 in an attack of Pensacola, Florida, by Godzilla. In his cinematic history, Godzilla has killed millions. Yet in giving us some monster to root for the scale of destruction is limited to leveling buildings and landscapes, where humans remain largely unscathed. There is no scene of a woman and her children awaiting their doom as the kaiju approaches, circa 1954. But this movie isn’t a parable, it’s just fun.
Regardless, every impact, swipe, and bite is immensely satisfying. The camera also follows closely behind the monsters, as though they are mounted like Go-Pros. So, as a titan goes down, so too does the camera; the perspective changes, emphasizing the power of these attacks. The scale also changes between perspectives. From the human view, these monsters are generally slow, their motions creating drag. From the kaiju view, the scale changes, and their motions are fast and furious. It’s incredibly visceral. The colors and cinematography are also fantastic, really creating a sense of awe and spectacle when firing on all cylinders.
Godzilla and Kong are the stars of the film, and while Godzilla is perhaps a little underutilized, every scowl and arrogant glance turns him into a full-fledged personality. This is Godzilla at his peak and he is aware of his power. The giant lizard nearly smiles at several points after particularly devastating attacks and his frustrations as the fights turn against him are clear. The bulk of the film, however, emphasizes the character of Kong. The ape is the heart of the film. His weariness at his involvement with the humans is fun to watch, and he serves as an underdog that you can’t help but cheer on, especially as you learn more about his connection to the Hollow Earth that has worked its way into the series since Kong: Skull Island.
While the human portions are largely perfunctory, two extremely compelling performances are found in Bryan Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle. Henry plays a Titan-conspiracy podcaster with the enthusiasm and energy you’d expect and that such a character deserves. Hottle, as Jia, an Iwi from Skull Island, has a charming connection to King Kong and might be the highlight of the Monsterverse’s human cast, along with Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, and John C. Reilly.
As a whole, the interconnectedness of the Monsterverse has been fun to see develop. There are some issues with the approach, but the build-up to the confrontation between Godzilla and King Kong has been handled fairly well. Each film, since 2014’s Godzilla has created an inevitable expectation for these characters to meet, and the fact that this movie succeeds and delivers on such an expectation is a triumph.
What Didn’t Work with Godzilla vs. Kong
Most kaiju films, with a few notable exceptions, largely fail to deliver a compelling human angle. Sadly, this trend continues with Godzilla vs. Kong, saddling a damn fine monster story with three to four plots that divert attention with little reward. Returning characters, a necessity for an interconnected universe, are not utilized well, and their own stories, ones we should be invested in, don’t amount to much. Of the multiple human stories, the strongest involves an expedition into the Hollow Earth, but few of the characters prove compelling in this narrative. Skarsgård, particularly, feels overly bland and replaces a legacy character who should have been the one to visit Hollow Earth. This is a sign of a larger problem with Godzilla vs. Kong, and the larger Monsterverse, however.
The Monsterverse has been successful in spite of not having a central steward or vision beyond “big monsters are cool.” While the films build up their monsters by the sheer, outsized force of their presence, the other elements are jettisoned at the whims of the different storytellers. Monarch, for example, feels like a much smaller organization here than it did in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, to the point where a particularly large plot hole develops involving the operation to transport Kong to Hollow Earth. Furthermore, the human drama doesn’t land because compelling characters to structure the films around are killed off in the movies or even outright abandoned between films. A particularly egregious removal of who could have been a legacy character in this film stands out as an example of the lack of foresight the series as a whole is saddled with.
The human stories can be compelling in a Godzilla film, particularly when they are given a history with the character, or are heightened figures themselves. Godzilla vs. Kong largely fails in this regard with the notable exceptions of Brian Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle’s characters.
Final Verdict on Godzilla vs. Kong
The film is incredibly fun, and if safety permits, should be taken in on a big screen. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it feels like it has been a distinct lack of an event film. Godzilla vs. Kong is the perfect film to enjoy in a theater if you can do so safely. It won’t take home any screenwriting awards and has a number of plotholes, but for sheer fun and audacity, it is worth the time. If you have to watch it from home, order a pizza, crack open a couple of beers, and take it in as an event.
Haunted MTL gives Godzilla vs. Kong three and a half Cthulhus.
(3.5 / 5)
Godzilla vs. Kong is currently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max until April 30th.
We have come now to the finale of season four of The Boys. And while it didn’t have the literal blood fireworks I wanted, someone did get ripped in half in the air. So, that’s pretty close.
As a note, I will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. This ending was a hell of a gut punch that should be experienced as blindly as possible. That being said, I will not be able to avoid spoilers and still give a full legitimate review. Proceed at your own risk.
The story
The main storyline for this episode is the attempted assassination of President-Elect Robert Singer. The Boys join forces with the Secret Service to protect him. But, as we learned last episode, Annie has been replaced with a shapeshifter. A shapeshifter that was welcome not just into Hughie’s anus, but into the protective bunker in which the President-Elect is hiding.
What worked
The first thing I want to discuss about this episode is the ending. But we need to do this carefully.
The important thing here is that the ending breaks your heart on so many levels. So many terrible things are happening to characters that it’s almost hard to keep track. And each moment is significant to each character.
I cannot give a specific example. But no matter who your favorite character is, you’re going to weep for them.
Unless your favorite character is Sage. And this is the next thing that made this episode so fantastic.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything to say that Sage’s plans worked out exactly as she wanted them to. And she got exactly what she wanted.
What she wanted wasn’t power. It wasn’t money or fame or vengeance. It wasn’t to win the love of anyone. She just wanted to see if she could do it.
That is a terrific, terrifying motivation! Because all she wants is to play a massive game of chess with people as pieces. She doesn’t care about anyone. She just wants to see how many people she can manipulate. She just wants to set things on fire to see if she can.
Fantastic. A plus villain work.
The next thing I want to discuss is a cornerstone of the whole series.
The morality of The Boys shifts through the series. While it’s very much a battle to save the world from overpowered super monsters, it’s also a battle for the souls of our real heroes. And in that battle, there are two warring factors. We have Hughie, always trying to bring everyone up to a better level. And we have Butcher, who has no problem at all hitting rock bottom with a shovel in hand to do some more digging.
In this episode, we saw almost every member of The Boys challenged. Will they rise to their higher angels, or sink with their demons?
On a similar note, I am so glad that the writers kind of addressed my issues with Annie. They did this by having the shapeshifter get right into her face and accuse her of thinking that she’s better than everyone.
While that was devastating for the character, it was a little cathartic for those of us who felt like Annie was a little too good of a good guy.
What didn’t work
This is a small matter, but it is an issue that I want to address. After Annie finds out that Hughie slept with her doppelganger, she is furious at him.
In addition to this being unfair, it’s also a very cliche element to add. In almost every instance of a lookalike in fiction, there’s a moment where the love interest of the victim is fooled. Or almost fooled. And it’s always the same fight. It’s just played out and predictable. I’m just glad that it didn’t last very long.
Now that we’ve come to the end of the season, I can officially say that it was amazing. The story was deep and rich. The special effects were a stomach-turning good time. The character development was spot-on and satisfying. And, of course, it left me just about gagging to see what happens next. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ll have a bit of a wait. Because as of right now, the fifth season isn’t expected until 2026.
(5 / 5)
We’ve reached the second to last episode of The Boys, season four. And, as is appropriate for the penultimate episode of any show, things have to get a lot worse before they can get better.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Christmas is coming, and the whole world is getting ready. Ryan, despite being very clear that he didn’t want to appear on any TV shows or movies, has been strong-armed into participating in a Vought puppet Christmas special. He draws the line, though, when asked to sing about turning one’s parents in if they start talking about woke things.
Meanwhile, The Boys are trying to keep each other together. Butcher decides to take Sameer to the rest of the team. He also gets Frenchie out of prison, hoping they can make the Sup virus necessary to finally take down Homelander. Instead, this decision means disaster for one member of the team.
What worked
I first want to talk about Ryan’s speech near the end of the episode. Because it was exactly the moral of this whole story.
Ryan’s dad is a monster. His stepdad is also kind of a monster. But Ryan is a good kid. He cares about people, about family. And while he loves Homelander and Butcher, he doesn’t want to be like them.
Even better, this speech sounded like something a kid would say. Ryan didn’t open his mouth and start sounding like a college student all of a sudden. He sounds like a kid who misses his mom and wants to live up to the good standards she set for him. And I think that’s terrific.
Speaking of Homelander, he shot himself in the foot in this episode. I said earlier in the season that his hubris was going to be his downfall, and I was right. Without Sage, he just has the same weaknesses he’s always had. He’s going to fail because he just isn’t clever enough or patient enough to succeed.
Without Sage, I think a win is in the bag for The Boys. This isn’t to say that Homelander by himself isn’t dangerous. It’s just that he’s more like a wildfire than a controlled burn. He’s going to cause a lot of damage, but not get anything he wants out of it.
More’s the pity for him and everyone else who has to share his world.
Finally, I am thrilled with A-Train’s redemption story. I love that he wants to be a good person not to save himself, but to be a good person. His honest, pure and warm reaction to that little kid smiling at him in the last episode was heartwarming. It changed him in a moment, bringing to light a goodness that he’s been keeping under wraps for a long time.
This, along with Ryan’s courageous speech, proves once again what The Boys does so well. Yes, it’s gruesome. Yes, there’s blood and balls and batshit events. Yes, someone occasionally gets ripped in half. But there is a true human goodness in the story. One that we catch glimpses of. There are good people among the monsters. There is hope for redemption.
What didn’t work
Of course, so few things in this life are perfect, and this episode was no exception. For instance, I was irritated by the insinuation that Butcher cheated on his wife.
That just doesn’t make any sense. We’ve seen flashbacks of Billy and Becca. They were happy. He was happy. He was head over heels for her. And I don’t think it’s realistic or necessary for the character to throw in that he cheated. It does nothing to add to the story, it’s just a weird and offputting moment.
Doesn’t Butcher have enough to hate about himself? Can’t we just give him that at least he was a good husband?
Finally, I kind of hate that we ended up with Annie being caught. It’s just cliche, which is something I don’t normally say about this show. It feels lazy unless they do something very clever with it in the last episode. Which, I suppose, they might.
Next up is the season finale. And with this season being as insane as it has been, I’m expecting nothing short of bloody fireworks. And I mean literal fireworks of blood. At this point, would it surprise anyone?
(4 / 5)
Episode six of The Boys was one of the most surprising episodes of the series so far. And that is certainly saying something. Because this season has so far been bonkers.
The story
Our episode today revolves around a party at Tek Knight’s lovely mansion. Yes, it does look just like Wayne Manor.
The Boys know that Tek Knight is working with Homelander on something, but they don’t know the details. So they decide to send Hughie in to bug the mansion.
Because that’s worked so well the other two times he’s tried to hide a bug!
It should surprise no one that this time goes no better. Hughie finds himself in Tek Knight’s basement. And by that I mean his BDSM dungeon.
Meanwhile, the party upstairs is no less disturbing. Homelander and Sage are trying to convince some well-off political donors to support a cue after the election. When pressed for details on his plan, Homelander freezes. He looks to Sage for help, but she wasn’t recently shot in the head and still in the junk food stage of her healing.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Neuman jumps in and saves the day.
What works
If I’m going to say one thing about this episode, it didn’t hold back at all. I didn’t expect them to show a character masturbating, sitting their bare behind on a cake, or spraying breastmilk into someone’s face. But every time I thought they’d cut the scene and let something be left to our imagination, they did not do that.
This is a dangerous move. Whenever you show the monster, you run the risk of them not being scary enough, or gross enough. As Stephen King says in Danse Macabre, to leave this sort of thing to the imagination if the reader makes things so much worse. So when they finally experience the monster, they might say that this isn’t so bad. It could have been so much worse.
But in this case, they managed to avoid that by making the scenes, especially the ones in Tek Knight’s dungeon, so much worse than I imagined it would be.
What doesn’t work
While this was a deeply disturbing episode in many ways, there was one really innocent and sweet moment.
And yes, I did have a problem with it.
Confronted by Firecracker, Annie decides to apologize for spreading rumors about her when they were kids. She tells her that she is genuinely sorry.
And I believe her. I don’t think Firecracker did, but I did.
So why is this an issue? Because I’m starting to think that Annie is maybe too nice. She is too good.
I know that Annie is our good guy. But every one of the other good guys has flaws. Hughie let his pride get in the way and took Temp V. MM hid himself from his daughter instead of teaching her to work through her emotions. Kimiko is far too closed off and has a hard time trusting others. Frenchie numbs himself with drugs. And well, what hasn’t Butcher done?
It is unrealistic that Annie is just so kind and so flawless. We all have shadows in our personalities. We all have weaknesses, we all mess up. We all do things we wish we could take back. The fact that Annie doesn’t seem to have anything like that is not just unrealistic. It’s infantilizing.
Give her some deep dark secrets. Give her something real to regret.
This was a shocking episode, even for someone fairly jaded like me. I wasn’t expecting the sort of weird sexual depravity, though I guess maybe I should have seen it coming. It was dark, upsetting, tense, and funny as hell. And with just two episodes left in the season, I can imagine the stakes are only going to get higher.
(4 / 5)
By the way, if you like my writing you can get my short story, Man In The Woods, on Smashwords and Amazon.
