Godzilla Vs. Kong

Story: Kong needs to protect the planet from Godzilla, who goes on an unprovoked rampage.

Review: Godzilla emerges from the depths of the ocean to attack a facility owned by Apex Cybernetics. This prompts Dr Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) to team up with Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and convince Kong to defend humans from the mighty reptile. Dr Andrews is the adoptive mother to Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a hearing and speech impaired girl who is particularly fond of Kong. Meanwhile, Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) suspects Godzilla has valid reasons for his seemingly malicious act of aggression. Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), a former Apex employee, now runs a podcast based on the conspiracy theory that the company is hiding secrets from the public that could be ground-breaking. Together with Madison and her friend Josh Valentine (Julian Dennison), Bernie seeks to investigate Apex and its CEO Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir).

A creature feature is as good as its colossal beasts, and in that department, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is breath-taking. The creature designs are simply stunning to behold on the big screen, particularly in IMAX, and the action sequences are well-directed and executed by Adam Wingard. His technical know-how is on full display as he lends the set pieces with a clarity previously unseen in this monster-verse franchise. They’re supported by astonishing cinematography and effects that are seamless. However, the film is narratively bereft of logic, and the wafer-thin plot is littered with holes. Some segments, such as the journey to Earth’s inner core, are fascinating to look at but raise puzzling questions in the bargain.

Despite the cast putting their best efforts into their respective roles, there are hardly any emotionally impactful elements in the film. Some of the characters are merely filler, having little to no consequence. The roles played by Eiza González, Demián Bichir and Kyle Chandler come to mind. The most compelling angle is the bond between Jia and Kong, but it does not have much room for exploration before the next action sequence. Despite its shortcomings, ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is exactly as advertised. It certainly delivers on its promise as a massive monster clash, and adrenaline-driven movie lovers will be visually rewarded for catching this spectacle in cinemas.