GODZILLA vs. KONG
****
Director: Adam Wingard
Screenplay: Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, based on a story by Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields.
Principal cast:
Alexander Skarsgård
Millie Bobby Brown
Rebecca Hall
Brian Tyree Henry
Shun Oguri
Eliza González
Country: USA/Australia
Classification: M
Runtime: 113 mins.
Australian release date: 25 March 2021.
He’s back and he’s bigger than ever! Kong, the giant ape from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, has returned to the screen in Godzilla Vs. Kong, for a no-holds-barred bout with his fellow ‘Titan’, Godzilla. He’s making a return, too, after Godzilla in 2014 and Godzilla: King Of The Monsters in 2019. Now, in the fourth instalment from the ‘MonsterVerse’, as the Hollywood franchise that also includes those other destructive kaiju, Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah, is called, the two finally come up against each other. This latest film is the culmination of many years of planning for the epic encounter. It was the dream of Thomas Tull, the founder of production company Legendary Entertainment, to have the two monsters meet when he acquired the rights to both characters in the early 2010s. He gave the job of combining the back-stories of the Titans to Max Borenstein, who has been involved in the plotting of all four films, and now we get to see the culmination of all his work. And, yes, there is a common background that links both Godzilla and Kong.
It’s a wild and crazy ride. When we first meet Kong again he is still on Skull Island, under the observation of Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her deaf, adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last member of the Iwi people who inhabited the island. For reasons that are too convoluted to explain here, Dr. Andrews is convinced by fellow scientist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) to use Kong as a guide into Hollow Earth, the long-mooted underground land at the centre of the Earth. It seems there’s an entrance in Antarctica and Kong is the perfect being to act as their guide. While the great ape is being transported by barge to the icy continent, Godzilla attacks the fleet but swims away when he is fooled into thinking he has destroyed Kong and the convoy. On the other side of the world, conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), has teamed up with Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown, reprising her character from Godzilla: King Of The Monsters) and her nerdy friend Josh (young NZ actor Julian Dennison, best-known as Ricky Baker from Hunt For The Wilderpeople), to infiltrate the headquarters of Apex Cybernetics in Hong Kong. Convinced there is something fishy going on, they are determined to unearth the corporation’s secret. What they find causes both Kong and Godzilla to be attracted to the city to make their last stand… or is it?
If monster movies float your boat, this film’s for you. It’s brash and bold and features a complex and happily bizarre script. There are plenty of varied plot-lines and diverse characters to keep you involved in the action, with a suitably big score to match, and the CGI Titans are extremely well-executed, right down to their skin, hair and breath. Much of it was filmed on the Gold Coast in Queensland (not that you’d know), so a number of Antipodean key creatives were involved in the production, like NZ cinematographer Ben Seresin and Australian production designer Owen Paterson. There are quite a few familiar faces in the cast, too, such as Ronny Chieng from ABC-TV’s Ronny Chieng: International Student and, more recently, Long Story Short.
Earlier this year, the director of Godzilla Vs. Kong, Adam Wingard, said that the MonsterVerse was created “to a certain degree” to lead towards this movie, adding that it is now at a crossroads. “It’s really at the point where audiences have to kind of step forward and vote for more of these things. If this movie is a success, obviously they will continue forward.” In other words, if the movie makes big bucks at the box office, get ready for more like it. Judging by the film’s positive reception internationally (it hasn’t opened in the USA as of this writing), it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing a lot more of these beasties in the future.
Screenplay: Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, based on a story by Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields.
Principal cast:
Alexander Skarsgård
Millie Bobby Brown
Rebecca Hall
Brian Tyree Henry
Shun Oguri
Eliza González
Country: USA/Australia
Classification: M
Runtime: 113 mins.
Australian release date: 25 March 2021.
He’s back and he’s bigger than ever! Kong, the giant ape from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, has returned to the screen in Godzilla Vs. Kong, for a no-holds-barred bout with his fellow ‘Titan’, Godzilla. He’s making a return, too, after Godzilla in 2014 and Godzilla: King Of The Monsters in 2019. Now, in the fourth instalment from the ‘MonsterVerse’, as the Hollywood franchise that also includes those other destructive kaiju, Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah, is called, the two finally come up against each other. This latest film is the culmination of many years of planning for the epic encounter. It was the dream of Thomas Tull, the founder of production company Legendary Entertainment, to have the two monsters meet when he acquired the rights to both characters in the early 2010s. He gave the job of combining the back-stories of the Titans to Max Borenstein, who has been involved in the plotting of all four films, and now we get to see the culmination of all his work. And, yes, there is a common background that links both Godzilla and Kong.
It’s a wild and crazy ride. When we first meet Kong again he is still on Skull Island, under the observation of Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her deaf, adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last member of the Iwi people who inhabited the island. For reasons that are too convoluted to explain here, Dr. Andrews is convinced by fellow scientist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) to use Kong as a guide into Hollow Earth, the long-mooted underground land at the centre of the Earth. It seems there’s an entrance in Antarctica and Kong is the perfect being to act as their guide. While the great ape is being transported by barge to the icy continent, Godzilla attacks the fleet but swims away when he is fooled into thinking he has destroyed Kong and the convoy. On the other side of the world, conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), has teamed up with Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown, reprising her character from Godzilla: King Of The Monsters) and her nerdy friend Josh (young NZ actor Julian Dennison, best-known as Ricky Baker from Hunt For The Wilderpeople), to infiltrate the headquarters of Apex Cybernetics in Hong Kong. Convinced there is something fishy going on, they are determined to unearth the corporation’s secret. What they find causes both Kong and Godzilla to be attracted to the city to make their last stand… or is it?
If monster movies float your boat, this film’s for you. It’s brash and bold and features a complex and happily bizarre script. There are plenty of varied plot-lines and diverse characters to keep you involved in the action, with a suitably big score to match, and the CGI Titans are extremely well-executed, right down to their skin, hair and breath. Much of it was filmed on the Gold Coast in Queensland (not that you’d know), so a number of Antipodean key creatives were involved in the production, like NZ cinematographer Ben Seresin and Australian production designer Owen Paterson. There are quite a few familiar faces in the cast, too, such as Ronny Chieng from ABC-TV’s Ronny Chieng: International Student and, more recently, Long Story Short.
Earlier this year, the director of Godzilla Vs. Kong, Adam Wingard, said that the MonsterVerse was created “to a certain degree” to lead towards this movie, adding that it is now at a crossroads. “It’s really at the point where audiences have to kind of step forward and vote for more of these things. If this movie is a success, obviously they will continue forward.” In other words, if the movie makes big bucks at the box office, get ready for more like it. Judging by the film’s positive reception internationally (it hasn’t opened in the USA as of this writing), it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing a lot more of these beasties in the future.