By: Keaton Marcus

It’s here. We live in an age where a film titled Godzilla vs. Kong can stream on HBO Max and in theaters at the same time. I don’t know if that’s a compliment to the last couple of years, but who cares? In all seriousness, this was an absolute blast from start to finish. The complaints from the two previous Godzilla films have been wiped off the face of the earth and transformed into an all-out monster extravaganza with miraculous digital effects and non-stop action sequences. They have replaced much of the exposition-laden boredom of King of the Monsters with some of the most gorgeous-looking large-scale action I have ever witnessed. The roles of the humans have been diminished substantially, but to an extent, I still cared for them far more than I did during this film’s immediate predecessor despite not finding them interesting. But who needs complex characters in such a monstrosity as this? I certainly don’t, and for an experience that allows you to turn your brain off for a refreshingly quick 1 hour and 45 minutes, it kicked some absolute ass.

Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe.

There are not enough times in this review that one can explain the fact that this is the flawless trick to forget about everything around you. Director Adam Wingard immerses the viewer into this world so effectively. School? Homework? Any personal problems? Forget it while watching this, as your eyes shall be glued to the screen, shoving snacks in faces while witnessing the greatest gladiator fight in cinematic history. It feels utterly cathartic to see all the mindless destruction as these two titans have an old-fashioned smack down, and the euphoric visuals only aid this absolute feast for the eyes. With that said, words cannot describe how clean, beautiful, bright, and bewitching the cinematography is. Each city (and world) we are dropped into has its own distinct style, and the decoratively colorful palettes make it easy to crack one fat, cheesy grin while watching. Since Godzilla released in 2014, these creatures have all been technical marvels no matter the actual quality of the movie, so to see them fight it out in a no-brain stylistic spectacle of monster madness is so satisfying.

While the creature design and camera work was certainly the standout for me, there were surprisingly other aspects that worked. These definitely separated it from other installments. I would commend how fast this thing moves. One hundred minutes went by like a little snap after the rather mediocre first 20 minutes, and the pacing is absolutely impeccable. I never found myself bored like in King of the Monsters. Its considerably shortened running time and increased emphasis on action sequences are two halves that work in tandem to make this successful. The movie was also propelled by some strong humor throughout, and above-average chemistry between its cast. This is what audiences want from a movie about two giant creatures fighting, some good entertainment value. It certainly delivers in this respect, and that was what I was primarily looking for from the very start. If a director has been lecturing the audience and giving them power point presentations over and over again without any actual fun, the movie has failed. If it has me shouting on the couch and cheering, oh goddamn it has succeeded.

Now…the performances. Something that has basically been criticized universally throughout these movies. I am not here to tell you that these actors deliver game-changing work, and with such a script as this, they weren’t necessarily given a whole lot to experiment with. However, I will write that each one delivered in terms of rock solid, serviceable jobs. Millie Bobby Brown, Julian Dennison, and Brian Tyree Henry were perfect together. They sufficiently brought comedic relief and a rather interesting side quest into the mix they although had little purpose until the end, was still extremely entertaining. The remainder of the cast was similar, giving functional and mostly competent performances. The main thing is, it’s not essential to focus on these actors when you have a massive Kaiju fight going on, especially when it includes something like Mechagodzilla.

The big underlying point is…Do not go into this expecting cinematic greatness. In fact, go in with low expectations and get ready to be surprised at how swift and neat everything is. How incredibly stunning and cool each setting is. The detail in the CG effects, the peppering of comforting jokes here and there, and the absolute therapeutic effect monsters destroying cities has on you. Sometimes, it isn’t a bad thing to just sit down, relax and enjoy a theme park ride. Considerable visual artistry is brought in here for sure, but this is a film to simply let the insanity wash over you. Not to think about anything other than how Godzilla is going to wipe the floor with Kong. Without too much overly pretentious messages and human drama, Wingard has crafted the perfect “dumb but fun” flick that so many in the genre have been trying to strive for.

What else can be said? It’s preposterous, dense in the head and completely out of its mind. That is what I happen to absolutely fall down and worship to, however. Is that really such an awful thing? To chill out for a couple hours and watch a giant lizard take out an oversized monkey. I certainly think that this is the perfect watch during these stressful times when everything is unpredictable. Godzilla vs. Kong is the flawless movie to turn on when one wants to unwind from a tough day, and isn’t that all the time right now? Look, it is forgettable after a few days, but it has such re-watchability factor that it will likely suck a viewer in for multiple watches. Maybe it will make for a good old comfort viewing. Overall, go have a blast and that is where I will leave this at.

$PLURGE IT