The Mosley Review: Godzilla vs. Kong

Before Batman vs Superman. Before Aliens vs Predator. Before Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed. Their was a battle between the original titans and it sent shockwaves through pop culture. Back in 1962 these massive titans clashed for the first time and now we get a second chance to witness the battle. All the films in the new Monsterverse have been leading to this moment and it was definitely an amazing payoff. The anticipation and build up to the two of them meeting was perfectly done. The story of the film was actually plotted out well and made since how and why they would fight. Usually the human storyline is the left in the backseat, but this time the humans are leading the story and it was engaging, sometimes ridiculous and hilarious. The story may have been cheesy and somewhat forgettable, but I was surprised by the amount of heart it had.

On the human side, the cast was excellent and fun. Millie Bobby Brown was excellent once again as Madison Russell. She is more driven this time around really moved the story along at brisk pace. Kyle Chandler returns as her father Dr. Mark Russell and he is always awesome. Their brief scenes together were good and their chemistry carries over perfectly from the past Godzilla film. Bryan Tyree Henry was hilarious and as Bernie he stole the film with so many great moments. I would love to see a team up film with Bernie and Madison finding out about government secrets and conspiracies. Julian Dennison was good as Josh Valentine, but I felt he was just a boring character and could've just been cut out entirely. Alexander Skarsgard was good as Dr. Nathan Lind and I liked his amount of wonder when seeing Kong and how his theories were proven. Rebecca Hall was good as Dr. Ilene Andrews, but at times it felt like she was in a different film. She seemed to just be walking through a few scenes and making odd acting choices. Kaylee Hottle was amazing as Jia and she really brought out the heart of the film and the soul of Kong. Eiza Gonzalez was good as the confident company woman Maya Simmons. She was a bit one note at times, but she was only there for a single predictable purpose. Demián Bichir was perfect as her father and typical CEO of Apex Cybernetics Walter Simmons. Now on to our titular characters.

Kong was awesome in this film and really the star. We get a surprising amount of character development and mythology behind him and his species. His scenes with Jia were really the most charismatic and human part of the story. Godzilla was awesome from the beginning of this Monsterverse and he is even more badass in this film. I loved that he doesn't come out unless provoked and provoked he was. Where as Kong is portrayed as the hero, Godzilla is somewhat portrayed as the villain. Either way, you love both titans and it doesn't take long until these two icons meet in combat. They go toe to toe and they both fight on each other's turf and you see them use their advantages. To see them fight and have buildings fall and people running as the debris fall and smoke plumes build was a dream come true. Each fight was brutal and every definition of the word epic. There is a clear winner, but of course I won't spoil the fun.

The cinematography was gorgeous and I loved the look of a certain place we go to in the film. The score by Tom Holkenborg was epic, powerful and just damn awesome! Director Adam Wingard has made an excellent film that not only has a good story, but the best use of our favorite titans. He really delivered on the brutality and ferocity of both titans and I loved every bit of his expertly crafted and beautifully shot action sequences. I loved this film and I think any Godzilla or Kong fan will have their mind blown and hearts filled with joy once they see this film. If you can't make it to the theater then it is currently streaming on HBO Max, but I highly encourage everyone to go see this in a theater that's playing it in IMAX or even Dolby. It is a must! Let me know what you thought of the film and of my review of the comments below. Thanks for reading!