“Godzilla vs King Kong” brings together the iconic rivals through the eyes of generic characters, but delivers when it comes to the epic battle scenes between the two last titan beings. A group of scientists are trying to get Kong to show them the way to hollow earth in order to do scientific research with the help of a little girl who is native to Skull Island and can communicate with him. Meanwhile the evil corporation Monarch is trying to exploit the mission for energy resources. Godzilla is seemingly taking innocent lives and targeting Monarch’s bases. Along the way, two kids join a conspiracy theorist to uncover Monarch’s secrets to explain why the ex-hero Godzilla is attacking these bases. The plot isn’t very compelling, but rather exists as an excuse for amazing action sequences. 

There is far too much going on with the too-many-to-keep-track-of human characters. With a 1 hour and 53 minute run time, the editing team or the writers should have cut out some of the side plot and focused more on creating three-dimensional characters. While performances are bland. it isn’t necessarily the actors’ fault since the script is set up for one-liners and unrealistic dialogue that exists only to advance the plot.

“Godzilla vs King Kong” is the fourth film in the franchise following “Godzilla,” “Kong: Skull Island,” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” Anticipation for the classic showdown between the world’s last two known apex predators has been building for years. 

During the opening credits leading to the title card, a nearly three-minute sequence serves as a recap of the previous three movies and gives viewers a taste of how advanced the movie’s editing team is. Combined with the excellent score by Tom Holkenborg playing over it, the sequence is an ideal way to hype up the audience for what is to come.

The creators of “Godzilla vs Kong” clearly know their audience, forsaking character development for more on the monster time. The human characters don’t have any layers and are just there to bring the audience into situations up close to the titans.

“Godzilla vs Kong” satisfies fans of the classic source material while also making sure that newcomers aren’t lost. To see this movie it is not imperative that you see any of the previous films or know anything about the fandom. A big fan favor that the creaters brought to screen was Mechagodzilla whose first appearance was made in the 1974 film “Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla.” This movie doesn’t do the character justice based on the little amount of screen time and underwhelming powers it had, but it means a lot to see that the creators honor the source material.

One of the big complaints about the previous films has been that the fight scenes keep taking place at night or during bad weather, especially in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” In the past, this was most likely done to cover up poor editing or unsophisticated CGI. In this movie all of the major fight scenes take place in clear weather with sufficient lighting. The effects are stunningly advanced and luckily there are multiple action sequences that are spaced out so the titans get plenty of screen time.

“Godzilla vs Kong” is available on HBO Max and in theaters. It has the best box office ratings since the beginning of the pandemic. This is not necessarily due to the film itself, but rather people starting to feel comfortable going to theaters now that vaccines are more accessible. Though It is offered on HBO max, it is evident that “Godzilla vs Kong” is made to be seen in a theater, paving the way for summer blockbusters coming.

People going into this film looking to analyze dialogue and subtext are going to be disappointed. But if you want to see giant ancient beings battle it out in epic fight sequences, this is the movie for you.