Rating of
3/4
Clash of the (EVEN MORE) Titans
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/04/24
Adam Wingard has found a winning formula for an actual monsterverse that works - throw a bunch of giant monsters out there and have them slobberknock each other, pair it with vibrant visuals and just enough real actors to make things work. It's enough to provide a solid base for some fun popcorn entertainment.
Picking up shortly after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong - we find our giant simian adjusting to a somewhat lonely life in the Hollow Earth - and he's set up some traps and everything! But he can't find any of his kind - plus he has a nasty toothache to boot. On the surface, Godzilla is happy to take down any other titans who happen to infringe upon mankind - even if there is still a fair bit of collateral damage to contend with. My biggest thought throughout this film is how Monarch (the group in charge of keeping track of all the titans just... out there) contend with what must be hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths - along with the several billion dollars worth of damage even the "friendly" titans cause (rip the Pyramids - they were old anyway). Eh- too deep for a film about big monsters punching one another.
Ahem - meanwhile our humans are contending with their own lives. Last-of-her-tribe Jia of th Iwa (Kaylee Hottle) is having trouble adjusting to school and fitting in - not helping things is a mysterious signal that is somehow connected to her. Her mother, Monarch head Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) is doing her best to raise Jia, but when you jetset all over the world, I can see how that may be a bit tough. Anyway, after calling in an old friend, Trapper (Dan Stevens - in a mix between Nathan Drake, Indiana Jones, Crocodile Dundee) to help get Kong's tooth fixed and calling on podcast enthusiast/conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry - once again, the main source of comic relief) to help with the signal, they realized that it is coming from deep within Hollow Earth and quickly mount an expedition. Jia tags along to help with translation while Mikael (Alex Ferns) is the no-nonsense, heavily-armed pilot. While the team is away, Godizilla begins to power up - as in, he eats an actual nuclear power plant (or at least absorbs it) and takes down the titan Tiamat to absorb even MORE power - he knows something is up and he wants to be ready, baby.
Down in Hollod Earth, Kong has finally found what he wanted - a family - but it turns out a happy reunion is not in order as most of his kin seem to be slaves to the Skar King - a wily, wiry great ape who also happens to control another titan, the ice-spewing Shimo, via a crystal that also serves as a whip-like weapon. Our fellow humans also make a great discovery - a tribe of Iwa hidden deep away - and Jia finds that she is very important to them - and to the future of humanity - as she is to serve to awaken the next form of Mothra - the only Titan who can hope to bring together Kong and Godzilla to fight as one.
Needless to say, all the threads will be woven together into one epic showdown - and in that, the film doesn't disappoint. Many have said that the monsters outshine the actual actors and, let's face it, they certainly do. The humans take a backseat to the mayhem - for better or worse. Look, this is a popocorn action flick through and through - much like Godzilla vs. Kong - if you're looking for some deep emotion or a massive amount of character development - go watch Oppenheimer. This is a film that gives a giant ape a massive power arm and turns Godzilla pink - you should know exactly what you're here for.
In the end, Wingard continues to build upon the success of Godzilla vs. Kong with another, even bigger, monster brawl. The question is, where does the series go from here... and can we FINALLY get a Pacific Rim crossover?!
