As much as I enjoyed the recent Godzilla Minus One, a monster movie as absolutely rooted in reality as it could be (considering it is about Godzilla), I cannot say the same about this new American monster mash. It goes in the opposite direction, gleefully eschewing any sense of reality in its creation of a modern world impacted not only by the title titans but others as well, an empirical Hollow Earth with many more surprises. There is enough imagination in this movie to fuel four such adventures, but the filmmakers have decided instead to dump everything into this one cinematic pot, stir it around a bit, and then try and pass off what results as palatable entertainment. It almost works.
Adam Wingard’s film begins with Kong’s toothache, which is rather novel and it is cool to see how his issue is resolved. Then the story gets crazy, as Godzilla goes into a rampage and collects radioactive energy for who knows what, Kong discovers an ancient threat in the Hollow Earth realm where he has been exiled, a way-too-small team of human scientists are detailed to learn what is riling the titans and our very existence is threatened until Mothra is recruited to salve bruised egos and save the day.
Big, dumb and loud describes some of the action blockbusters of the past, and that description is particularly apt here. How is it that Monarch scientist Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) can read pre-Sumerian hieroglyphs at a glance, relating how a giant scarred ape once tried to rule the world and is about to try again? How is it that Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last descendant of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, is the very figure needed to fulfill the ancient prophecy to revive Mothra and save the worlds? How is it that sleeping Godzilla awakens and somehow knows he has to store energy to fight the very same Skar King that he previously defeated in Hollow Earth? On and on we go, with nonstop, deafening action, all of which favors Kong rather than Godzilla, if that matters to you (I’ve always liked Godzilla more, myself).
That said, however, there are some nice touches. The introduction of Suko, the young ape who guides Kong through Hollow Earth, for instance. The respectful manner in which young Jia’s deafness is handled. Humor is abundant. The pace does not flag. Hollow Earth looks like a very inviting place, especially if one is a monster. But, really, this is all just entertaining nonsense. If it weren’t for the high quotient of violence, this would be great for kids. It certainly doesn’t demand a lot of thought, and it presents a wild spectacle that would have been thrilling to see when I was about twelve. ☆ ☆. 17 April 2024.