Godzilla vs. Kong: A Fan’s Anticipation (Movie Predictions Issue #10)

 

Godzilla vs. Kong: A Fan’s Anticipation (Movie Predictions Issue #10)

 

The year was 2005. For my eleventh birthday I went to see a movie with a friend, and there was a trailer for some new film before the feature. For the first minute, I couldn’t tell what movie the trailer was for, but it looked like some fantasy adventure. There was a mythological island, a big wall, and the loud roar of some unseen monster. Then there was a giant hand reaching for a woman—I thought it was a giant human hand, at first. Wait, no…to quote Biff from Back to the Future Part 2, “There’s something very familiar about all this.” Finally, I realized what I was looking at: it was a trailer for a remake of King Kong! At that point I was the only one in my group of friends already familiar with King Kong beyond just the name and general pop culture knowledge, having seen the original 1933 film, which I would never forget. I was beyond excited for the new King Kong, and I distinctly remember something from our discussions leading up to its release: what if King Kong fought Godzilla? Who would win? We couldn’t understand why such a movie didn’t exist. The two most iconic giant monsters of all-time had to be in a movie together! Our discussion remained hypothetical.

I didn’t have a computer with internet in 2005, so it wasn’t until after King Kong was released on DVD in 2006 that I made a miraculous discovery: there did exist a King Kong vs. Godzilla film! Toho, the studio behind the original Godzilla, made it in 1962, using the same rubber suit effects I was already familiar with from the 1956 American re-edit of the original Godzilla. I had seen it multiple times, thanks to a VHS copy I’d received for Christmas years before, so it didn’t come as much of a shock when I finally got my hands on a DVD copy of King Kong vs. Godzilla and watched the legendary showdown for the first time, only to find it cheesy, dated, and strange, but lovable nonetheless. I was so satisfied to have finally witnessed something that I had wondered about for my whole life it seemed—at least since first learning about the existence of King Kong and Godzilla. Still, it was unfortunate that the only version of this monster fight to exist was such an old one. I loved all the classic King Kong and Godzilla films, but to think back on the 2005 remake and all those stunningly-realistic computer-generated effects, I wondered…what other possibilities were there with a new version of King Kong vs. Godzilla? The possibilities seemed endless to my young mind.

So I waited. I learned more and more about both monsters, I watched every movie that was out there with them in it, and after years of patience and growing into an adult, I finally got the chance to see a new Godzilla film in the movie theater in 2014. Unlike the last American Godzilla from 1998, which I grew to dislike as I got older, this one did the king of the monsters justice, in much the same way Peter Jackson’s King Kong had done for the eighth wonder of the world nearly a decade earlier. But then, when I didn’t think I could get any more excited, another announcement was made. The same studio that had successfully rebooted Godzilla was also rebooting King Kong, with Kong: Skull Island coming out in 2017. After having lost hope for so many years, the ultimate announcement was made: Godzilla vs. Kong in 2020. The rematch I had been waiting for, hoping for, wanting to see for so long, was finally going to happen.

As an adult, I had come to realize just how unique and special the original King Kong vs. Godzilla was, because it wasn’t as simple as “hey, can we borrow your giant monster to fight our giant monster?” Making two major intellectual properties with different owners share the screen is not an easy task, and that’s a big reason as to why it only happened one time. There were licensing issues, production budget concerns, division of profits—all that depressing behind-the-scenes B.S. But, at the end of the day, it comes down to money, and somehow, some way, studio executives at Legendary realized if they have the rights to both the Godzilla and King Kong characters and are able to put them in the same movie together, they will make money. And so, it came to be.

Godzilla vs. Kong will be the battle of a lifetime for fans of both monsters, and fans of monster movies in general. This is something I’ve been hoping to see for more than half my lifetime. Excited doesn’t really properly describe it. But, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I’m not a kid anymore, so let me take a step back and look at this situation with a little more clarity, a wider scope, and realistic expectations.

First of all, let’s examine the groundwork that’s been laid leading up to this brawl. It’s interesting that just like the original King Kong vs. Godzilla, there were two Godzilla movies before it. First there was the original Godzilla, with its gritty, realistic approach, then Godzilla Raids Again, which was less serious and more about the spectacle of monsters fighting. I’m not suggesting 2014’s Godzilla and its sequel are all that comparable, though. Godzilla (2014) tried to take a realistic approach, but also tried to appease long-time fans by having him fight another monster, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) went all-out with the monster battles and world building. To this point, I’d say Godzilla vs. Kong has actually been set up even more effectively than the original King Kong vs. Godzilla.

Even though I didn’t love Kong: Skull Island as a film overall, it got King Kong right—in fact, I think it did a better job with Kong than the original King Kong vs. Godzilla. Toho’s take on the monster was faithful to the original only in concept; he was portrayed by an actor in a suit, which worked in the sense that Godzilla was previously realized with this special effects technique, so it maintained consistency in that regard, but even in 1962 the rubber suit looked inferior to the combination of effects used for Kong in the 1933 original (stop motion, mechanical effects, miniatures, etc.) As for this new American version of Godzilla, I don’t think there’s much more I need to say at this point. Just look back on my previous reviews (and, while I’m at it, I’ll throw in the link for my Kong: Skull Island review, too):

Godzilla (2014): http://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2014/05/godzilla-2014-review.html

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019): http://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2019/05/godzilla-king-of-monsters-2019-review.html

Kong: Skull Island (2017): http://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2017/03/kong-skull-island-2017-review_16.html

So the two monsters have been set up well, but there’s something else about the setup that has me both excited and worried. Unlike their first battle in 1962, this movie isn’t just about the two of them. Godzilla: King of the Monsters established an entire planet of giant monsters, which means we aren’t only going to see Godzilla and Kong fight in this movie, we’re likely going to see a whole bunch of other monsters show up, too. This is obviously exciting because the more monsters we can get in one movie, the better, but it also feels like it might take away from the focus of seeing Godzilla and Kong fight each other.

I’ve avoided watching any trailers, mainly because Godzilla: King of the Monsters showed way too much in all of its trailers, and I want to be surprised by everything the first time I sit down to watch Godzilla vs. Kong. Everything that follows is speculative, but some of it may already be apparent from the footage released so far. Here’s how I’ve tempered my expectations: Godzilla vs. Kong may just be the title of the movie, and we may just see them fight once or twice, but that’s good enough for me. The tagline, “One Will Fall” may also be misleading, but the marketing (from what little I’ve seen/heard) seems to be indicating there will be a definitive winner. Everyone is probably wondering who I’m putting my money on, the lizard or the monkey. It seems obvious that Godzilla has advantages in this fight over Kong (atomic breath, atomic strength, more experience, a tail, spikes, etc.) and will be more likely to win. If they stay true to the original King Kong vs. Godzilla, Kong will actually come out victorious, but Godzilla has been set up as the new king of the monsters and a protector of humankind (for now) more than Kong has, so it’s anyone’s guess. Personally, I think the studio is anticipating a challenging future in making profitable Godzilla films (King of the Monsters was not as financially lucrative as the studio had hoped, and Godzilla vs. Kong will probably have a hard time recouping its budget due to the pandemic), plus, let’s not forget that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are borrowing the rights to Godzilla from Toho, but they hold the full rights to Kong. I wish it wasn’t true, but the fact is that these movies are just business, so from a financial perspective, it might make more sense for Godzilla to be killed off and Kong to continue in more films. The winner may be determined by how much more money they could make in the future.

I don’t necessarily need a whole movie with just the two of them fighting. In fact, I’d rather see what I think/hope is coming: new and old monsters fighting both of them in a Batman v Superman style crossover where they fight in the first half, then are forced to settle their differences by the end in order to take down a bigger threat. Many rumors have been circling for a while such as King Ghidorah returning (possibly even as Mecha King Ghidorah), or Mechagodzilla showing up, or maybe even Destoroyah being born out of the Oxygen Destroyer that was used in King of the Monsters. My enjoyment of seeing any of these potential scenarios play out will depend on how they are handled. So here’s where I’m a little skeptical: this movie might end up being too ambitious. Godzilla: King of the Monsters managed to be a loving tribute to the heyday of Godzilla films without succumbing to being a highlight reel of stuff we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully Godzilla vs. Kong manages to deliver all the new possibilities of seeing them fight that weren’t possible with special effects limitations of the past, without forgetting that the two of them fighting is what fans want to see first and foremost, and anything else would be a bonus.  

But then there’s the elephant in the room, and I’m not talking about Godzilla here, or even Behemoth, the giant monster introduced in King of the Monsters that looks like a Mammoth crossed with a giant Sloth. The elephant in the room is the cast of human characters. Audiences are paying to see the monsters, not them, but this is a modern, American monster movie, so you can bet there are going to be too many humans anyway that get way too much screen time, and I have a feeling we aren’t going to care about most of them. In Godzilla, they got a pass, mostly thanks to Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe, then in Kong: Skull Island they got a fail, even with the all-around great cast of actors, and then in King of the Monsters they got another marginal pass, but for Godzilla vs. Kong I think there’s going to be yet another whole new cast of characters, with the exception of maybe two or three returning characters from King of the Monsters. That means all the new people need to be introduced and set up, so hopefully it’s dealt with in an interesting way and doesn’t take too long, that way we can get to the good stuff faster. At least the cast has some great new additions, such as the brother of Pennywise the Clown (A.K.A. Alexander Skarsgard) and Ricky Baker (A.K.A. Julian Denison).

I can’t imagine being too disappointed by this movie, because even if it sucks in terms of story, human characters, repeating stuff from older Godzilla and/or Kong films, or whatever it may be, just having Godzilla and Kong in the same movie again for the first time in nearly sixty years should be satisfying enough. What I find most disappointing of all, though, is that I won’t be seeing it for the first time on the big screen. Seeing a movie like this in a movie theater is more than a novelty for me. I still have vivid memories of sitting in that uncomfortable fold-down seat watching King Kong for the first time in December of 2005, being completely transported to this fantasy world for three whole hours—I mean, I was eleven, the fact that anything could hold my attention for that long is a miracle in and of itself. Seeing Godzilla in a theater in 2014 was unforgettable, too—my first Godzilla movie on the big screen, and it was good!

I’m trying to look at it from a realistic, reasonable perspective. I was lucky enough to see King Kong (2005), Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) all in theaters accompanied by great people every time, and chances are there will be other new ones to be seen in theaters further down the road. Plus, there was the uncertainty of getting a chance to see Shin Godzilla in Canada in 2016, because typically Toho Godzilla films only come out in Japanese theaters, and I got to see it twice, so that one was even more special, in a way. Technically, I could see Godzilla vs. Kong at the nearest open theater, but as much as I want to, my own health and survival are ultimately more important than a movie I can still see in a safer place anyway. After the pandemic ends, if theaters are still around, I bet it will get a re-release; it’s something that’s made to be seen on the biggest screen possible. But, I’d be lying if I said the circumstances surrounding why I won’t be seeing it in theaters on day one haven’t tainted the overall experience for me.

So that’s it then, nothing left to say until I see the movie and come back for the big review. Godzilla vs. Kong comes out in theaters and becomes available for streaming on the same day, March 31^st, 2021. 

 

UPDATE (2021-03-24)

As of right now, Godzilla vs. Kong will only be released in theaters in Canada, not direct to streaming. I cannot describe how frustrating and disheartening this is, but hopefully we will either get a streaming release in the not too distant future, or we can figure out some way to get to a theater that is open and see it as safely as possible. Review will be posted as soon as possible, but until then, stay tuned. 

King Kong Movies Ranked

KING KONG MOVIES RANKED!

 

Before Godzilla: King of the Monsters was released in 2019, I undertook the huge challenge of ranking all the Godzilla films that had been released up to that point, and now with Godzilla vs. Kong finally being released, I thought I’d give King Kong the same ranking treatment. This wasn’t nearly as hard, since there are way fewer films, but the results might still be surprising to some.

At the absolute bottom of the list we have King of the Lost World. This one…isn’t even a King Kong movie. But, it does feature a giant ape that is very clearly supposed to be ripping off King Kong, and given this is my personal most-hated film out of every movie I have ever seen in my life, it ranks as the worst King Kong movie ever, unofficial or otherwise.

 

8. King Kong Lives (1986)

Both the original King Kong and the 1976 remake had sequels, but this sequel to the remake goes in a very bizarre and ultimately unsatisfying direction. It turns out King Kong didn’t actually die after being shot down from the World Trade Center, so he’s on life support in the beginning of the film, and they find a Queen Kong, as well, but having more than one giant ape doesn’t make for a better sequel. This one has boring human characters, a lack of memorable action or spectacle, and very little to set it apart from other Kong films in positive ways. I already wasn’t a fan of the first film, and this one is even campier, cheaper, and dumber. I think it might be the only official King Kong movie that I don’t recommend, even though it isn’t without some appealing practical effects and B-quality monster-on-military clashes.

 

7. King Kong (1976)

The 1976 remake of King Kong is a remake in the sense of retelling the same overall story, but it tells it in a much different way. It doesn’t have the same sense of harrowing adventure and dazzling fantasy as the original, it’s more of a slow, dour tragedy, and many have come to appreciate it for what it is, but I for one don’t find it to be that compelling or enjoyable. Kong is portrayed by a man in a suit, and while the effects are good for what they are, it still just doesn’t have the same appeal as stop motion, or even a cgi motion capture performance, for that matter. The characters aren’t that likable overall, even though the main girl Kong takes a liking to is more than just a damsel in distress this time, and the sets are pretty impressive, but without any dinosaurs or other creatures on Skull Island (aside from a giant snake), this version just doesn’t feel like it’s paying enough homage to the original, nor is it trying to outdo the original, or be enough of its own thing, so its exact purpose for existing at all, other than to make money off the name and concept, becomes a little dubious. It’s still worth at least a one-time watch, but definitely doesn’t hold up in the same way that the best Kong films do.  

 

6. Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Unlike the 70’s remake, this reboot is more of a general tribute to schlock monster movies, and I know I’m in the minority with my opinion, but I don’t really like Kong: Skull Island very much. While it is certainly miles ahead of many other Kong iterations with its modern special effects (which are all very good, even if it is all cgi), its stand-out cinematography (so many of the shots are memorable and gorgeous and epic), and even something as simple as its ties to Godzilla (the end credit scene is the best part), I just find it mostly generic, mainly because the characters are all so stock that having them played by such a great cast feels like a waste, and the creatures are nothing special. Kong himself is great to see in action, but his purpose in the story isn’t as central as usual, and a lot of the action isn’t that unique or thrilling. For a modern giant monster movie, it’s average or maybe slightly above that, but in comparison to the history of King Kong films, I find it sub-par.

 

5. King Kong Escapes (1967)

I might be ridiculous for putting this one above Kong: Skull Island and the 70’s remake, but honestly, I find King Kong Escapes to be more fun in a so-bad-it’s-good way, and I’m minorly nostalgic for this undeniably absurd take on the eighth wonder of the world. First of all, Kong himself looks like a Muppet. The special effects are all cheap and goofy, even compared to earlier Toho films, but still have an undeniable charm. The plot is goofy, too, with the evil Dr. Who (no relation to the BBC series) building a mechanical King Kong called Mechani-Kong in order to mine a dangerous element, but then he goes after the real King Kong when it fails, and we get a recreation of the famous Kong-T.rex fight, only this time with Gorosaurus, who later appeared in the Godzilla film Destroy All Monsters. King Kong also battles Mechani-Kong at the end. It might be silly and inconsistent throughout, but King Kong Escapes manages to be more creative and elicit more of a reaction from me at key points than the three King Kong films further down this list.   

 

4. Son of Kong (1933)

Technically, Son of Kong doesn’t count, because it features his son, Little Kong, and not the actual eighth wonder of the world himself, but I’ll still rank it because 1) it was made by the same creative team as the original King Kong, and 2) if we want to get really technical, you could say the Kong featured in Kong: Skull Island isn’t really King Kong, either, because 1) no one ever calls him King Kong, 2) he’s clearly an offspring of other Kongs, and 3) it takes place decades after the original Kong was set and tells a pretty different story to the original, which means another story closer to the original’s story featuring an actual King Kong may have occurred and we just don’t know about it. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, I’m a huge Kong nerd but none of this matters and I’m just going to rank Son of Kong at #4. It’s more comedic and less epic than the original, but still has the same classic vibes and holds up nearly as well.  

 

3. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

The first time Godzilla emerged from the depths was two decades after King Kong plummeted to his death in New York City. It would be over a decade after Godzilla’s debut before Toho brought Kong back from the dead to battle the King of the Monsters, in one of the greatest monster mashes of all-time. Limitations in special effects during the era didn’t stop Toho from putting everything they could into this one, with great scenes of Godzilla fighting the military and Kong fighting a giant octopus being memorable highlights that occur long before the two stars ever meet. The human characters are consistent with the majority of those found throughout the early Showa-era Godzilla films (minus the original film), and the pacing is great, with not too much time spent on either the people or the monsters, but leaving nothing out, either. Godzilla and Kong’s final battle is a spectacle, and will make you laugh as much as fist pump, no matter who you are rooting for. It may be too dated and cheesy for some to enjoy nowadays, but it’s still a lot of fun, and satisfies as both a King Kong film and a Godzilla film in equal parts.

 

2. King Kong (2005)

Peter Jackson was on top of the world once he wrapped his award-winning adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Hollywood let him make whatever the hell he wanted afterward, however he wanted to make it. He had wanted to remake King Kong even before taking on Middle Earth. The final product was an epic homage, but at three-hours-long, was just too much for most movie-goers. When King Kong is at its best, it really is a sight to behold, but even as someone who loves it nearly as much as the original, I wouldn’t deny that it’s overindulgent. That being said, I think it’s one of the best remakes of all-time, because Jackson utilized the most sophisticated special effects techniques available at the time (like the original), he set it in the 1930’s and followed the original story very closely, and most of all, he stayed true to the spirit of the original, which no other King Kong film to date has done. It’s exciting, it’s scary, it’s character-driven without skimping on the dinosaurs and other creatures, it’s grandiose, it’s emotional, and it just plain holds up.

 

1. King Kong (1933)

As I write this, King Kong is 88 years old. I watched it again only a few months ago, and to say it holds up is too simple of a way to put it. The original King Kong is more than the golden standard for monster movies. It’s more than one of the most historically significant motion pictures of all-time. King Kong is timeless. I seriously can’t say enough good things about it. Sometimes I think about movies that have come out in the 21^st century and wonder which one will stand out the most for people in the decades that follow. What will be the King Kong of its era? Because there is nothing else like King Kong. It has sound, music, and special effects, all of which was pretty new at the time it came out, but nothing else from that era has stood the test of time or remained in pop culture to nearly the same degree. What else can I say? The original King Kong is the best King Kong film ever made, and the best that will ever be made. Even Peter Jackson knew that when he remade it. I hope there are more great King Kong films in the future, but even if there aren’t, I’m fine with that. I will always have the original to look back on and watch in wonder. It’s a miracle how something so incredible was made so long ago, and has remained so significant and entertaining.

 

For all my other thoughts on everything King Kong, check out the links below:

King Kong (1933): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2016/07/king-kong-1933-favourite-films-series.html

Son of Kong (1933): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2019/10/son-of-kong-1933-review.html

Kong: Skull Island (2017): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2017/03/kong-skull-island-2017-review_16.html

King Kong (1933) vs. Godzilla (1954): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2016/06/king-kong-1933-vs-godzilla-1954-movie.html

King Kong (1976) vs. Godzilla (1998): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2016/07/king-kong-1976-vs-godzilla-1998-movie.html

King Kong (2005) vs. Godzilla (2014): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2016/07/king-kong-2005-vs-godzilla-2014-movie.html

Godzilla Villains (spoiler: Kong ranks at #1): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2014/05/ccc-issue-26-top-ten-godzilla-villains.html