Holding their own: Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle.Photo / Supplied
Holding their own: Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle.Photo / Supplied
With audiences fatigued by superheroes, the beasts have seen an opening. Last year’s Japanese smash hit Godzilla Minus One, which celebrated the franchise’s 70th year by being one of the best in the series, won the visual effects Oscar.
Hollywood can’t match its east Asian counterparts with its fifth modernMonsterVerse flick and a follow-up to 2021′s Godzilla vs. Kong, but it still delivers an impressive rematch.
Kong has been banished to a realm called Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, the mutant reptile is up amongst humanity “fighting the battles we can’t” against other kaiju, and making collateral damage of various wonders of the world. We first see Godzilla asleep in the Colosseum before splashing down the Tiber. Rio de Janeiro and the Pyramids of Giza are also on the itinerary.
But soon, these gargantuan adversaries are butting heads once again. Excellent digital effects nicely anthropomorphise Kong with an expressive face, and the humans aren’t too bad, either. Rebecca Hall returns as Kong expert Dr Ilene Andrews, whose adoptive daughter Jia (deaf actress Kaylee Hottle) has a special connection with the giant gorilla.
Downton Abbey alumnus Dan Stevens, who director Adam Wingard memorably cast in brilliant, gory thriller The Guest, is the homo sapiens’ MVP here. His touchy-feely, Tennyson-quoting “Titan veterinarian” is hilarious.
But the film is not the sum of some good parts – its stronger first half is ultimately unsustainable. Like its monstrous heroes, after two hours you may feel pretty tired.
