Rebecca Hall’s anthropological linguist and Alexander Skarsgård’s geologist attempt to transport King Kong to the mysterious “Hollow Earth” as Godzilla and others attempt to disrupt their plans. Still with me?
A rough synopsis, if slightly irrelevant, but you get the gist, as director Adam Wingard (“You’re Next” “Blair Witch”) looks for a way to bring two of the most famous monsters in history face to face (and perhaps not for the first time).
The best quality of every entry in this franchise so far is it knows (most of the time) exactly what it is, a full-blooded CGI slog-fest that can leave you wide eyed. That’s not to say each are without their issues and this entry is much the same as the others as, yet again, the juggling of the more grounded human stories seems a bit too much to bear.
In fact, it does make you trudge through some mediocre human interaction before you get to the meeting of the titans. However, when they are on screen, the fight choreography and the CGI do really work well. Wingard does well to drop audiences in the centre of the action while keeping the visuals clean and easy to see, even as building after building crumbles down around them.
The message for this one would be simple, take it for what it is and enjoy the ride. Especially its last 40 minutes which deliver a few surprises, including a deep sci-fi plunge into what I’ve dubbed “Journey to the centre of Hollow Earth” (although sadly no Brendan Fraser cameo here).
Again, not all the grounded human stuff lands, the scripting around the adventures of Millie Bobby Brown’s returning Madison Russell, her new friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and Brian Tyree Henry’s investigative podcaster/comic relief character left quite a bit to be desired, even if they were clearly trying to keep it as thin as possible to advance the plot. There are some really sloppy lines, even for a movie like this. Dennison’s character being relegated to cliché’s like “I don’t understand women” as he follows Madison’s lead is a particular low-light.
Having said that, the film is still given something resembling heart by deaf actor Kaylee Hottle, who’s clear bond with Kong does give the film some emotional resonance at its core.
But of course, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this is a giant monkey versus a giant lizard and that’s why the film is at its best when it’s at its biggest, as titan faces titan in bruising encounters, and while it will be bittersweet for those of us watching on the small screen, I encourage those who can to seek it out on the big.
Either way, having already taken $120M worldwide and $70M in China, its blockbusting nature will be intact, and will hopefully be a very healthy way to open box-offices all over as the world comes out of lockdown and cinemas hopefully begin to open.
And with only a planned home rental release here, you can see a world in which this will help anchor the opening of UK cinemas on May 17th, especially given Warner Bros new cinema deal.
Arguably this film is the most unlikely of successes, but one that may not only have rescued a franchise on life-support, and one that may have given cinema the shot of life it needed to bring it alive and kicking once again.
SCORE: C
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.