King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

It was perhaps inevitable that the biggest monster in Japanese cinema would meet the biggest monster in Hollywood. Not sure what the expectation would have been in 1962 but when they were coming together in 2021 I was really looking forward to it. There wasn't any real build up but there was none in 1962 so it's not a big problem. The human aspect of the story sees a Pharmaceutical company trying to claw back ratings on a TV show by going to capture King Kong just as Godzilla re-emerges from being snowed in.

This is the first film in the series that abandons the terror that the first one managed so well and replaces it with goofy nonsense that could only have worked in 1962. I wasn't expecting the series to maintain a serious tone forever but three films in and we have already given up. They have a big marquee fight and yet it doesn't feel like there is any narrative plan for them. They spend way too long getting Kong in the story and less time with Godzilla.

There are many things wrong with this film. There is the curious case of 'blackface' when they arrive on Kong's Island. Even Kong fighting a giant octopus looks poor. If you can just about suspend your disbelief that there is someone in Godzilla's costume then there is no chance of managing that with Kong. It is clearly someone trying to do monkey movements with Kong's arms and it is ill advised. Also there is one moment where we see Kong’s face and there is no articulation in the mouth or the eyes. If only they had put some effort into that then that would have help enough to make Kong seem like an effective monster.

It's an hour into a 97 minute movie before Kong and Godzilla meet. That would be ok in a two hour movie but when it's just over an hour and a half that means that there is very little versus between the two creations. I am more of a Godzilla fan and so find that he is the better monster and more interesting monster. The fact that they share the screen hurts Godzilla because the films work better when Godzilla is up against a less famous monster

It would be 51 years before we got a good Kong vs Godzilla movie (and at time of writing two more) so it's hard to be too harsh on this film but let's not pretend that it's good. In fact it's quite disappointing at how little effort they seemed in the costumes and keeping Godzilla and Kong separate for so long. If you were trying to get the younger audience then this would be the best way to go about it but if you wanted something akin to the first one then you're going to be disappointed.