Warner Bros.
After a year that saw blockbuster movies all but disappear, summer movie season seems to be on the verge of a proper return, as Warner Bros’ Godzilla vs. Kong “set pandemic offshore opening records for a Hollywood movie this past weekend with $123 million”, according to Deadline.
Godzilla vs. Kong has certainly lived up to the hype so far, as it’s not only breaking pandemic box office records, but it’s also holding a respectable 80% Critics Score on Rotten Tomatoes (you can check out our review of the film here). And given that this is a movie about two giant kaiju beating the hell out of each other, you’ve got to assume that if critics and fans alike are satisfied with the movie, then they’re happy with the fight scenes between the two iconic kaiju, as well. But what about the victor? Just because you enjoy a title fight doesn’t mean you agree with the winner.
Warning: spoilers for Godzilla vs. Kong will follow.
Similar to a non-title UFC fight, the battle between Godzilla and Kong is broken up into three rounds. The fight confrontation between the two is actually my favorite, as Godzilla launches a surprise attack on the open ocean water as Kong is being transported to Antarctica (yeah, uh, the plot’s not the best). While Kong puts up an admirable fight, Godzilla’s aquatic advantages are too great for the Eighth Wonder of the World, as he only survives the battle thanks to some quick in-battle thinking from his human captors.
The pair then go their separate ways until the third act, where they face off once again in the streets of Hong Kong. But this time, Kong — wielding an ax made of one of Godzilla’s scales that has the ability to block his nuclear breath — gains the upper-hand.
That advantage doesn’t last for long, though, as the essentially unkillable Godzilla is able to shrug off his mounting injuries more than Kong is able to, using that inherent size and strength advantage to defeat a beat-up Kong once and for all, even stomping on his chest to make the victory all the more clear. Kong puts up a hell of a fight, but Godzilla is ultimately the winner.
Naturally, though — as was the case with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice — Godzilla and Kong aren’t enemies for long, as the pair is forced to pair up to defeat mankind’s Mechagodzilla abomination.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is now playing in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
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