(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 6.5
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle
Douban Comments: “As a pure action movie, it’s quite satisfying. The film takes the “hollow earth” concept that was so striking in the previous installment and expands it to cover 80% of the runtime. For fans of monsters and gigantic creatures, it offers two hours of total immersion in a world of giants, free from the annoyances of reality. Typically, monster movies blend elements of disaster and horror, but this one feels different – more like a superhero or martial arts film. The “monster content” has been significantly increased, delving into the creatures’ perspectives and telling the story from their point of view, with humans finally taking a backseat as mere supporting characters. It’s clear they understand what the audience wants: to see big monsters in action.”
“The film’s genre choice is on point, with lots of monster battles. However, despite the intense fighting, it ends up being quite boring. The battles are over quickly, and the big showdown is a confusing mess of random fighting. The colourful visual effects are overwhelming and make it hard to follow, leaving out the classic tension building elements.
The villains lack any real sense of menace; one of them just waves a rock around and seems quite weak. The typical American movie tropes are all there, but they feel predictable. What’s most disappointing is the drop in overall quality: the special effects aren’t great, and the monster designs are uninspired – just oversized versions of a king crab, an eel, a red gorilla, and a salamander. The anthropomorphized monsters are also unsatisfying. Many scenes are abstract and hard to follow, and the underwater sequences, including the weightless fight scenes, are unintentionally amusing. It might be worth checking out ‘The Challenge’ for a better example of how to make zero-gravity scenes.”
“A 6.3 – this film clearly had a huge budget, with Kong and Godzilla each getting their own power-ups: Kong with a mechanical arm and Godzilla with an evolved pink dorsal fin. It feels like the writers took cues from ‘Boruto’ and ‘Dragon Ball Super’. The mystery is gone, and the film dives straight into action with split storylines. On the human side, it’s an Indiana Jones-style jungle adventure, awkwardly tying their journey to the monsters to maintain relevance.
This time, the villains include Snow Demon and Scar King, leading to a fun 2v2 battle at the end. The film is packed with both plot-driven and character-driven special effects.”
“The Monsterverse has reached its tenth year, and being able to still watch monsters fighting on the big screen is the best anniversary gift. A mysterious signal sets off a massive monster battle. As disaster approaches, Kong unexpectedly discovers his long-lost tribe. Although he longs for peace, he is called back into war. Kong and Godzilla fight side by side, with upgrades like a mechanical glove and pink glowing spines showing their boosted powers. The mini Kong is the biggest highlight of the movie – fast, smart, fierce, small, cute, strong, and full of attitude. The film also shows Kong’s heroism and how he passes on his strength.”
