Kong: Skull Island vs. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Kong: Skull Island vs. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

This isn‘t really a fair title but I just couldn‘t come up with another title that fast. I like Godzilla, but sorry he can‘t compete against Tom Hiddleston. I just ordered these three DVD‘s: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, War Horse and Kong: Skull Island (one of my fave Tom Hiddleston movie). There also was a dvd box of Godzilla (2014) and Skull Island in one. But the normal Kong: Skull Island dvd had Tom Hiddleston extra‘s and deleted scenes. Tom Hiddleston extra‘s or Godzilla? The choice was easily made..

Kong: Skull Island

First I will discuss Kong: (Jeez, I keep typing KOng) Skull Island and than there‘s a little Godzilla: King of the Monsters review/blog I wrote the other day. (No spoilers for Godzilla: KotM, but cannot say the same about Kong:SI.) I had only seen Kong: Skull Island once, and that was when it was released in 2017, so it was about time I watched it again.. I liked Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but now I got reminded to the many fronts MonsterVerse‘s previous one Kong: Skull Island truly was much better.

Couldn't wait for the DVD to arrive, watched it on Netflix instead.. 

The movie starts in 1944, two World War II fighter pilots (American pilot Hank Marlow and Japanese pilot Gunpei Ikari) parachute on Skull Island. As quickly as they are landed, they‘re continuing their fights. When Hank is about to face his death by Gunpei, Kong interferes. Here‘s the introduction of the King of Skull Island and perhaps you would have assumed that on that very moment Gunpei had found his death. However later in the film (28 years later), when among others Captain James Conrad, are coming across of the older Marlow, it gets revealed that something else had killed the Japanese pilot. Something they do not call by its name. (I‘ll discuss those things later.) You could be each other‘s enemies in a great war, but when you‘re trapped on a Island together where you‘ll have new enemies: bigger than the ones you've faced before, non of that matters anymore. During their journey towards surviving and getting off the Island, they even became the best friends. I liked this development a lot, because well, war is useless. For that same reason Samuel L. Jackson‘s character got me annoyed very much, I guess every film needs to have one of those..

From Tom to moments I spilled my drink..

"An uncharted island? Let me list all they ways you gonna die. Rain, heat, mud, disease carrying flies and mosquitoes. Sure you could load up on the Atabrine for the malaria... but what about the other bacteria? And we haven't even started on the things that want to eat you alive."

Now the introduction of Tom Hiddleston‘s character (former) Captain James Conrad. When we first lay eyes on him he‘s playing pool. He seems like the rough type to me, when we see him getting into a fight. However later in the film, I thought this 'rough-tough man factor' had decreased and we got to see a more calmer version of James Conrad, perhaps the Island/Weaver had the needy effects on him. And among characters like Bill Randa and Preston Packard, the movie needed the more calmer/normal types like Conrad and Weaver. Tom Hiddleston: unshaven and surrounded by the blue and red lights, truly no punishment to watch at all! When Randa is hiring Conrad to track something down, Conrad wonders who of what he wants him to track. And he‘s pretty warm, or shall I say: glowing hot when he mentions: "Things that want to eat you alive."

Credit: WikiZilla

I already love this movie from the start, but as soon as the Island is reached, it‘s getting more and more interesting. The scene in which Kong is taking down the helicopters (toy helicopters in his case) one by one is absolutely done amazingly! At one point you see someone ending up in the big guy‘s mouth and in the next shot you see someone eating a sandwich or something like that. Another great watch is, I have to admit: Brie Larson. She‘s absolutely stunning (still, not beating Tom Hiddleston) and I remember how the guys were so overwhelmed every time she was on the big screen (same thing counts for Captain Marvel). Another thing that I suddenly remembered from when I had watched it in the cinema‘s, is the moments it had that made me spill my drink. The sudden moments something happens or appears, like a giant spider/ant stepping into someone‘s jaw. Okay, during some silent moments where someone is looking around them, I know I don‘t have to touch my drink because something is coming. But these sudden moments still are getting me, and I found that Godzilla: King of the Monsters lacked these moments. It had a few, but not really the Skull Island kinds. Godzilla: KotM had more speed, while in Skull Island the tension is built up more.

The film increased the humor-level when we meet the older version of Marlow. For example when speaking of the Cold War, he commented if they took a sabbatical during the summers. As Conrad seemed to ignore that comment, I escaped a grin.

A breathtaking scene is when we see one of nature‘s beauty wonders: the Southern Lights, (also known as the 'Aurora Australis') the Northern Lights cousin so to say. I think it‘s truly magnificence if you may experience seeing such a stunning wonder like that. I hope I myself have the chance to see the Northern Lights (that‘s more likely) one day too, I think it‘s truly a magical spiritual moment. (Godzilla: King of The Monsters has a few stunning moments too, I don‘t want to say too much about a movie that has just hit the cinema‘s but one I shortly address in my review below.) Another breathtaking moment is when, during the same night Kong is standing in front of Conrad and Weaver. I absolutely loved the touching scenes between Kong and Weaver. Plus she‘s the only one who can retell about being inside of the Skullcrawler‘s throat, if she had been aware of that happening!

Skullcrawlers

Hank Marlow: "The Iwis won't speak their name, but I call them... Skullcrawlers." 
James Conrad: "Why?" 
Hank Marlow: "Cause it sounds neat." James Conrad: "Okay." 
Hank Marlow: "Look, I just made that name up. I'm trying to scare you."  

Credit: MonstersVault

Now, let‘s talk about my friends.. The Skullcrawlers. Perhaps the name has something to do with the way they walk and because of their head is looking like a skull. Or it is because they crawl in between the left overs (skulls) of Kong‘s murdered (by them) family. On second thoughts we could also call them 'Skull -vomiting- crawlers'.. You know, in a letter to Tom in which I wrote something about Kong: Skull Island, I named them: Brilliant designed lizards, especially the big one! ( to be exact, I used the word Geniously back then) Still, I would definitely not want to come across of one if they had existed. When one of them scrolls out their long snaky tongue, it‘s not because they are in for some french kissing.. We had a T-Rex in King Kong (2005) and some people mentioned in reviews that they missed the T-Rex, while I just liked seeing something else than a dinosaur we have seen in so many movies before!

The scene in which the 'Apes Graveyard' is reached actually is incredible. Not only we have the hunting smaller Skullcrawler (after he just puked, how is that thing even capable of thinking about food again?), also James Conrad is showing his rough -heart attack warning- side again by slaying some Dino Birds while wearing the gas mask. Amazing shots with all the blue blood splashing around the place that looks bright green because of the surrounding gas.

Picture: twitter

Even after the knowledge of these creatures, Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) still thinks going after Kong is the right thing to do. I must say that the scene where we see the two of them standing across of each other, looking eye to eye, truly was a powerful scene. Packard, with his ready to war outfit doesn't really have a dead flame in his eyes and neither does Kong! We‘re reaching the climax of the film: Kong‘s fight with the biggest Skullcrawler until the epic ending in which Kong, who hasn't lost his flame, shows who the true King is!

After Credits

The scene during the credits in which Marlow gets reunited with his family again after 28 years was truly lovely to see!

I must confess that I had never seen the end credits scene of this film before, so I was surprised to see it. Back then I thought only Marvel films had them, later I also found out that the 5th Pirates of the Caribbean film had a end credits scene, I guess I also missed the other 4 than.. However part of the scene I had seen many times before in GIF forms on Tumblr. It‘s the part where James Conrad throws a pencil (he‘s kind of losing his patience in this scene) while he and Weaver are kept in a interrogation room by Monarch. In one of the GIFs that I saw it‘s edited that he threw it to Thor (a scene of one of Chris Hemsworth‘s other characters who is dodging something that‘s being thrown at him is shown) who just had entered Loki‘s room. I think it had the subscription: 'Big brother walking in on little brother‘s room during intimate moments', something like that. Too bad I couldn‘t find the GIF anymore, otherwise I would have shared it here ;).

Anyway this scene links the Godzilla films and this Kong film together. A small preview for Godzilla: King of the Monsters is shown. The duo gets informed from the existing of even more monsters when cave paintings depicting Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Rodan (If you‘re normally not into monster movies like these, the last three names perhaps don‘t sound all that familiar to you. I‘m addressing Mothra and King Ghidorah more in the Godzilla 2 part) are being shown to them. After that, when the screen is black already, a roar of Godzilla can be heard.

Watching this film again was a incredible choice to do on my free Saturday night! I truly find Tom Hiddleston‘s performances from top class in it and it‘s one of my favorite Hiddleston movies! I will probably use the DVD soon for watching the Tom Hiddleston extra‘s and the deleted scenes that were promised on the description!



Note: The following review of Godzilla part 2 I had written earlier and it actually was for our local cinema. (Dutch version then..)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

"Long live the King!"

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the 2014 Godzilla sequel. A rather late sequel perhaps. The film was originally scheduled to be released in June 2018, which was later postponed to March 2019 and, in order not to have to compete against Captain Marvel, it eventually became the end of May. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, perhaps better known today as The Maximoff Twins from Marvel's Avengers series, both featured in Godzilla from 2014, but due other film projects they couldn‘t return. (For Elizabeth Olsen, I‘m sure that‘s all about Avengers Infinity War & Endgame.) Godzilla: King of the Monsters is part of the MonsterVerse, a series in which Godzilla and King Kong are centered. That means Godzilla: King of the Monsters actually comes after Kong: Skull Island (with Marvel stars Tom Hiddleston & Brie Larson in the leading roles) from 2017. We certainly have something to look forward to, because next year these two monsters will face each other in Godzilla vs. Kong. 

Before visiting the film, I found a number of facts via Wilson Worldwide Productions. Among others that because Godzilla is able to breathe with both gills and lungs, it is considered more of an amphibian than a reptile. I can remember that I had seen a Godzilla movie on TV before, that was from 1998 in which Godzilla's babies seemed more frightening than the "King of the Monsters" her/himself. (I think they like Godzilla to be a male, ‘Godzilla’ sounds more manlike anyway and in Godzilla: King of the Monsters Godzilla is called a he. Reproduction works rather complicated concerning amphibians and reptiles, so.. Or perhaps the 1998 one was a female?.. Can you believe I studied these species? Anyway, continue Nicole, continue!) There was a lot of criticism about the appearance of the monster, people complained that it had looked too much like a giant iguana. In Japan, as a reaction to this film, a film was made in which the Japanese Godzilla defeated this American one. The American Godzilla even got called Gino (Godzilla In Name Only). Anyway, as I remember it, the film was entertaining to watch. 

And now let‘s talk about Godzilla: King of the Monsters: Is it truly worthy to call Godzilla the “King of Monsters”? He truly is a lust for your eyes, that's for sure! In any case, again he shall have competition and by far is he thrilled about that! It appears that according to this film series there are no fewer than 17 titans scattered around the world. The monster-caliber truly rises high in this film and all hell really breaks loose the moment the three-headed Monster Zero, captured in ice is awakened. This monster, called King Ghidorah in Japanese myths (I wish the film had given the myths some more attention), has the appearance of a Game of Thrones-like dragon. Speaking of Game of Thrones, in this film Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister in GoT) has a role as well. In addition of these two monsters, we see Mothra and among others Rodan. Mothra looks like a large butterfly and less monster-ly when she folds her angelic luminous wings. The scenes with Mothra are breath taking, but also most shots with King Ghidorah are magnificent! 

MonsterVerse

Although Godzilla & co actually portray the lead roles in this film, I will still mention some names of the actors: Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and among others can be seen in the film. 

"Oh, yeah, sure. Let's bring him in for a beer."

In a rapid speed the viewer will get confronted with fighting monsters who are causing a lot of vibrations and devastation. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the battle from the first part isn‘t exactly redone.. They‘re really taking it to the next level! (I faced trouble with picking my toilet break moment. The absence of breaks during films nowadays really is a disadvantage for people with a weak bladder..) Well, let‘s say: you don't have much time to recover in between. (A film lover hasn‘t had much of that lately anyway, because the blasts keep coming out week after week..) Although the level of threat is at maximum, there is also some space left for sarcastic humor in this film. Here and there, of course, is some drama and the film is a bit over the top, but as I mentioned in the review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: What film about prehistoric / mythical and fantasy creatures can‘t be called that nowadays? Besides for Godzilla lovers, this film is really meant for people who like to see a spectacle in which giant monsters bring the air to life. And after the film, you don't have to drink your drink extra quickly if you haven‘t finished it yet. Nowadays, an extra scene after the credits is highly popular because after the credits, an extra scene can be seen as a preview for the next film. Although I have to miss Tom Hiddleston again (Remember that Kong: Skull Island took place in the 70s while Godzilla: King of the Monsters sets in the present day. So Captain James Conrad would be a lot older + given the fact that the cast-list is out there to find..), I am looking forward to Godzilla vs. Kong.

However I don‘t know if I would like to see Godzilla & Kong, the two monster heroes, compete against each other. Hopefully there‘s something out there that makes them realize they got to fight side by side.