‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Review Roundup: See What the Critics Are Saying
Early reviews for the CGI monster mash “Godzilla vs. Kong” are in and, for the most part, the critics like what they see. With 98 reviews in the bag on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently sits at an 80% positive rating amongst critics with an average score of 6.4/10. Amongst top critics, the film still has a solid 71% rating with an average score of 6.1/10.
It should come as no surprise that the story is fairly thin and the subject of most of the negative criticism. Critics, whether their overall impression of the movie was positive or negative, have critiqued the story as dumb, needlessly convoluted, shallow, and lazy. Many have also gone on to note that the human characters are thinly drawn and generally uninteresting. These criticisms have been leveled at both prior Godzilla movies, but less so toward the adventure-driven Kong: Skull Island, which was more well-liked by both critics and audiences.
In spite of these issues, many critics feel that the movie has enough fun that it overcomes its weak story and lousy characters. While the response toward director Adam Wingard has been mixed overall, his decision to move the film toward a lighter tone similar to Kong and away from the somber and self-serious feel of Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters has been praised. Fans of Wingard’s earlier films like The Guest will remember his flair for interesting visuals, which many critics say work very well in this effort, with many commenting that while the movie might be dumb, it sure it pretty to look at.
The most important thing for many critics, and likely for the fans as well, is the monster fights. The bulk of positive criticism has been focused on the entertainment value of watching Godzilla and King Kong beat each other up, brought to life by the latest and greatest in CGI. According to the critics, while these fight scenes are not anything new or revolutionary, they are very entertaining and there are plenty of them to go around and lift up the movie.
In the end, a big silly monster brawl is what any good Godzilla vs Kong movie should be and is likely what audiences are hoping for when the film hits theaters and HBO Max on March 31. It remains to be seen if fans will get the entertaining spectacle they are craving, but early indications are that they will. As always, stay tuned for our upcoming review of Godzilla vs Kong as well as all the other news, updates, and analysis on Under The Wheels.
