Godzilla Vs. Kong Trailer: First Impressions

Oh boy. I’ve been waiting so long for this. I’ve craved this day for so long. Now it’s here. The trailer for Godzilla Vs. Kong has dropped and I’ve finally watched it. I’ve got plenty of thoughts already, but it seems like we’re in for a treat with this one.

So Godzilla Vs. Kong looks like it’ll be a pretty basic plot: Godzilla, unsurprisingly, will fight Kong. They’re both kings, and the world isn’t big enough for the two of them. From the exposition given by the humans, it looks like Kong is being set up to play the hero role (which irks this huge Godzilla fan, but I digress) and Godzilla will be more of an antagonist. Kong seems to have more of a connection with the humans, notably one child in particular. I’m guessing if she’s in danger, he’ll go at Godzilla with all he’s got.

However, something interesting about the trailer is the return of Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown’s characters from Godzilla: King of the Monsters. They’re dialogue questions why Godzilla is acting wild and destructive for seemingly no reason. I’m hopeful this means both monsters will get their fair share of sympathy. In the previous two American Godzilla movies, he’s fought the monsters trying to destroy everything, and then he pretty much goes back to his own thing, so it does seem a little strange he’s killing humans out of the blue. I’d like that take on it. There are huge fans of both monsters, and I don’t think one side wants to see their favorite be completely demonized.

But let’s move into the big questions: How does the action look? The CGI? The fighting? I admit we got a lot more destruction in the trailer than I expected. It looks like they gave us the first encounter between the two monsters at sea, and that makes up the majority of the fighting the trailer offers. So far, it looks pretty great in my opinion. The fight choreography for a giant lizard and a giant ape is bound to be creative. So far, I'm enjoying it from the glimpse we've seen. We should get some interesting moves when the film is finally released.

Regarding the CGI, it looks pretty solid. The previous MonsterVerse films also had some impressive CGI, and I’m excited to see all the fun things they’ll be brining to life this time around. In particular, I’m loving how Kong has a more aged, rugged look than his 2017 Kong: Skull Island appearance. That movie’s setting was decades prior to this one, so it fits that he’s older. I like that detail, it’s smart and shows that they’re not just throwing in the same, younger Kong we’ve already seen.

That being said, I’m honestly not expecting some kind of intricate, super intelligent plot. What’s more, that’s not exactly a bad thing. This movie has the feel of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It’s about the action. Sure, we need a plot to string it together, but the point of this movie is to see the two most iconic giant monsters of all time beat the living hell out of each other. That’s all I want to see. I don’t care how we get there. I want to be wowed. I want my jaw on the floor. The trailer already had me yelling, “Oh my god!” repeatedly as my roommate watched me in confusion from the other side of the room. It’s here to shock and awe, as the badass rap song playing over the trailer implies. This movie won’t take itself too seriously. It knows what it is, and I respect that.

If there’s one thing that bums me out, it’s that COVID will most likely put a bit of a damper on this film. It’ll be released in theaters and on HBO Max on March 26th. Every fiber of my being wants to rent a theater and see this on the big screen, but I’m not sure if I can do that. This movie deserves the IMAX treatment, and it won’t get nearly the amount of excitement it deserves with the state of the cinema being what it is during a pandemic.

However, one thing is certain: Godzilla Vs. Kong will be badass. It’ll be fun, and I can’t wait to watch it. Check out the trailer below and get hyped for some insane monster action!