'Godzilla vs Kong' is a monster-sized film with heart, humour and action

For decades, cinematic titans Godzilla and Kong have been following their own, separate theatrical journeys ... until now. Godzilla vs Kong is a monster-sized event film with heart, humour, and enough non-stop action to transcend the genre.

This rivalry for the ages fuels an epic adventure that spans the globe to bring these two forces of nature, both more powerful than ever before, face-to-face and fist-to-fist on land and at sea in a battle to restore balance to the earth.

Legends collide in Godzilla vs Kong as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The initial confrontation between the two Titans — instigated by unseen forces — is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the earth.

Watch the trailer below:

Director Adam Wingard says, “Godzilla and Kong have an incredible legacy in film. Originally you could look at them almost as monsters from the east and west, Godzilla storming Tokyo and Kong being brought by man to New York. But however you perceive them, they are movie icons that excite audiences all across the globe.”

And audiences of all ages. “I remember as a kid having arguments on the playground with my friends about who would win in a fight, Kong or Godzilla,” he says. “In reality, directing this film started as the perfect excuse to go revisit all the Godzilla and Kong films in sequential order; that was the first thing I did when I began talking to Legendary about the possibility. And that really became a huge influence in terms of my approach to this film in general. For starters, Godzilla went from being a bad guy to a good guy to a bad guy again, and I think that's what's cool about the evolution of both Godzilla and Kong, and what keeps the stories we tell about them, new and fresh.”

Producer Mary Parent acknowledges that this story is the pairing fans have been waiting for and that will thrill audiences, whether they’ve seen the recent movies or not. “We’ve had Godzilla and Kong battling to survive and thrive in their own spheres, so bringing them together as the surviving heavyweight champions, at last, is the natural next step.

“But this is also a story that stands on its own, independent of the previous films. Both of these larger-than-life creatures have intelligent and empathetic human characters fighting for them in ways that render them relatable and heroic. Because of that, it’s not necessary to have followed their earlier stories to be engrossed by them in this newest adventure.”  

And whether you root for Kong or for Godzilla, she says, “it’s all about getting your popcorn and enjoying an incredible ride”.

The film promises intense battles between these two behemoths, emotion, laughs, and even a mystery. Wingard says, “The story starts in a place where humanity has accepted Godzilla as a saviour or a protector, and we’re flipping that and showing that something weird is going on with him — he’s on the attack and acting recklessly and no-one knows why.”

And he’s heading straight for Kong, who’s been liberated from Skull Island after it’s been proven that the isolated locale can no longer contain him.

Alex Garcia, who also produced the film along with Parent, Eric McLeod, Jon Jashni, Thomas Tull and Brian Rogers, says, “For all of the Monsterverse films we’ve sought filmmakers who have a deep appreciation and understanding of these creatures and their legacies; storytellers who understand why Kong and Godzilla have lived in audiences’ hearts and minds for as long as they have, but who are equally excited to do something new with them. Adam has a distinctive visual style, and what he and the writers have done with this film, both story-wise and aesthetically, is dynamic.”

The screenplay was written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, based on a story by Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields. Borenstein says, “When I started work on the first Legendary-Warner Brothers Godzilla film 10 years ago, and on Kong: Skull Island a few years after that, the Monsterverse was just a glimmer in the eye. Four films and a decade later, getting to bring our titans together for a showdown that gives new scale to the word epic has felt like watching our children graduate from Mayhem University.”

Rossio says, “It was an honour to be entrusted with two iconic characters of world cinema and design a film to bring them together. So much cinema history collides when these two giants of our collective consciousness face off.

“We always knew there would be a spectacle, but kudos to the executives and producers at Legendary who took the time in developing the story, working with a number of writers, to ensure that the film featured intimate character relationships, universal themes and genuine heart.”

This article was paid for by Empire Entertainment.