I love King Kong. I love Godzilla. So, obviously, after the release of Godzilla Vs. Kong, you’d think that I’d want an immediate follow-up where the two giant monsters butt heads again, right? Yeah, well, no, actually. In fact, I think Godzilla Vs. Kong should be the last we see of either behemoth in the MonsterVerse. At least for a little while, anyway.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I liked the movie. It’s not like I found it so incredibly offensive to my taste that I don’t want to see any more movies in the MonsterVerse. In fact, I think Godzilla Vs. Kong might be a nice springboard for other monsters to shine like Rodan or maybe even that Pacific Rim crossover I keep hearing rumors about. So, with that being said, here are 5 reasons why I think that it might be good if the giant lizard and the big monkey sit out on the sidelines for the next few years or so. Oh, and major spoilers up ahead if you haven’t already seen Godzilla Vs. Kong streaming or in the theater yet.
It Has A Satisfying Conclusion For Both Godzilla And King Kong
I think this might be the most important reason, so I’m sticking it right up top, but I think Godzilla Vs. Kong has the perfect ending for both Godzilla and King Kong. Given how we had two Godzilla films before Godzilla Vs. Kong and only one King Kong movie in the MonsterVerse, I’m kind of surprised that I didn’t guess that Godzilla Vs. Kong would be more of a sequel to Skull Island than Godzilla: King of the Monsters. But it is, and Kong has a really satisfying character arc in this film that leads to him ultimately being happy in Hollow Earth, which we saw in the Godzilla Vs. Kong ending.
But Godzilla also has a happy ending of sorts, too, since he beats Kong, maintaining his dominance, but also ends up teaming up with him to take down Mechagodzilla. So, the earth is balanced again, and Godzilla is the hero, which doesn’t really sit well with me (I’ve always been more of a fan of villain Godzilla), but fits this universe’s version of Godzilla. They both win and get to walk off into the sunset. The end. And I mean it. There should be no sequel. At least for a little while.
How Could You Top The Action In Godzilla Vs. Kong? How?
I’ve heard some Godzilla fans online who thought this movie was pretty bad, but I definitely don’t agree with them. While yes, the human characters are again the weakest element of the movie, I’m more in agreement with our own Eric Eisenberg who thought the movie was good where it counted, which was in the action department. But I actually think the fights in this film may have been too good. I’ll explain.
Say there’s another Godzilla or King Kong movie down the line. How do you possibly top the action in this one? I mean, the aircraft carrier fight alone would have been satisfying enough for me, but then you have that three way battle in the end where Kong pulls a Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat and rips out the “spinal cord” of Mechagodzilla. So, I really find it hard to believe that a sequel will top the spectacle of this movie since this was such a major event. Anything else will feel small scale in comparison.
The Human Characters Also Had Fitting Character Arcs Throughout The Entire Series Of Films
I kind of can’t stand the human characters in these Legendary Godzilla movies, but even they had satisfying conclusions in Godzilla Vs. Kong. I’m mostly speaking about Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown’s characters who we first met in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Millie Bobby Brown’s character in particular has a satisfying arc since she’s changed a great deal since the last movie. We see her being a young girl under the thumb of her parents in the first movie to a young woman leading the charge in this one. We also ultimately see her and her father sharing a moment at the end, so her story feels complete and I don’t really think we need to see anymore of her future adventures. I think we’re good.
There Is An Actual Victor So You Don't Feel The Need For A Rematch
There is a definite victor in the match-up between Godzilla and King Kong, and that victor is Godzilla. He leaves Kong for dead and then goes off to fight Mechagodzilla. But here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter that King Kong lost since he’s ultimately the one who stops Mechagodzilla whereas Godzilla can’t. At least not on his own. So, even though King Kong lost, he’s still a winner.
And Godzilla’s a winner, too, since he beat Kong and retains his title as the King of the Monsters. But he won in such a way that we already know who would win if they ever fought again, since he wrecked Kong. Like, it’s not even funny how badly he messed him up. So, there really is no need for a rematch, and Godzilla already defeated his biggest foe in King Ghidorah in the last one. So, where would Godzilla go from here? And King Kong is not really known for facing other giant monsters, so who would he face if he was brought back again? Mechani-Kong from King Kong Escapes? No. Both characters already faced their biggest adversary and need to go away now for a while. At least the American versions anyway. Which leads me to my final point.
I Kind Of Just Want To See The Toho Godzilla Again Rather Than The Legendary One
I’ve been vocal about this in the past, but I really don’t like the Legendary Godzilla. It’s just, I know Godzilla has been a hero in the past, especially in the latter half of the Showa era, but the tone of the two Legendary Godzilla movies is all wrong. Darker tone means villain Godzilla. Lighter tone means hero or anti-hero Godzilla. But the 2014 Godzilla movie and King of the Monsters both have the darker tone of say, the Hensei Era, which just always bugged me. At least Godzilla Vs. Kong is super colorful and purposely silly. So, I don’t mind Godzilla in this one. He actually fits.
But honestly, I just want the Toho Godzilla again. I know that a Japanese and American version can run concurrently, like Shin Godzilla, which came out in 2016, but I just prefer the Japanese Godzilla and kind of want the American one to go away for a while. Is that too much to ask?
In the end, I think we could do with a break from the MonsterVerse versions of King Kong and Godzilla. But what do you think? Do you want to see follow-ups galore from the big lizard and the giant monkey? Sound off your opinion in the poll below!
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