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By: Désirée I. Guzzetta

Godzilla vs. Kong, the final installment of Warner Bros. / Legendary Entertainment’s Monsterverse, is here and it’s a doozy.

The film carries on the grand tradition of paying as little attention to full human character development as several of the other Godzilla franchise movies do, though in this case, that’s a feature, not a bug. The primary reason to see Godzilla vs. Kong is to watch the two behemoths duke it out with just enough plot in between the big set-pieces. Spend too much time on the human beings running around and risk the wrath of the fans who will say there’s not enough Godzilla in their Godzilla picture.

(In fact, though, there’s not as much Godzilla in this Monsterverse finale as Kong, who only had Kong: Skull Island to himself versus the Big G getting two pictures dedicated to him, 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Sure, it’s a minor nitpick, but I’m nitpicking it anyway.)

Now that my petty grievance is out of the way, let’s get to the story: Godzilla vs. Kong picks up three years after KOTM. The Titans, having declared fealty to Godzilla after the defeat of King Ghidorah, have gone off the grid. In human plot one, Monarch is maintaining surveillance of Kong over on Skull Island, where Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) monitors the now-full-grown ape with the help of Jia (Kaylee Hottle), an Iwi child who was orphaned when a large storm wiped out the rest of her tribe. Jia, who is deaf, is also watched over by Kong; the two have a special bond that’s very touching.

Meanwhile, in human plots 2 and 3, Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), a proponent of the Hollow Earth theory mentioned in KOTM, comes to the attention of Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir), the head of Apex Cybernetics. Simmons is up to something that gets Godzilla’s hackles up and puts the kaiju on the attack.

In human plot 4, Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), who hosts a conspiracy podcast centered on the Titans, is investigating Apex. Once Godzilla attacks, Madison Russell (Millie Bobbie Brown, reprising her role from KOTM) seeks out Bernie to figure out what set Godzilla off. Someone has to protect him, given all the attention lavished on Kong (I am not bitter, I swear!).

All of this leads to several bouts of monster-bashing bedlam as Godzilla and Kong finally intersect. Do they fight? Do they ever! They punch, bite, smack, and wrestle one another in the water and on land. They destroy countless buildings and stomp on cars (and probably people). They roar in each other’s faces. It’s glorious.

Despite all the human activity, the film is very fast-paced, and the monster mashes are exhilarating, especially the neon-soaked fight in Hong Kong. Both Godzilla and Kong are expert brawlers, and their fight for supremacy of the post-Ghidorah world is the sort of spectacle summer (or in this case, spring) blockbusters excel at.

A lot of the credit for the expert pacing goes to director Adam Wingard, whose previous works include the superb horror films You’re Next (2011) and The Guest (2014). Wingard does a great job of propelling the story forward despite the many threads laid out in the screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein from a story by Terry Rossio and Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields. Yes, that’s a lot of names, and could be the reason the human element feels so thin, but Borenstein did the screenplay for the 2014 Godzilla and is one of the writers credited on the screenplay for Skull Island, so he understands these versions of Gojira and Kong very well. Dougherty also directed KOTM, so he’s no slouch in the Goji department, either. Both beasties command the screen and have personality galore.

The actors all seem to know what kind of film they’re in as well. Of the main cast, Hall, Hottle, and Henry are a joy to watch whenever they appear. Hall and Hottle have an endearing chemistry, and Henry is both funny and relatable as a man driven to uncover whatever tomfoolery Apex is planning.

Bichir appears to be having fun, too, as the cartoonish villain, Simmons, who may as well be twirling his moustache for all the subtlety he lacks whenever he speaks. Bichir chewing scenery makes a lot of the human silliness worthwhile. 

But the main attraction in a film titled Godzilla vs. Kong is the epic battle of the two Titans. The CGI work here is stellar, as both creatures have a heft and solidness that makes their blows against each other land hard. While the movie does look fine on HBO Max, in IMAX, it’s stunning, especially the Hong Kong scenes. There’s also a part where Wingard pushes into a close-up of a very pissed-off Goji that had me literally sinking back into my seat in fear—that’s how good the CGI is.

Godzilla vs. Kong is loud, goofy fun, full of mayhem and destruction and two cinematic icons beating the heck out of each other. Unfortunately, there’s no after-credits scene, as Legendary’s contract to use the Toho kaiju has ended, but if Toho wanted to let them do another Godzilla film, there’s plenty of openings for more story (Kong is owned by Universal Pictures and could conceivably be licensed out to WB / Legendary again). If you want to have a blast of a time, Godzilla vs. Kong should be number one on your list. It’s definitely tops on mine.

*all pictures are property of Warner Bros and Legendary

The post Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) appeared first on The Nerd Element.

Over the past decade, Melissa McCarthy has established herself as a bonafide movie star, delivering brilliant comedic performances in films like Bridesmaids, Spy, and The Heat. But like all stars, she has also appeared in her fair share of clunkers, films that simply don’t match the level of her comedic talents, like The Boss, Superintelligence, and Life of the Party. Unfortunately, those films are almost always directed by her husband and creative partner, Ben Falcone. So every time a new McCarthy film is announced with Falcon directing, I’ve learned to temper my expectations.

And it’s frustrating, because Thunder Force had such potential. A superhero film starring two 50 year old women with real bodies kicking ass and taking names? Sign me up. While superhero stories continue to dominate film and television, older women have been largely ignored in the genre. With the exception of a handful of performances like Angela Bassett in Black Panther, Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Annette Bening in Captain Marvel, women of a certain age have gotten short shrift, as they always do in Hollywood.

Thunder Force takes place in a world terrorized by Miscreants, sociopaths who gained superpowers when outer-space radiation hit Earth. These superpowered terrorists killed young Emily’s parents, and she swore to avenge them by developing a super serum to give good guys superpowers to fight back. As a child, Emily’s only friend was Lydia, a trash-talking loyal bestie who defended her against school bullies. The two become fast friends until the end of high school, when they have a falling out.

Now adults, Lydia (McCarthy) is a messy, beer-drinking forklift operator, while Emily (Octavia Spencer) is something of a female Tony Stark. Emily has engineered a gene therapy to give herself super strength and invisibility, but when Lydia accidently doses herself with super strength, leaving invisibility for Emily, the two estranged friends come together to become a crime-fighting team known as Thunder Force. Together they team up to take on the Miscreants, led by Bobby Cannavale’s The King, along with Laser (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Pom Klementieff) and the Crab, a man/shellfish mutant played by Jason Bateman, who is clearly having a blast.

Thunder Force is aided by Emily’s daughter Tracy (Taylor Mosby), who quickly forms a bond with Lydia. The emotional undercurrent of the film is the reunion of these two best friends, and Spencer and McCarthy display an easy chemistry, no doubt thanks to their real life 25-year long friendship.

There are genuinely funny moments in Thunder Force, and I enjoyed it more than any other McCarthy/Falcon collaboration. Spencer and McCarthy are dynamite together, nailing the comedy and the emotional aspects of the film. And Lydia’s flirtation with the Crab delivers some of the weirder, wilder moments of the overlong film. I also enjoyed spending time in a world where women superheroes are casually accepted and celebrated, and where misogyny is only a tool of the villains.

But everything else about the film just plain doesn’t work. From the villains to the costumes to the overly complicated plot, the film feels like a rough draft of an idea. And that lack of flair extends to the action sequences, which are unfocused and uninspired. The world around Spencer and McCarthy feels like a placeholder, and every scene without them drags.

If I had seen this film in theaters, maybe I would be more annoyed. But as a late night Netflix watch, it’s engaging enough to enjoy. After all, comedians like Kevin James and Adam Sandler have been churning out mediocre content for Netflix for years. Why not let the ladies take a crack at it?

Thunder Force is currently streaming on Netflix.

(featured image: HOPPER STONE/NETFLIX)

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Because we (ok it was mostly, Dburt) were unable to get through many of the topics discussed during Sunday's Grindhouse broadcast, we will revisit the remaining subject matter for this Wednesday's Mid Week in Review show.  Afronerd Radio's Mid Week airs at 8 p.m. eastern, thanks to the good folks at BTalk 100.   Additional topics include:  friend of the "steam engine,"  multitalented filmmaker and comic book creator, David Walker stops by to discuss his latest project, The Black Panther Party, a graphic novel (illustrations courtesy of Marcus Kwame Anderson) focusing on the famed (and highly controversial) Black American political organization founded by activists/students., Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in 1966; and as mentioned previously, your AFROnerdist hosts will tackle other issues left on the proverbial kitchen table i.e.-the return of Milestone Media-

the firing of Gina Carano, "gay burger" restaurant joke that trended on Twitter but became a reality; iconic jazz artist, Chick Corea passes; filmmaker, Spike Lee is not against working with Marvel (but maybe not DC); DC comics buyout rumors and other comic book properties during BHM you should be reading.  

*One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....
function openPlayer(s){window.open("https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/"+escape(s),"Player","height=630,width=940,modal=yes,alwaysRaised=yes")}

Greetings, once AGAIN, to all our loyal listeners and supporters! Listen to the latest episode of Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review broadcast airing this Wednesday at 8 p. m. eastern on BTalk 100.  Join your "ever-lovin' " AFROnerdist hosts as they wax about this (mid) week's trending topics: it appears that popular Canadian educator/clinical psychologist has a problem with the more than equally notable author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the writer's take on Captain America villain, Red Skull;  rising Black British actor, Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton), according to TheRoot.com lost a role on SyFy's Krypton because the idea of "Kal-El" having a Black Grandfather was a non-starter;  Dburt (per usual) was somewhat late to the Darkhorse comic book translated to TV series, Resident Alien but while he does like the show thus far, the premise reminds him that Milestone's ICON IP should definitely be fast-tracked;        

A recent Kotaku.com piece posits that the digital card game, Magic: The Gathering with its array of POC fantasy characters and storylines, is a welcome respite from more recent Black fantasy fare that places focus on #ADOS victimization;  and then there's the new Loki trailer from Disney+

Can A.I. reproduce or mimic new songs from deceased musicians?  Well, based on recent songs that are hitting the net, a prospective audience is about to find out; More African-American greats continue to leave our mortal plane-FL Congressman, Alcee Hastings passes at 84;  lastly, Neuralink co-founder, Max Hodak is prophesizing that a real-life Jurassic Park is in our future....

One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....
function openPlayer(s){window.open("https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/"+escape(s),"Player","height=630,width=940,modal=yes,alwaysRaised=yes")}

Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and,  IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!