Demián Bichir | Screenlife Reviews

Despite the epic nature of the creatures that inhabit it, Legendary studio’s MonsterVerse has been quietly chugging along for the past 7 years – one of the more successful shared universes – on the way to one hell of a final brawl: Godzilla vs. Kong. This is easily one of my favourite franchises of the last decade and, despite the obvious story flaws, it continues to amaze with the incredible Kaiju action on display. The latest and final entry (for the time being) shoots for the stars in its story’s scope, leaning heavily into the wackiness of Godzilla’s storied cinematic history and titanic clashes between the titular mammoth movie monsters. All the usual issues with the human elements appear, perhaps more pronounced than ever, and there are times where you wish director Adam Wingard had followed Dr Serizawa’s advice from the first film and simply “let them fight” but when he does and the shackles are off Godzilla vs. Kong is truly a spectacle; a testament to these cinematic titans who have stood the test of time.

If the story of 2019’s King of the Monsters was too bonkers and non-sensical then Godzilla vs. Kong is unlikely to convert audiences, taking place years after the big lizard’s last appearance as the alpha titan has seemingly turned on the humanity he once defended, leaving a wake of destruction as he rampages across the globe. With his motives a mystery to monster hunting group Monarch, the head of a mysterious cybernetics company Apex, Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) recruits Dr Nathan Lind (Alexander Skaarsgård), champion of the theory of a Hollow Earth – a monster filled world in the core of the planet – to lead a daring expedition to the mythical land in the hopes of finding a way to repel the mad titan. In order to get there, however, they require the aid of another titan whose DNA is hardwired to locate the Hollow Earth: enter Kong. Joined by Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) – longtime researcher of the great ape – the group set out on their journey, hampered along the way by Godzilla until the ultimate showdown between the pair takes shape. Whilst the multitude of supporting characters race to uncover the evil organisation pitting these two forces together, the fate of the world hangs on the outcome of their brawl.

These films have always encountered a challenge in constantly having to find new and unique ways to reinvent what essentially amounts to the same set-piece: monsters wailing on each other. Like a boxing film there really are only a few basic structures and twists on the tale that can be told and unlike the Rocky franchise Godzilla and Kong are hampered by over 35 previous films between them, showcasing just about every variation of their fighting styles you could imagine. I’ve realised now that I come to these films just as much for the anticipation as the actual fights. Those moments before all out war breaks out, when the competitors square off and attempt to rattle their opponent through intimidation displays of roars and chest beatings can and often are just as exciting than the fights themselves. That feeling of knowing what is to come but simultaneously not knowing how this particular fight will play out is enough to set the hairs on the back of your neck up with unparalleled excitement.

The 2014 Godzilla nailed this anticipation, crafting scenes that promised and promised until the levee broke and the resulting action exploded onto the screen in spectacular fashion. It may not have been enough to satiate most audience members but there can be no denying that the build-up was phenomenal. King of the Monsters, arguably the superior film, understood the importance of the build-up whilst giving the audience exactly what they asked for in plenty of fierce battles interspersed with the naturally less interesting human aspect. That film wore its appreciation for the big lizard’s legacy on its sleeve, taking you through a roll call of classic monsters and giving each of the big Kaijus a chance to shine on the way to a spectacular, all-out finale. Wingard’s approach in Godzilla vs. Kong is a snowball of anticipation and action, rapidly setting up small skirmishes within the overarching fight, each with higher stakes than the last thanks to the introduction of a new weapon or a change in who has the upper hand. It is almost a sensory overload at times but creates a natural rhythm that constantly elevates the action and stops it from devolving into an endless slugfest of punches and tail flicks.

It’s a hard task for anyone to craft a story that can draw out more of these set pieces when the audience seems largely, and rightfully so, focused on the fights. Nevertheless Wingard and writers Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein embrace the weird and go for broke, crafting a story that is impossibly strange and nonsensical but which pays homage to the sillier entries of certain Godzilla films. Less monsters means more development is needed for the King of Skull Island, who only benefitted from a single film compared to Zilla’s two. Naturally then we spend a large amount of time with Kong, particularly focused on a charming and deep friendship between the giant gorilla and a small mute girl (Kaylee Hottle) from the island. It’s a clever tool to instantly make us sympathise with Kong, who you can’t help but root for considering Godzilla’s apparent new motive of destroying anybody he passes. There unfortunately isn’t too much of the king of the monsters until the third act where, thankfully, he is completely unhinged and hungry for a fight. The final 30 minutes are truly jaw-droppingly epic and will have you fist pumping and booing in equal measure for your chosen competitor.

As is to be expected, none of the actors hold a candle to the spectacle of seeing Kong and his lizard brethren duke it out on-screen but an all-star cast does make the ridiculous dialogue and ludicrous story somewhat more palatable, even if we see far too much of them compared to the monsters. Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skaarsgård and Demián Bichir are the strongest, with Bichir in particular chewing up the screen as the stereotypical, obviously evil head of the shady Apex corporation. His bombastic speeches and blatantly menacing turns to camera show a willingness to play into that cheesy history of the Godzilla franchise and the film is all the better for it. The same can’t be said for the film’s secondary storyline, involving Millie Bobby Brown’s returning Madison Russell and newcomers Josh (Julian Dennison) and Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) attempting to infiltrate a secret Apex facility. Henry’s ridiculously annoying podcaster/Kaiju fanboy is instantly grating and never improves throughout an arc that frankly didn’t need to be in the film and which leads to a moment so laughably, cartoonishly bad that it threatens to rob the climactic fight of any stakes.

A consistent boon for this universe has always been the considerable boost in budget compared to older entries in the respective franchises, allowing for Godzilla to appear in a far more realised way than the oftentimes hokey man in a costume of yesteryear. All of the creatures look phenomenal and those who had doubts about Kong’s size disadvantage from Skull Island need not worry; he is more than equipped to take the fight to Godzilla. The Hollow Earth sequences are upsettingly short, showcasing an amazing world that you are hungry to explore before being whisked back to the surface for a showdown in a gorgeously neon-lit city. Seriously, I could frame half a dozen shots from this sequence and proudly display them on the wall. Tom Holkenborg’s score is also a fantastic addition to the film, with bombastic horns rippling through speakers and taking full advantage of that Dolby Atmos sound as they threaten to blow them away. Godzilla’s theme in particular is spine-chillingly menacing whenever it booms to life; a thundering signal of the destruction to come that I have been listening to on-repeat ever since.

There will be those that can’t get past the kookiness of Godzilla vs. Kong’s plot and for good reason, with far too many human elements at play for its own good. Monster movies in general, especially those with such beloved characters like these, face an interesting, age-old challenge of finding the perfect balancing act between the giant creatures and the characters that inhabit the world. Too many humans and audiences rebel claiming they haven’t got their money’s worth. Constant battles and boredom sets in far too early to sustain the film. Godzilla vs. Kong goes for broke and Adam Wingard should be praised for that; his understanding of the visual language of these creatures and the accelerated cycle of anticipation and payoff goes a long way towards extending the longevity of these fist-pumping, awe-inspiring fights. The story of a monster movie on this scale was never going to win any Oscars but the combination of almost everything else more than makes up for it with a thrilling celebration of the MonsterVerse that should be seen on the biggest screen available to you.

Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Kyle Chandler, Julian Dennison, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Kaylee Hottle & Demián Bichir – In Australian cinemas now and on HBO Max and in US cinemas on March 31st

Some films have a rough time getting to the screen. Those notorious productions that were so troubled that just seeing the light of day seems like a win in itself. Chaos Walking is one of those films. With a script which underwent rewrites as far back as 2011 to initial filming taking place in 2017 and reshoots in 2019, it has taken a whopping 10 years for this adaptation of Patrick Ness’ young adult novel to see the light of day. Enter brilliant director Doug Liman of the supremely underrated Tom Cruise flick Edge of Tomorrow, and a phenomenal cast of Mads Mikkelsen and then-unknown, now household names Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland. Surely nothing can go wrong now? Unfortunately for Chaos Walking, almost nothing outside of its leads’ star power seems to work, with poor editing, downright annoying plot devices and shallow character development resigning it to the long list of failed young adult franchise starters based on popular books.

In a dystopian future on a far off planet cleverly named “New Earth”, Todd Hewitt (Holland) dreams of more from life than the small farm he shares with adoptive fathers Ben (Demián Bichir) and Cillian (Kurt Sutter) in the town of Prentiss, a curious place inhabited only by men who share a unique affliction: Noise. All the inner-most thoughts of the males on the planet are broadcast visually and audibly in a hazy, mist-like speech bubble directly above their heads, making it difficult for anyone to have even the smallest of secrets. Life is made even tougher for Todd when he discovers Viola (Ridley) on his property, last survivor of a crashed spacecraft on a mission to survey the planet for her colony of Earth survivors. When the town’s mayor Prentiss (Mikkelsen) gets wind of Viola’s existence, he sees it as an opportunity to finally leave the barren planet and hatches a plan to sabotage her message and hijack the spacecraft, pursuing the two young teens across the planet as Todd struggles to hide his innermost – and awkwardly projected – feelings for Viola.

Let’s take a look at the gimmick here that sets Chaos Walking slightly apart from the myriad of other YA novel adaptations these days: the Noise. The concept sounds interesting on paper, playing with the thoughts of its protagonist in a way that makes it inherently difficult to hide the one, huge secret in his life. It may work in the medium of a novel, with different streams of text separately identifiable as dialogue and the jumble of thoughts involuntarily projected. However when translated film, it comes off as extremely annoying and disorientating as you are met with a deluge of Tom Holland’s voice spouting dialogue as bad as automated side-character speech in a video-game. As annoying as this constant commentary is for Viola, it is doubly so for the viewer and Liman seems to realise this, ignoring the rules of his own world as Todd seems to be the only character whose thoughts are interminably broadcast. There is a big song and dance made about Mayor Prentiss being the only being powerful enough to have full control over his Noise yet almost everyone else in the town seems to be able to stop theirs from blurting out secrets at every turn, indeed some don’t ever seem to experience it at all.

There are attempts to give the film some shallow commentary on what it means to be a man, with Todd’s Noise constantly berating him to bottle up his feelings and thoughts and “be a man” but it never really goes beyond that. It’s nice to see a more non-traditional family structure in Todd and his two adoptive fathers but again the script never seems concerned to address this either. Instead it breezes through the traditional hero’s journey stereotype without ever trying to give the audience more. Holland and Ridley are both more than capable actors but fail to ignite with their chemistry. Ridley’s Viola is literally the only woman on the planet to this group of men but you wouldn’t know how she feels about that from her responses to the situations she is put in, and for a film so clearly interested in defining and breaking down gender stereotypes, it has infuriatingly little to offer. Holland’s character seems more attached to his dog than to the woman he is supposedly infatuated with, but at least that relationship offers some kind of an emotional kick, even if it does tug at the heartstrings with the cardinal sin of almost every action film involving a canine companion. Even the great Mads Mikkelsen can’t do much to save the film, playing the stereotypical villainous Mayor to menacingly cold effect. There simply isn’t much he can do with the role outside of what he does, with some third act character development so obvious from the get-go that it seems crass to make it into the big reveal that it is.

The troubled history of Chaos Walking may just be the most telling indicator of its faults, with poor Doug Liman and a talented cast forced to bear this undercooked, middling adaptation on their resumés. It may not be at the bottom of the pile of YA novels-turned-films but its boilerplate hero’s arc storyline and lack of character depth make it a generic, instantly forgettable affair. Thankfully we’ve seen Ridley, Holland and Mikkelsen go on to bigger and better things since filming what will hopefully never make any Noise again.

Chaos Walking stars Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir, Kurt Sutter, David Oyelowo, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas & Mads Mikkelsen – In cinemas now.