Tag: Kyle Chandler

Godzilla vs. Kong

Post author By Mark
Post date March 28, 2021

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

Tags Adam Wingard, Alexander Skarsgård, Brian Tyree Henry, Demián Bichir, Eiza González, Godzilla vs. Kong, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, Legendary, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall

Movie Reviews

The Midnight Sky

Post author By Mark
Post date January 12, 2021

George Clooney’s seventh directorial effort starts on a somber note. Following a heavily bearded, gaunt Clooney around a deserted Arctic base, we discover that the entire planet has been made virtually uninhabitable by a vague, unexplained environmental catastrophe (AKA global warming). This tour continues for ten minutes, during which some flashbacks are interspersed to let us know that there may be hope, as Clooney’s Dr Augustine Lofthouse details the potential for life on a small moon orbiting Jupiter. Then we learn that Lofthouse has some kind of a terminal illness. That’s a pretty fitting summation of The Midnight Sky, a film that constantly feels as though it is building towards a grand statement about humanity’s treatment of the planet and the potential to fix it, before descending into relentlessly boring, needlessly depressing tedium with no conclusion. This is a film about the eradication of life on earth and the potential to restart the human race, and yet, not a great deal actually happens.

Lofthouse’s lonely, existence comes to a halt when he discovers a small girl, Iris (Caoilinn Springall), hiding out in the observatory, terrified and strangely mute. As the two adapt to each other and form a wordless bond, they are shaken from their isolated existence by a radio signal received from returning spacecraft Aether, ending its round trip mission to establish a colony on the moon of Jupiter. The Aether is crewed by an unlikely mob of superstar actors, led by David Oyelowo’s Commander Adewole and including Felicity Jones as heavily pregnant communications expert Sully, Kyle Chandler’s hotshot pilot Mitchell and renowned Mexican-American actor Demián Bichir as Sanchez. As the crew hurtles towards Earth, mysteriously unable to communicate with anyone on the doomed planet, Augustine realises he is the only person capable of warning the astronauts of their impending doom and sets out on a daring mission, with Iris in tow, across the snowy wasteland to a nearby satellite capable of reaching the Aether.

The undeniable strength of Clooney’s opus is the visual presentation. It looks spectacular, with sprawling shots of the frozen Arctic tundra making you feel physically cold, capturing the sense of isolation that Augustine feels as potentially the last man on earth. Once Augustine and Iris embark on their trip, that picturesque landscape that looked so impressive from the safe windows of the observatory becomes a snowy hellscape for the pair, battling fierce blizzards that obscure the screen and hide shadowy threats in the madness. Conversely, Clooney shows us that there is also great beauty to be found out in the world, making his point for environmental conservatism hard to argue against when displaying the natural beauty of the Northern Lights, which shimmer with colour (just one of many scenes that were made for crystal clear 4K). When the story shifts to space it loses none of its visual flair, with the inventive, futuristic design of the Aether dropping jaws and setting it apart from others that populate the genre.

The narrative, on the other hand, is not as impressive, as Clooney seems laser focused on blaming audiences for their part in dooming the planet to its – some would argue – inevitable fate. What he doesn’t seem interested in is offering any solutions or commentary on how that fate could have been avoided, leaving the ensuing, glacially paced two hours a depressing, almost joyless slog. Clearly a brilliant mind, albeit one without much social acuity, there are attempts to humanise Augustine through flashbacks that suggest a past relationship and the sacrifice of that in order to devote himself to finding a habitable planet to save the human race. Played by Ethan Peck as a younger man – with a curious bit of digital trickery melding their voices to give a continuity to Augustine’s character – these scenes simply don’t do enough to make the mopey, boring lead any more interesting. He has sacrificed a lot, that is undeniable, but the self-pitying silence that fills most of the run-time becomes unbearable at times, as you pray for some action to break up the monotony.

That action comes in the form of the Aether and the bevy of talented actors who all do what they can with their thoroughly underwritten characters. Each has their own hook: Sully is the link between the ship and Augustine, Mitchell longs to see his family again, Maya (Tiffany Boone) is the inexperienced rookie and Commander Adewole furrows his brow throughout the whole affair, constantly worrying. You get the sense that most of these actors are here simply to work with Clooney rather than for the skin and bones roles they are afforded but the familiar faces do go a small way towards making the crew likeable. Clooney draws on his experience from Gravity in a spacewalk scene that feels wholly original as the crew jam out to “Sweet Caroline” on the radio before turning into a fiasco once struck by a meteor shower. It’s frantic filmmaking that enthrals for a brief few minutes before cutting back to our moody protagonist, the fallout of the accident largely inconsequential given our nonchalance towards the crew.

At the end of it all, The Midnight Sky seems about as pointless as the Aether’s mission. Clooney’s intention to discuss and break down climate change is admirable but doesn’t go anywhere because he refuses to actually dive in, content to play the blame game and leave it at that. Similarly the entire premise of the film essentially results in the Aether doing a U-turn and heading back to their colony, the journey largely inconsequential. An unearned late game revelation will likely have audiences scratching their heads as to the point given the lack of development between Augustine and Iris, but seems to function to give Clooney’s character some form of catharsis. For all its visual flair and the stacks of cash that were thrown at Clooney to make it, the esteemed actor-director forgot to give us a story or characters worth caring about. If there was ever an argument to be made for Netflix imposing a little more control or oversight over some of its more expensive films, this is the prime example.

The Midnight Sky stars George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Caoilinn Springall, Demián Bichir, Tiffany Boone, Ethan Peck, Sophie Rundle & Kyle Chandler – Streaming on Netflix now.

Tags David Oyelowo, Felicity jones, George Clooney, Kyle Chandler, Netflix, The Midnight Sky

Movie Reviews

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Post author By Mark
Post date June 3, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the long awaited sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, certainly sends a message to those who complained the last film was lacking in monster mayhem. The film is the polar opposite of its predecessor in this sense – delivering mountains of creature carnage to the screen and introducing several famous monsters from the expansive Godzilla history to boot. The action is nothing short of amazing; epic in scope with flawless visual effects and excellent camera direction giving you a front seat to these enormous battles for supremacy over our planet. Where the sequel falls apart, however, is in its ridiculous, unnecessarily convoluted story which attempts to juggle far too many characters and plot-lines at once for the audience to really care about any one in particular. Whilst this aspect of the film is disappointing for sure, the human story is not what most viewers come to these movies for, and the spectacle of the monsters is more than enough to keep most audiences satisfied.

Let’s get right into that story which, similarly to the 2014 film, centres around a family. The Russell family suffered a tremendous loss during Godzilla’s first foray onto land in San Francisco and in the 5 years following have drifted apart. Mother Emma (Vera Farmiga) has pledged herself to studying these incredibly large creatures, known as Titans – who have begun turning up in a variety of locations around the globe – for the now not-so-secret monster research group Monarch, with daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) in tow. Meanwhile Mark (Kyle Chandler), the Russell patriarch, has been struggling to cope with the events of San Fransisco and has isolated himself in quiet mountain territory as he recovers from a battle with alcoholism. When Emma and Madison’s latest encounter with a Titan is interrupted by a group of eco-terrorists, led by mercenary Jonah Alan (Charles Dance), Mark must unite with Emma’s Monarch co-workers (Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch) to locate his daughter, ex-wife and her latest creation: a device capable of communicating with the Titans. This becomes a race against time before it falls into the wrong hands and the Titans are unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. This is a lot to unpack; with numerous characters and plot-lines in play and we haven’t even got into how Godzilla factors into all of this.

It’s clear that director Mike Dougherty has a deep appreciation and attachment to the Godzilla franchise and that the story here is a homage of sorts to the crazy narratives of those films. Whilst that works in the context of a cheesy Saturday afternoon monster movie where men in rubber suits walk around knocking each other into cardboard buildings, the world that was established in Gareth Edwards film is very much a centred, real-world take on what would happen if these creatures showed up in our world. Those old films found it necessary to have these wacky human-centric plots to break up the action and to deal with budget constraints, and it works with the tone that was set. In this more grounded take on the Godzilla universe, that tone just doesn’t work and whilst I appreciate what Dougherty was trying to do – which will probably appeal to many long-time fans of the franchise – I would have preferred to see the series carry the tone across from the 2014 film, or at the very least reign in some of the more over-the-top aspects of the story.

What works best in King of the Monsters is, as the name suggests, the monsters. Godzilla is as fearsome as he was in the last film and the writers (Dougherty, Zach Shields and Max Borenstein) are clearly having a ball exploring the background and inner workings of the giant lizard. Their respect and reverence towards Godzilla comes across in the story, where he is touted as the protector of humanity, as well as through the relationship with Ken Watanabe’s character Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. Serizawa clearly worships Godzilla as he’s studied him for years and there is such a strong connection here that is clearly symbolic of the writers’ – and to a larger degree, Godzilla fans’ – connection to the franchise as a whole. Added to the mix this time around are classic Godzilla staples Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan to punch up the monster roster as well as to provide some more big battles and variety in the fights. It’s something I was particularly grateful for after seeing Godzilla fight a few times, as I was craving something different from these confrontations and it certainly delivered, taking action to the skies with Ghidorah and Rodan, and involving the human military forces in a surprisingly effective way. The film does a good job of not simply having human characters sitting around witnessing the carnage but taking matters into their own hands. It makes a difference as these separate stories do not confine the separate camera angles like the first film did, which was almost always from the point of view of a ground-level character. Here we get stunning wide angle shots of the action not tied down to a human character and the film features some truly gorgeous imagery as a result.

Inside of this ridiculous story are a veritable smorgasboard of some of the best actors working in the business today, and while not every performance is a home-run, the actors are all trying their best with the narrative they have been given. At the top end of this spectrum are returning mainstays Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins, both of whom give terrific performances as Monarch scientists who have now risen to the top of the food chain in this new world order as the authority on Titans. Watanabe shares some genuinely emotional scenes with Godzilla and he is definitely the beating heart of the film, a representative of the audience’s attachment to these creatures and films. Newcomers Millie Bobby Brown and Thomas Middleditch also deliver the goods, both having come off major television shows in Stranger Things and Silicon Valley respectively. Brown is clearly having a ball playing the tough-as-nails kid who has grown up around these monsters and has a deep emotional connection with them. Whilst her particular narrative takes a few left turns here and there logically, Brown’s commitment to the role never wavers and she lights up the screen. Middleditch, having led a sit-com for several years, is understandably assigned a majority of the humour in the film, which he pulls off seemingly effortlessly as a scientist who appears to have almost no knowledge of basic human interactions. He also gets a chance to show some real emotional depth and he handles it remarkably well, showing that he is more than just a comedian and I hope more roles go his way that utilise this skillset.

This is where the acting takes a turn however, with the performances of Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler in particular. Farmiga, who is normally excellent, seems as though she doesn’t know what kind of movie she’s in – playing the role of a scientist obsessed with not allowing another San Francisco incident to occur. There isn’t much emotion that comes through in her performance and I was never quite sure what her motivations really were, which was not helped by the downright stupid and illogical decisions her character makes. On the other hand, Kyle Chandler’s character was so one-note and bland that I was just annoyed whenever he would appear on-screen, again making some supremely stupid character choices that contradict the development we have just seen his character go through. It’s unfortunate that the film has actors of such a high calibre and can’t do anything interesting with them and I couldn’t help but think that by losing some of the seemingly endless characters and really focusing on a core cast the film could have come up with a tighter story with some solid, meaningful character development.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a different beast to its predecessor. One that tries to continue the story set up by Gareth Edwards film as well as a celebration of the franchise’s fifty plus year history. Whilst it doesn’t all hit the way it is intended to – with a murky, illogical story and some awful characters – when the giant beasts converge on the screen to fight you cannot look away. It is a testament to these characters and their legacy, as well as the incredible work of the visual effects team, that after all this time there’s something so pure and enticing about giant monsters fighting amongst humanity and the society we hold so dear, destroying everything in their path.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Thomas Middleditch & O’Shea Jackson Jr. – In cinemas now.

Tags Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ken Watanabe, King of the Monsters, Kyle Chandler, Mike Dougherty, Millie Bobby Brown, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga