Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Godzilla vs. Kong Blu-ray Movie Review

When Titans collide.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 11, 2021

With a name like Godzilla vs. Kong, is a detailed synopsis really necessary? Yep... but only because, once again, waaay too many humans have been carelessly crammed into what's otherwise a pretty satisfying big-screen slugfest between two cinematic icons. Director Adam Wingard, new to both the franchise and high-budget spectacle, nonetheless delivers what's probably the most satisfying and entertaining film in either franchise from an American perspective, even though it's hardly a landslide. But when Godzilla vs. Kong lets its two opposing forces finally collide -- and even a third, just for good measure -- it's truly a sight to behold. No matter who's side you're on, you'll have fun with this one.

Anyway, boring human stuff: while under strict observation from Monarch within a giant dome on Skull Island, Kong gets regular visitors including young Jia (Kaylee Hottle), a deaf orphan who's the adopted daughter of Kong expert Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and communicates with him via sign language. Dr. Andrews is approached by former Monarch scientist and Hollow Earth theorist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), who has been recruited by Apex Cybernetics CEO Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) to test his theory... which might be the birthplace of Kong, Godzilla, and more. Meanwhile, Apex employee Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), who moonlights as a conspiracy theorist and host of a popular podcast, attempts to pull data from the company's computer system an expose their true intentions. But soon it doesn't matter: once-trusted Godzilla attacks the facility and goes on a warpath, prompting the interest of Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), daughter of Monarch deputy director Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) and fan of Bernie's podcast, who teams up with him to investigate with her reluctant pal Josh (Julian Dennison).

Believe it or not that's just the tip of the dumb human iceberg, which drags down the film with a jumbled mess of sloppy exposition, laughable coincidences (Bernie's successful break-in, for starters) and deus ex machinas, plus a few grating minor characters like a top Apex executive (Eiza González) who throws her weight around while contributing almost nil to the cause. And then there's the matter of the three "investigators" themselves -- why Godzilla vs. Kong decided to feature a bunch of annoying and self-righteous conspiracy theorists is simply beyond me. Maybe it was just bad timing, but collectively these are some of the most undeserving heroes put on film in recent memory.

No matter though because, believe it or not, Godzilla vs. Kong manages to stays afloat with all that extra baggage. That's mostly because it's the shortest of the four MonsterVerse films, wrapping almost 20 minutes earlier than the entertaining but overlong Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And once it lets our two Titans have at it -- on three separate occasions, no less -- Godzilla vs. Kong absolutely shines from the perspective of a well-crafted slugfest spectacle. The visual effects, locations, sound design and editing all work together to create some of the very best scenes of mayhem involving either character, with a late-period appearance by none other than Mecha-Godzilla to seal the deal. But Kong himself earns even more screen time than those three fights imply, as he's treated as more of a main character with an arc involving his curious relationship with young Jia and newfound use of communication to make his feelings known. He's undoubtedly treated as the more sympathetic of the two Titans but, for everyone complaining about Godzilla's lesser amount of of screen time, remember he's already gotten two MonsterVerse movies to himself.

It's a pretty wild ride, all things considered, with Godzilla vs. Kong 's top-tier visual effects and dynamic sound design working overtime to deliver a mammoth-sized viewing experience that mostly lives up to its title. Whether or not you braved the theaters back in March, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition attempts to bring the big screen experience home and the result, while visually inferior to the separately-available 4K combo pack, still delivers most of the goods with an outstanding Dolby Atmos mix and a handful of decent extras. But if you're just here for the DVD, good luck.

Godzilla vs. Kong Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blu-ray discs are becoming harder to evaluate objectively, as the continued advancement -- and regular viewing -- of 4K content makes it difficult to tell where bad compression ends and format limitations begin. But one thing's for sure: the 4K-native Godzilla vs. Kong pushes the limits for visual detail and, well, lots of stuff filling up the screen during its infrequent but memorable scenes of wanton destruction. Even elsewhere, it leans heavy on strong colors and deep shadows that, when viewed in 1080p with the absence of HDR enhancement, just don't have the same degree of visual impact. Bright neon signage cutting through foggy lights? Fifty-story buildings toppled by raging Titans? Waterfalls and torrential downpours running off coarsely-growing and rugged scales? They can't help but falter at a lower resolution even when, by and large, what appears on-screen during Godzilla vs. Kong still looks visually appealing within format boundaries. From certain angles, it might even be considered a valiant attempt at condensing this kind of material -- along with well over an hour's worth of extras and a Dolby Atmos mix -- onto a single disc. But as evidenced by the regular appearance of compression artifacts, banding, lesser shadow detail, and other mild but persistent eyesores, it's tough to go back once you've seen the film in 4K (or theatrically, of course). Still, highlights abound and overall color saturation, even without the benefit of HDR, reaches into respectable territory while fine detail is impressive in close-ups and a few wide-shots alike. But even if I'm grossly overreacting here, there's clearly at least a little room for visual improvement, which might have come in the form of relegating the bonus features to a second disc.

Godzilla vs. Kong Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As ambitious as Godzilla vs. Kong's visuals are, on Blu-ray they're clearly outmatched by this absolutely reference-level Dolby Atmos track, which automatically folds down to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 if your receiver doesn't support the format. But this is as good a reason as any to consider upgrading your audio setup, as the mix's robust use of height channels brings a new level of sonic excitement to all the mayhem that unfolds on-screen. From fighter jet fly-bys to torrential downpours and, well, every appearance of the two title characters (even when they're not slugging it out), the terrific use of overhead audio blends in seamlessly to create that desirable "sonic bubble" that completely envelops the listener during key moments of the film. Elsewhere, all the usual highlights are present and accounted for: clean and crisp dialogue, well-placed rear channel effects, dynamic panning, and thunderous use of LFE that might just take your subwoofer(s) to new and exciting territory, and possibly the repair shop. Not surprisingly, it's probably the most impressive-sounding mix I've heard this year and almost makes this disc worth a spin on its own merits.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and extras.

Godzilla vs. Kong Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed, eco-friendly keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a foil-enhanced matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption slip. The on-disc supplements are a little repetitive but worth digging through, considering most recent Warner Bros. titles have skimped in this department in favor of digital platforms.

• Audio Commentary - Director Adam Wingard serves up a pretty engaging feature-length track here; most of it leans toward trivia tidbits and production stories rather than deep technical stuff, which is probably for the best. Highlights include the Kong introduction and using him as more of a main character, Godzilla's role in the film, a couple of interesting budgetary limitations, location scouting, CGI and practical effects, casting, plot exposition, continuity errors, editing and post-production work, balancing screen time, and much more.

• The God - A series of like-minded featurettes about everyone's favorite scaly force of nature.

• Godzilla Attacks (6:25) - This short featurette includes brief words from key members of the cast and crew, including director Adam Wingard, producer Alex Garcia, and actor Kyle Chandler, who speak about Godzilla's role in the film and his place is history from classic fare to the Legendary Pictures films.
• The Phenomenon of Gojira, King of the Monsters (9:52) - Actor Sally Hawkins, filmmaker Gareth Edwards, writer Zach Shields, director Adam Wingard, and others expand a bit on Godzilla's history, mythical qualities, and other films in the series, including their favorite iterations growing up.

• The King - More short-form featurettes, this time focusing on the furrier of the two Titans.

• Kong Leaves Home (7:56) - Several key members of the cast and crew, including a few earlier participants, speak about this older version of the celebrated character and his unusual relationship with young Jia, as well as the various habitats, locations, and costume designs used in the film.
• Kong Discovers Hollow Earth (7:53) - A more focused look at Godzilla vs. Kong's approach to Hollow Earth (including its use in other fantasy films and stories) and the creation of that locale, including its visual effects and how the concept of reverse gravity changed the film's initial script.
• Behold Kong's Temple (5:52) - Director Adam Wingard and others expound on the Kong's Temple sequence, including its construction on a soundstage, visual effects, and elements of Kong's origin story.
• The Evolution of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World (8:25) - Like The Phenomenon of Gojira, this short piece features key members of the cast and crew -- including those from other Legendery films -- who speak about the character's appearance in earlier installments including the 1933 original.

• The Rise of Mecha-Godzilla (7:06) - This piece covers the climactic appearance of Mecha-Godzilla, including his history and the challenges of making him more sleek and modern while staying true to the character.

• The Battles - Three more featurettes, each one covering one of the film's trio of Titan battles, with more words from the cast and crew as well as a quick look at visual effects in various stages of completion including concept art, pre-vis sequences, and finishing touches. That said, a bit more technical detail would've been nice.

• Round One: Battle at Sea (5:06)
• Round Two: One Will Fall (5:58)
• Titan Tag Team: The God and the King (7:59)

Godzilla vs. Kong Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Director Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong is a thunderous, Earth-shaking slugfest that just might be the most enjoyable film in either franchise's modern domestic history. But that still ain't saying much: the human side of this story is, as usual, dumber than a box of rocks -- maybe even dumber this time around -- and threatens to derail the considerable momentum of everything else. Luckily, the larger-than-life spectacle of its title characters remains front and center and, while Godzilla obviously plays second fiddle here, anyone with their foot in either camp will probably enjoy themselves. Although both this release and the 4K combo pack offer identical extras and audio mixes (both of which are great and outstanding, respectively), the Blu-ray unsurprisingly falls a little short from a visual perspective. It's still a fine presentation overall -- and depending on your setup, possibly the only one -- but I'd definitely put the 4K disc several notches over this one if you're seriously considering an equipment upgrade in the near future.