The fifth Legendary Monsterverse outing is an exercise in kaiju power. And despite the thin plot, lackluster human narrative, and dependence on the kaiju/monsters to make the screen time worth the ticket you paid, it works and satisfies in a loony, non-serious manner. Just sitting back and going along for the ride is the only way to make this film happen in a good way.

It readily picks the pockets of numerous films that have come before and succeeded in the genre. The Jurassic film franchise, Guardians, Planet of the Apes, How to Train Your Dragon, and other Marvel films (Kong with his Thanos-like augmented arm); there’s no shortage of ways this screenplay readily borrows elements from other films to create a hodgepodge ‘Frankenstein monster’ of a film. 

Directed by Adam Wingard, it is a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, and given the similarity in title, I know several didn’t realize at first that this is a new film. Rebecca Hall, as Dr. Andrews, Kaylee Hottle, as Jia, and Bryan Tree Henry, as Bernie, all reprise their roles; Dan Stevens, as kaiju dentist/vet Trapper, is the new main character. 

Henry and Stevens are on board to provide most of the comedy, and unfortunately, while playing the game, the two do not throw out any really funny lines. Hall is Madam Exposition, the one explaining things to the audience who may be getting lost, so she’s super-important. As for Hottle, she is the missing link between Kong’s Hollow Earth—the realm where Kong rules supreme… or so he thought—and the world as we know it. 

This world as we know it is where Godzilla now rules as a protector of some kind, ready to do battle with kaijus that seek destruction. One wonderful iconic scene for Godzilla is that it takes Rome’s Colosseum as his bedroom and place of rest. Curled up with this architectural icon is one wonderful takeaway image from the film.

Kong’s storyline is basically to give him a potential sidekick so there’s a future where he doesn’t have to stand alone as promised, and then throw Skar King and the ice beast Shimo as the duo that Kong has to combat on his own initially.

Of course, we know from the title that this film will go beyond repeating the theme of Godzilla and Kong as adversaries. So yes, there is a point when Mothra is brought into the picture, and we have a twist on the Godzilla Kong dynamic. No spoilers here, but this is what the fans will be waiting for, and Wingard does not disappoint.

It’s light, and it’s forgettable upon leaving the theater, but it does deliver harmlessly. After the critical success of Godzilla Minus One (a Japanese enterprise), one might say it’s too soon to have a new Godzilla, but as Minus One was distributed in a very limited manner, for many, this is the new Kaiju film.