Are 2 monster movies better than 1?

Godzilla vs. Kong delivers on the action, but proves 2 half-baked plots don't add up to a whole

What do you get when you bring together not just two iconic monsters, but two film franchises, a climactic crossover event for a shared kaiju universe?

The fourth installment in the MonsterVerse, Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong, serves as a follow-up both to 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and promises an epic on-screen clash of the titans who previously faced off in 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla. The end result includes loads of fun, and viewers primarily seeking thrilling monster battles will surely be satisfied. On a plot level, though, it's a bit like watching separate Kong and Godzilla movies awkwardly occupying the same space, with incredibly entertaining fight sequences poorly tied together by two half-baked stories for the price of one.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.