Godzilla vs. Kong is a 2021 American monster film directed by Adam Wingard. A sequel to both Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Kong: Skull Island (2017), it is the fourth film in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, the 36th film in the Godzilla franchise, the 12th film in the King Kong franchise, and the fourth Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio.
Godzilla vs. Kong
The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir. In the film, humans are amid a colossal clash between Godzilla and Kong who battle to see who reign among the other Titans.
Godzilla vs. Kong
The project was announced in October 2015 when Legendary announced plans for a shared cinematic universe between Godzilla and King Kong. The film’s writers room was assembled in March 2017, and Wingard was announced as the director in May 2017. Principal photography began in November 2018 in Hawaii, Australia and Hong Kong, and wrapped in April 2019.
Godzilla vs. Kong
After being delayed from a November 2020 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Godzilla vs. Kong was theatrically released internationally on March 24, 2021, and in the United States on March 31, simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its visual effects and action sequences, but with criticism to the underwritten human characters. It has grossed $123 million worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2021.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Five years after the death of King Ghidorah, Godzilla and Kong are the last known active Titans on Earth’s surface. Skull Island’s climate has been destabilized, and Monarch now houses Kong inside a gigantic dome. Kong is constantly visited by Jia, the last Iwi native who is deaf and can communicate with him via sign language. Bernie Hayes, a Titan conspiracy theorist and former employee of Apex Cybernetics, leaks information about suspicious activities at an Apex facility in Pensacola, Florida. Godzilla suddenly appears and attacks the base; during the rampage, Bernie discovers a device similar to the ORCA, previously used to communicate with or control Titans.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Madison Russell, the daughter of Monarch scientist Mark Russell, enlists her friend Josh to investigate the cause of Godzilla’s attack. Along with Bernie, they sneak into the wrecked Apex facility and discover a secret underground laboratory where they are inadvertently locked and transported in a container carrying Skullcrawler eggs to Hong Kong. Once there, the trio witnesses a test of Mechagodzilla – a mechanical version of Godzilla telepathically controlled by Ren Serizawa (the son of the late Ishirō Serizawa) through neural networks derived from one of Ghidorah’s severed heads. The test is cut short, though, due to an inadequate power supply.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Apex CEO Walter Simmons recruits Nathan Lind, a former Monarch scientist turned Hollow Earth theorist, as a guide in search of a new power source within the Hollow Earth. Nathan goes to Skull Island and meets Dr. Ilene Andrews, Jia’s adoptive mother, convincing her to let Kong accompany them. Nathan, Ilene, and an Apex team led by Walter’s daughter Maya board a modified barge with Kong chained and lightly sedated. Godzilla unexpectedly attacks the convoy midway through the voyage and defeats Kong; however, he only retreats when the remaining ships disable their power and act as if they are destroyed. Realizing that Godzilla will continue to come for Kong if he is deemed a threat, the team changes plans and airlifts Kong to a Hollow Earth entry point in Antarctica.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Inside the Hollow Earth, the team finds an ecosystem similar to Skull Island. Eventually, they discover an ancestral throne room depicting an ancient war between Godzilla’s and Kong’s species; they also find a glowing axe made of the dorsal spine of another Godzilla. As the team finds the power source and sends its signature back to the Hong Kong base, Kong realizes that it can also recharge the axe. Sensing the energy, Godzilla makes landfall in Hong Kong and directly attacks the throne room from the surface. Kong fends off Godzilla and the subsequent invasion of Hollow Earth creatures, but Maya and the Apex team are killed. Kong and the survivors escape back to the surface, where Godzilla and Kong fight again; despite the fact that Kong’s axe is immune to the atomic breath, Godzilla wins again and incapacitates Kong.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Ren warns Walter that they have not tested the new energy source, but Walter ignores his concerns and orders him to activate Mechagodzilla. Madison, Bernie, and Josh are caught and brought to Walter, but due to the energy overload and Ghidorah’s influence, Mechagodzilla goes haywire and electrocutes Ren to death. Now possessed by Ghidorah’s consciousness, Mechagodzilla kills Walter, emerges from the base of Victoria Peak, and attacks the city. As Josh unsuccessfully tries to shut off the robot, Godzilla and Mechagodzilla fight; however, Godzilla is quickly overwhelmed.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Nathan’s team revives Kong and Jia convinces him that Godzilla is not the enemy. Kong saves Godzilla from being killed, but Mechagodzilla overpowers both Titans working together. Josh short-circuits Mechagodzilla’s controls with Bernie’s drink, giving Godzilla and Kong enough time to recover. Godzilla supercharges Kong’s axe with his atomic breath, allowing Kong to decapitate and destroy Mechagodzilla. Madison, Bernie, and Josh reunite with Mark while Godzilla and Kong acknowledge one another before going their separate ways. Sometime later, Ilene and Jia watch Kong, now ruling over the Hollow Earth, from an observation post.
Godzilla vs. Kong