If there's one movie franchise that I'd happily walk on nails to avoid watching, it's the MonsterVerse. They are so often narratively boring and too focused on spectacle rather than sustenance that my attempts to stick with them have thus far proven unsuccessful. 2014s Godzilla it feels like director Gareth Edwards forgot this was a Godzilla movie, and the giant monster barely had enough screen time to satisfy me. Its continuation, 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monstershad a plot that felt so pointless that not even the performances of Kyle Chandler and Vera Farmiga could save it. And yet, although I have very little interest in trying to return to these films, let alone a TV spin-off. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters “I remain a fan of one particular monster, the indomitable King Kong, and one version of him in particular.”
Peter Jackson, known as director Lord of the Rings The films became a big success thanks to its take on the giant ape when it debuted in theaters 20 years ago on December 14, 2005. Jackson's Take was the second remake of the 1933 film. King Kong (and Kong's seventh film). Naomi Watts plays Anne Darrows, a minor actress whose wily director Carl Denham (Jack Black) takes her and the rest of the cast to the dangerous Skull Island. Fresh off his award-winning motion capture performance as Gollum, Andy Serkis plays Kong, a giant ape who falls in love with Darrow. At that time it was an undeniable commercial success: more than $556.9 million worldwide with a budget of $207 million. Critics praised Jackson's use of special effects bringing Kong to life as both a terrifying creature and an emotional, empathetic being, as well as a still painfully relevant story about how ambition and greed can turn us all into monsters.
King Kong turned out to be a monumental experience for me. Watts' take on Ann Darrows was a far cry from the hysterical, screaming waif portrayed by pioneering scream queen Fay Wray in the original film. However, despite my love for this film, trying to expand my horizons and learn about Kong's other adventures only pushed me further into Jackson's furry embrace. King Kong. The reason is the same as before: you don't have to watch multiple movies before (or after) to understand what's going on.
Kong and his other kaiju pals have been around for almost a century now, and each of them has several movies, spin-offs, comics, etc. to dive into. The most recent one Godzilla x Kong 2024: A New Empireis the 13th King Kong film in the Kong franchise and the fifth in Legendary Picture's ongoing cinematic universe. New Empire follows a cute plot after defeating Mechagodzilla in the previous 2021 film. Godzilla vs Kong. Continuation, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, will be released sometime in 2027, when we'll no doubt see even more creatures added to the MonsterVerse.
Legendary has never hidden the goals of the MonsterVerse. The plan has always been to create a network of interconnected films, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This may have seemed like a good idea when the franchise launched in 2014 (the same year Marvel released both games). Guardians of the Galaxy And Captain America: The Winter Soldier), but over the past ten years, audiences have become wary of any film that requires a lot of research to understand. If you watch one movie without the other, you're bound to miss something important. You will understand the main plot and enjoy the spectacle, but the meaning of decisions and entire storylines will not be as striking. Getting into the MonsterVerse today is like giving yourself homework. If you want a standalone Godzilla story, there's always Great recent Toho filmsbut Kong fans are out of luck.
Jackson King Kong It's also an epic spectacle of the caliber you'd expect from the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Journey to Skull Island is ethereal in its presentation, like setting up a romance movie between Anne and heartbreaking screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), which makes the inevitable twist of them arriving only to be captured by the islanders feel like such a delicious shock. There's still a lot of fighting and action, but that's not the heart of the film. This role belongs to Kong and Anne, whose Beauty and the Beast the situation seems 10 times more compelling than Kong defeating Godzilla for the 50th time. By comparison, humans in the MonsterVerse films primarily exist to sell cars and fill the space between kaiju battles.
Even better, King Kong there's no need to try to weave a story around the idea of creating another sequel. Narrative arc King Kong was so independent that, although a sequel was planned (before cancellation), it ended on a poignant and dark note for both Ann and Kong that doesn't warrant a sequel. What's the point of continuing the story if the whole point is the tragedy of the ending?
As a Star Wars fan, I've had a lot of experience struggling with the innate need for more and more content to keep the wheels of the franchise turning. There are times when sequels or prequels are necessary, even required, to give more depth to the charactersor just because there are still many stories to tell. However, as Jackson says King Kong shows that it is equally important to know when a story can and should end. Two decades later, I just wish Kong's owners would free him from the shackles of the MonsterVerse to make another standalone film.
