We’ve had no shortage of monster movies. With 36 “Godzilla” films and “12 King Kong” films, these 300-foot kaijus have been popping up almost every decade. And while Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse franchise may not be the most inspired iteration, they’ve shown to be solid entries to the plethora of monster films. With “Godzilla vs. Kong” recently released, here is our ranking of the MonsterVerse films.
4. ‘Godzilla’ (2014)
A scene from “Godzilla.” Photo: Legendary Entertainment, 2014.
Humans have always been the worst part of monster movies. So when “Godzilla” (2014) had barely any footage of Godzilla himself—and mostly cutting away to humans reacting to him—it became a bore. And Bryan Cranston, who was labeled the protagonist of the film, (spoiler) was killed off in the first 30 minutes. He was then replaced by the much less interesting Aaron-Taylor Johnson.
Nobody comes to a monster movie for the human drama; but if you’re going to have it, at least make the humans likable. All-in-all, the first entry of the MonsterVerse disappointed many, and left little hope for the franchise in the future. Fortunately, it seems that the franchise is heading towards an upwards trajectory. (Read our review here).
3. ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ (2019)
Millie Bobbie Brown in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” Photo: Legendary Entertainment, 2019.
“King of the Monsters” improved on some of the complaints I had for the first film, yet still failed to hit the same highs as other entries. “KOTM” had no shortage of monsters, an addition that was greatly needed (especially compared to what we got in 2014). We saw Mothra, Ghidorah, Rodan, and of course, Godzilla.
The cinematography was some of the finest I’ve seen in recent years, really using the sense of scale to their advantage. So while the fights and monsters were amazing, the humans were as boring as ever. Millie Bobby Brown served as a bland protagonist, and the subplot about the evil monster corporation really didn’t do it for me. It seems as though the filmmakers put all their energy into reinforcing the monster segments, which I’m thankful for, but they didn’t put any work into making the human segments more enjoyable. (Read our review here).
2. ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (2021)
A scene from the epic showdown that is “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Photo: Legendary Entertainment, 2021.
As the most recent film in the MonsterVerse, “Godzilla vs. Kong” not only delivered an extremely solid monster movie, but might have single-handedly revitalized movie theaters, grossing the most out of any other film in the pandemic. The special effects were better than ever, most notably in Kong himself. His ultra-realism made me question if he was in fact a real ape superimposed into my television screen. And although I was still eye-rolling at the humans, it felt different to me. Instead of them being so integral to the plot, the humans acted more as plot devices to allow the audience to see huge monsters fight each other.
Sure, some of it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I think it worked. The “Godzilla” films took themselves so seriously, while “GVK” knows that it’s about a giant lizard punching a giant monkey. Godzilla blows a hole through the center of the earth with his radioactive breath to see Kong, and Kong jumps through it to punch him in the face. It’s dumb as hell and the movie knows it—so it’s fun. (Read our review here).
1. ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017)
The mighty Kong in “Skull Island.” Photo: Legendary Entertainment, 2017.
I’ll be honest, after 2014’s “Godzilla” I wasn’t looking forward to “Kong: Skull Island.” I thought it would be another bland, “gritty” adaptation. Instead, it was an extremely stylish and fun ride, filled with great (if not a little bit basic) characters. Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly shined in this film, not for their astounding character development, just for the fact that they were fun to watch.
Instead of having a bland plot about humans trying to stop the kaiju, “Skull Island” took the survival route, taking our protagonists and having them trying to escape Kong’s island. The colors were extremely vibrant, oranges and greens filling up the entire screen. And unlike its predecessor, the monsters were at the forefront of the film. It was great to see creatures we’ve never seen before in live action, like Skullcrawlers or a Kraken-like animal. At least for me, “Skull Island” restored my hope in the franchise.
You may notice a bias in this ranking, as I don’t think Godzilla is very interesting. Kong actually feels like a character, someone humans can interact with, while Godzilla is just used as something to interact at. I think that if the MonsterVerse wants to improve going forward, it should focus less on Godzilla himself and more on the universe surrounding him. And while the winner of “Godzilla Vs. Kong” was somewhat unclear, it’s obvious the Kong-centric films beat out the famous kaiju in almost every way.
Let us know your thoughts…did we get the list right? Leave us a comment in the spot below.
