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With Godzilla vs. Kong finally hitting theaters and HBO Max, here’s a look at the best and worst reviewed movies in the MonsterVerse franchise.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse continues to grow, with the previous three films culminating in Godzilla vs. Kong‘s release. This film marks the second time the cinematic monsters have duked it out on the big screen since 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, and the hype couldn’t be more immense.
Despite this, it’s been a somewhat rocky road to the crossover. The first MonsterVerse film, while well-received, went a much different direction than later movies and was decidedly hated by many. With the newest monster mash finally hitting theaters and HBO Max, here’s a look at the best and worst reviewed movies in the MonsterVerse franchise.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters – 45
2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters holds the title of the worst MonsterVerse entry to date. The film has various monsters unleashed upon the Earth, including Godzilla’s rival, King Ghidorah. Though its special effects and action sequences were widely praised, pretty much every other element of the film was lambasted by critics and fans alike. The film essentially took the criticisms of its 2014 predecessor and went in the opposite direction for the worst.
The pacing and storyline were poorly handled, with much of the film being more interested in dropping Easter eggs and references to past films in the franchise than telling a good story. The tone and scope went from a horrifying and intimate ground-level look at the monsters’ mayhem to a generic, quip-filled blockbuster that felt like a worse imitation of other films. This ultimately resulted in a disappointing box office take, which was blamed on an amorphous “monster fatigue” of all things. Many feared Godzilla: King of Monsters‘ poor word of mouth would result in diminished anticipation for the follow-up, though that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Kong: Skull Island – 68.5
The second worst reviewed MonsterVerse entry was 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, which actually received fairly positive reviews. It delivered a new and decidedly different cinematic incarnation of King Kong than seen in previous films by notably eschewing the trite “beauty and the beast.” The plot has the Monarch organization seeking to study Kong while a vengeful military officer wants to kill the Titan instead.
Many lauded the movie for its special effects, action sequences and commentary on events such as the Vietnam War. Though they were certainly more well-rounded than some examples in the genre, the biggest criticisms involved character development.
Godzilla (2014): – 69
The second-best MonsterVerse entry is 2014’s Godzilla, though it’s still divisive in its own right. The film features Godzilla attacking California while other monsters called Mutos attempt to reproduce. The monster horror occurs amidst the backdrop of a human drama, involving the government’s rampant destruction and coverup of the monsters’ existence.
Godzilla‘s tone and scope were meant as a throwback to the original 1954 Godzilla film, focusing more on the humans and the effects of the monsters’ attacks. This was somewhat criticized, with the abrupt switching from monster-sized destruction to human perspectives being a bit jarring and disappointing at times. Despite this, Godzilla was well-received and built anticipation for where future movies could go.
Godzilla vs. Kong – 70
The epic throwdown that all of the Monsterverse films were building up to was Godzilla vs. Kong, which pits the atomic lizard against the protector of Skull Island for the first time since the 60s. The reception, at the time of writing, has been mostly positive. However it seems to be following the more thoughtless, action-oriented direction of the 2019 film. The action scenes and the interaction between the title monsters have been heavily praised, with overseas audiences especially lapping the film up at the cinema. Time can only tell if Godzilla vs. Kong will generate enough interest to continue the series and, if so, where it will go from there.
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