Godzilla vs Kong, the marquee monster rematch of the decade, is almost here to deliver the big battle we've been waiting for. And you can watch it on HBO Max right now. The movie is already breaking records for Warner Bros. Pictures, and has made fans ravenous for its release.
While there's an overarching story to the film, we're not sure about anyone who says they want this movie for the narrative. Yes, the film is part of a series that dates back to 2014's Godzilla movie, but the brawl scenes in the trailer look amazing. And that's enough for us.
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Godzilla vs Kong latest news (updated March 31)
- Godzilla vs Kong is now available for streaming on HBO Max
- Godzilla vs Kong oblierated the international box office, with $121.8 mil. worldwide.
- We've already seen a first look at Mechagodzilla! Check it out below.
Godzilla vs Kong release date
Godzilla vs Kong is already tearing up international box offices, as it came out on March 24 around the world. Theaters in the U.S. get the film starting March 31.
And the good news is that it won't just be in theaters. That's because HBO Max will stream Godzilla vs Kong for no additional fee. It arrives on March 31, and it leaves 31 days later. Outside of the U.S., Godzilla vs Kong will hit paid video on demand services starting March 24, 2021.
That's the same time window we got for Wonder Woman 1984 and The Little Things. Dune is one of the other upcoming blockbuster movies that will open on HBO Max as it hits theaters.
Godzilla vs Kong reviews
Reviews are in for Godzilla, with Slashfilm's Chris Evangelista writing that "Godzilla vs. Kong is a film without pretensions. It knows exactly what it wants to do, and what it wants to do is have monsters smash buildings while they’re throwing punches at each other. It’s finally what this franchise has been building towards: a movie about monsters, not humans."
At IGN, Zaki Hasan writes "Godzilla vs. Kong knows exactly what it wants to be, and invests every minute of its two hours living up to that promise. Somewhat understandably the humans are overshadowed by their enormous co-stars, but it is a glorious love letter to these iconic characters’ collective histories."
Steven Weintraub from Collider said "The Godzilla and Kong stuff is why you pay to see this movie on an IMAX screen. They each have scenes that showcase their power and the 3rd act is awesome." Brandon Davis from the Phase Zero podcast tweeted " It’s like Fast & Furious but with giant monsters," and that "It’s a big, ridiculous, awesome movie."
Scott Mendelson of Forbes provided the dissenting opinion calling it "fine," and said "it's another 'retrofitted and pared-down for the masses' 'course correction,'" before comparing it to Joss Whedon's Justice League.
Godzilla vs Kong trailer
The most popular trailer fora Warner Bros. movie ever, the Godzilla vs Kong trailer racked up more than 15 million views in its first 24 hours.
The clip begins with footage of Godzilla attacking a city. Still photo analysis suggests this is supposed to be in South America, and we soon learn that Godzilla has been tearing up the world.
A voice says "this is our only chance," and we see Kong being shipped via his standard travelling method: freighter. He's either asleep or he's not in good shape, I'd lean towards being tranquilizer'd. Apparently, this is Monarch's doing.
"We need Kong," Alexander Skarsgård says. And that's our set-up. Kong is set to be Earth's mightiest hero, fighting against our spikiest pain in the butt. The only issue? Kong only communicates through a small child.
After some standard "military vs Godzilla" action — where Monarch's weapons (unsurprisingly) don't scratch the King of the Monsters — we get down to business.
Kong wakes. Godzilla rises from the water. And they throw the biggest punches you've seen since Ant-Man rose at the airport in Captain America: Civil War.
By the end of the trailer, there is even a UFO sighting if you squint. Plus, Kong gets into a fight with two new titans, a pair of winged beasts. According to leaked merch, those are Nozuki And Warbat.
Godzilla vs Kong: Mechagodzilla appearance
A new Chinese-language trailer has given us our first glimpse at Mechagodzilla, which was always expected for the film. Skim forward to 1:16 in the clip to see it for yourself.
Godzilla vs Kong cast
Throughout the rest of the trailer, we see humanity trying to figure out how to stop Godzilla, who is on a Rampage.
That includes two key characters from Godzilla: King of the Monsters: Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) is back as Dr. Mark Russell and Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) reprises the of his daughter Madison Russell.
Here is the rest of the cast, in alphabetical order:
- Demián Bichir as Walter Simmons
- Julian Dennison as Josh Valentine
- Eiza González as Maya Simmons
- Rebecca Hall as Ilene Andrews
- Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie Hayes
- Jessica Henwick in a to-be-revealed role
- Kaylee Hottle as Jia
- Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Admiral Wilcox
- Van Marten in a to-be-revealed role
- Shun Oguri as Ren Serizawa
- Lance Reddick in a to-be-revealed role
- Benjamin Rigby as Sonar operator
- Alexander Skarsgård as Nathan Lind
- Ziyi Zhang as Dr. Ilene Chen, Monarch senior mythographer
Godzilla vs Kong story
This is the latest chapter in the MonsterVerse that started in 2014's Godzilla. There, we learned of the Monarch organization, which began in the 1950's, and participated in the H-Bomb attack against Godzilla at Bikini Atoll.
While this is the culmination of those films, don't expect it to be the conclusion. The trailer suggests we're about to open a huge Pandora's Box of monsters. In this chapter, Monarch is looking to find the truth about where the Titans come from.
