Two of film’s most well known titans, King Kong and Godzilla, go head-to-head in the new sci-fi/action movie Godzilla vs. Kong. Who will win this battle of all battles? Will it be Godzilla, the gigantic dinosaur-like monster with atomic breath and fast swimming abilities? Or will it be King Kong, the humongous gorilla-like ape with punches that kill and an axe that destroys? Place your bets and watch in theaters or with a subscription to HBO Max (until Apr. 30) to find out for yourself.

I’ve never seen a Godzilla or King Kong movie, but one of the best things about this film is that they give you just enough background on the titans that you did not feel lost. Both creatures were born in Hollow Earth, located near the Earth’s core, but came on Earth with other titans and inhabited a place known as Shutter Island. Over the years, the titans have been killing each other until only two remain, that is, Godzilla and Kong.

To prevent the two from killing each other, Monarch, a secret organization created by the U.S. government to monitor these monsters, contained Kong in a vast dome (he is unaware that he is not in the wild) that looks like a jungle. He is cared for by expert Ilene Andrews and her adopted, Deaf, native daughter Jia who has a strong bond with Kong. She is the only one who is able to communicate with him.

Godzilla, on the other hand, lives freely on Shutter Island as he is known to be gentle and kind unless seriously provoked. Suddenly, he starts going on killing rampages for unknown reasons. This leads Apex Cybernetics, a company whose mission is to destroy all titans, a valid reason to attack him. To do so, they need a power source unlike any other to fuel a machine they are creating. What is this machine you ask? You’ll have to watch to find out.

The only place with a powerful enough energy source is Hollow Earth itself. Only with the help of Kong, Jia and Andrews will the minds behind Apex Cybernetics be able to reach Hollow Earth. I’m sure you’re wondering “Why should Kong help them?” To this I say, Kong will finally be able to go back to his true home and have a big enough spot to rest.

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Normally I’m not one to pick out a science fiction movie. What I am a fan of though is animations of large creatures that look real, and this movie sure does succeed in that department. The animation of the mystical land Hollow Earth also added to the movie’s success as it filled me with a sense of awe and wonder. Overall, the sci-fi elements definitely added to the plot and made it more enjoyable to watch. It’s always interesting to see nifty tablets and gadgets that may or may not be something that we will see in 20 years.

While the animation and sci-fi parts are neat, the best aspect is the action. Within the first 25 minutes an amazing fight scene occurs between Godzilla and Kong. You wonder how this almost two-hour movie is going to top it, but trust me, it does. There are plenty of suspenseful fighting scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat. Because they are both huge monsters, the scenes are loud, making it sound like I was watching in theatres even though I was in the comfort of my own home.

While the fight scenes are loud, they fade at times in order to hear them from the perspective of Jia. This adds more suspense and drama to the scenes as young Jia should be the most frightened, but isn’t. I really like how they bring a Deaf character into play, and the fact that the actress herself (Kaylee Hottle) is Deaf in real life and signs in the movie only makes it that much better. Representation is always important in the media industry and this film goes to show just how much representation from less heard-from groups can add to a movie.

Simply put, this movie is absolutely worth the watch. My cousin and I gasped more times than we can count and talked about it for days afterward. And with a cast like Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall and Demáin Bichir, how can this movie miss?