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Have you ever faced a fear head-on for something you truly love? Well, that was me five days before the release of Godzilla vs. Kong. I found myself in a nerve-racking situation—I was about to give blood for a promotional event tied to the movie, but there was one problem: I’ve had a fear of needles since I was a kid.
I was incredibly excited about the movie, so much so that I was willing to conquer my fear just to be part of a special promotion. The American Red Cross had teamed up with Godzilla vs. Kong to encourage blood donations. They were offering a unique T-shirt featuring Godzilla and Kong with red bandages on their arms, symbolizing blood donation.
Now, being a huge fan of Godzilla and having a massive collection of Godzilla memorabilia, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get this exclusive shirt. But the thought of sitting through a blood donation, with a needle in my arm for ten minutes, was daunting.
To calm my nerves and push through the anxiety, I decided to turn to the very kaijus that ignited my passion—Godzilla and Kong. I planned to watch Godzilla vs. Kong while waiting for my donation to be completed. It's funny how these Monsterverse movies can be exactly what you need at the right moment.
When the trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong dropped, I was overjoyed. It promised everything I wanted—bigger battles, more monsters, and epic kaiju showdowns. Despite the challenging circumstances of its release during the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to gather some friends, order barbecue, and turn our viewing into a nerdy pay-per-view-style event.
The movie provided a much-needed escape from the anxiety-inducing real world. Amidst the pandemic, where every day seemed to bring more bad news, Godzilla vs. Kong offered a two-hour respite from the chaos.
As the day of my blood donation approached, I felt excited about the promo but anxious about facing my fear. It took me days to muster the courage to make the appointment. I debated canceling altogether, but I couldn't let anxiety rob me of this unique experience.
Watching Godzilla vs. Kong helped me stay grounded. The action-packed sequences and familiar monsters boosted my adrenaline and pumped me up for the challenge ahead. I even fast-forwarded to the Hong Kong fight scene during my donation, where Godzilla and Kong battled amid neon lights and epic destruction.
Godzilla vs. Kong knows exactly what its audience wants—giant monster action. It's not about Shakespearean drama; it's about high-octane, explosive, CGI slugfests that thrill and entertain.
Unlike Godzilla Vs Kong, this movie was marketed differently. There is a real mystery surrounding the actual villains and what new challenges await Kong. Instead of hip hop and rock we get standard orchestral swells that add drama. And Godzilla and Kong are for lack of a better phrase, buddy cops working together to clean up the monster streets.
Scene of theme running together
I remember when that trailer came out people complained about that scene and said “oh Godzilla can’t run that fast” and “it’s so cheesy”....shut uuuup.
That scene gave me exactly what I wanted and so does this movie.
Godzilla X Kong knows exactly what we are there to see, giant monster fighting action. Godzilla destroys cities, fights monsters, and even blows a monster's face off. Meanwhile Kong, who is the real star of the movie, is a straight up bruiser giving us satisfying punches, wrestling moves, and even beats up a gang of giant apes with a smaller ape.
The movie doesn’t rely on old kaijus we have loved for years and instead invents new ones like Skar who the second we meet him, we immediately want him to get punched in the mouth.
Putting Kong against a lankier, more agile giant primate that is also a tyrant that enslaves his own kind is a great way to fire up the audience. You love to hate characters like Skar and Kong has become such a lovable character to root for. He has been through so much like losing his family, fighting for his life, and getting messed up by Godzilla.
It’s weird to say that we can all relate to Kong but it’s true. We’ve all gotten knocked down in some way, dealt with a bully, and tried to find where we belong. There’s comfort in seeing a relatable character rise up and fight for what’s right and himself.
Usually these types of movies just give you giant monster fights but Kong gives us an actual story with mostly just grunts and gorilla noises. When he confronts Skar, no words are spoken yet you totally understand what’s taking place.
The humans in this movie, on the other hand, do an awful lot of talking but their emotional moments felt lost on me and felt like they dragged on as I waited for another giant monster to appear on screen.
Because when we do get to the monsters, we get comic book levels of insanity that gets me revved up. Godzilla blasts scylla’s head off, Kong suplexes Godzilla, and we get a zero gravity fight between giant apes, two huge prehistoric monsters, and a moth that shoots webs.
And speaking of that Moth. Mothra is my favorite Kaiju ever and in my reaction to this movie I proved that by getting very excited about her appearance:
This movie let Mothra shine by giving her a tribe of supporters. She got in on the action and was crucial to Godzilla and Kong’s story and we got pieces of her lore that people who never saw the old movies have missed.
And if you aren’t a Godzilla fanatic, you don’t like over the top action, or you just flat out didn’t care for this movie, it’s ok. Maybe you like your movies with alot of substance and having deep reflections. I like both but movies like this bring me alot of comfort and it is scientifically good for me.
Dopamine is a chemical in your brain that gives you that “feel good” feeling and motivates you to do something that gives you pleasure.
It gives you happy feelings, satisfaction, and it’s a great motivator like how getting a cool shirt made me so excited that I pushed through a fear I have since childhood. And there is a whole scientific paper that dives into how movies can do this.
Godzilla X Kong gave me that dopamine by showing me huge action sequences, familiar monsters that I adore, crazy visuals, and a story that was both exciting and somewhat touching.
But it also gave me dopamine in the way that I was excited to go see the movie, that I got to talk to friends about what we loved and didn’t, the fact that I can come home and talk about that movie into a camera, I met other Godzilla fans as I walked in, the euphoria of sitting in a 4DX theater being jostled around to Kong’s punches, and maybe just maybe a handful of fans like me will watch this video or read this blog and talk to me about more Godzilla fandom.
It motivates me to not just relax and have a good time but connect with other likeminded humans so I can get more dopamine with fun conversations about my favorite kaiju.
Facing that needle wasn't as terrifying as I expected. Godzilla and Kong had become my comfort zone, inspiring me to push through and come out stronger on the other side. I even wore my Godzilla vs. Kong blood donation T-shirt proudly to the movie's premiere.
In the end, Godzilla and his movies may be an obsession for me, but they bring immense happiness and comfort. They remind me that sometimes, facing our fears can lead to unexpected moments of triumph and joy.
So, if you're ever struggling with fear or anxiety, maybe a dose of Godzilla vs. Kong is just what you need to muster the courage and find your own victory, whether it's battling monsters or conquering personal challenges. Because sometimes, heroes come in the form of giant kaijus.
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