Here's How Big The Monsters Really Are In Godzilla Vs. Kong
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Versus movies pretty much solely exist to scratch the mental itches fans experience when they've wondered who would come out on top in a hypothetical showdown. Some filmmakers set out to answer age-old questions about which iconic characters would win in a fight. Could Batman best Superman? Would Predator pummel Alien in a no-holds-barred brawl? What about the kings of horror with a shared affinity for masks — could Jason Voorhees slay Freddy Krueger? Movie fiends got the answers to those questions, but those cinematic showdowns barely hold a candle to what is quite literally the biggest match-up put to the big screen: Godzilla versus King Kong.
In case you don't want to watch two guys in rubber suits punch and flail at each other in the 1962 version of this match-up (Japan's King Kong vs. Godzilla), Warner Bros. has brought the two titans to life like never before, having just released Godzilla vs. Kong in theaters and on HBO Max on March 31. Godzilla vs. Kong establishes a shared MonsterVerse and gives audiences not one, not two, but three epic bouts between the King of the Monsters and the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Months before the new movie hit silver and small screens alike, people were already debating online about who would ultimately emerge victorious, with director Adam Wingard making it explicitly clear that Godzilla vs. Kong would have an indisputable winner. Just like with any heavyweight fight, people were taking all sorts of info into account, from Godzilla's atomic breath to the fact King Kong just looks nice. Then there's the height difference, which certainly played a role in the ultimate outcome of the film. But how big are the monsters in Godzilla vs. Kong, and how did their sizes help the victor win and make the loser taste defeat? Let's discuss.
Beware: There are spoilers for Godzilla vs. Kong up ahead!
Godzilla has about 60 feet on Kong
People were naturally skeptical how Kong would be able to hold his own in a match-up against Godzilla. After all, when we first see this version of the ape in 2017's Kong: Skull Island, which is set during the 1970s, he stands just 104 feet. Considering Godzilla was roughly 390 feet tall in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters — three and three-quarters bigger than Kong in Skull Island — the giant ape would've been squashed immediately. But luckily for Kong and unluckily for Godzilla, the Kong of Godzilla vs. Kong is much more physically imposing than he was a few decades ago.
Over the course of about 50 years between Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong, the King of the Jungle went through a major transformation. He grew 231 feet to stand at 335 feet tall. That equates to a little over 102 meters, for those who use the metric system, or roughly the same size as Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, or an American football field. However, even after Kong's growth spurt, he's still not as tall as Godzilla; grown-up Kong is 15 percent shorter than the 394 feet Godzilla stands at within Godzilla vs. Kong (via ScreenRant).
While Godzilla comes out on top in terms of height (and likely weight) in the movie, it's not as if Kong is without his own advantages. As we see after the ape emerges from Hollow Earth, he's able to wield tools. Once he gets his hands on an axe that's capable of absorbing Godzilla's atomic breath, Kong definitely gains an upper hand in the battle against his scaly foe. Not only that, but Kong also has agility and speed on his side, as evidenced by the fact that he's able to hop throughout Hong Kong during his final bout with Godzilla. Sadly, when all is said and done, King Kong's just no match for Godzilla, who pins the ape to the ground, forcing him to yield.
Of course, Godzilla has a bad time when Mechagodzilla comes into the picture, and while we don't have an official height for the robot, it seems to be on par with the real lizard. The only way to take the mechanical beast down is for the two titans to work together, combining Godzilla's might with Kong's proficiency with weaponry to tear apart the mech once and for all. This just goes to show that height isn't everything — an unexpected lesson to learn from a film about two monsters punching each other in the face.