It's here, the first really BIG movie of 2021: Godzilla vs. Kong! Whether you saw it at home on HBO Max or caught it in an actual theater, this definitely felt like the first real event film of the year. Your intrepid Planet 8 crew all saw the film as soon as it was out (some of us staying up into the wee hours of the night) and are here to share our thoughts and impressions on this latest entry in Legendary's monsterverse.

Be prepared for SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The question everyone is asking is, whose side are you on? And our team was divided. Commander Larry and Chief Engineer Bob are long-time Godzilla devotees, while Recon Officer Karen is a fan of the big ape. But despite our differences, we were able to come together and talk about how we enjoyed this film. And we did enjoy the movie! It's a huge popcorn movie, full of a lot of crazy pseudoscience, a lot of callbacks to older films, and some really exciting monster battles. Although we might at times be nostalgic for the men-in-suits eras, there's no denying how fantastic the CGI looks in this film (and its predecessors).  And we get to the action pretty quickly.

This movie is sort of like a supreme pizza: it's just got everything sprinkled all over it. There's a trip to the Hollow Earth, swimming Godzilla, evil businessmen, a giant ape wielding an axe,  crazy conspiracy theorists, ape sign language, and ...Mechagodzilla! It's best if you just sort of turn off the critical thinking part of your brain and relax when you watch. But there's still a lot to wonder about. Who built the amphitheater in the Hollow Earth? Will we eventually see aliens in a Legendary film? What monster will we see next?

Maybe the best thing about Godzilla Vs. Kong was how excited we all felt about watching a movie again. In some ways, it felt like a bit of a return to normalcy. We hope the movie does well and that we get more entries in the series.

In other news,  on our YouTube channel, we reached 100+ subscribers -thank you very much! - so you can now access our videos by going to YouTube.com/Planet8podcast. If you haven't caught our latest video episode on American International Pictures with Lord Blood-Rah, please head on over and check it out. And let us know what you think!

This week, our Sensor Sweep starts with a memorial to Cleve Hall, "The Monster Man." As we recorded this episode, we had just heard of his passing. Cleve had made monster suits and make-ups for innumerable films and projects. Cleve was known for being very approachable at shows and was a true fan himself. The community is poorer for his loss.

In brighter news, Chief Engineer Bob's Bay Area Film Events will host Godzilla's Monster Bash at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco on May 14-16. There will be 10 Godzilla films, celebrating the 60th  anniversary of Mothra, and the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. If you're in the area - or even if you're not - order your tickets and come have a great time!

All right folks, that's it for now. Let us know what you thought of Godzilla vs. Kong by leaving a comment here, or contacting us at one of our other sites: 

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So long from Monster Island!