There’s only one thing Godzilla vs. Kong has set out to do from the start: pit Godzilla and King Kong against each other one-on-one, casualties be damned. This CGI-heavy battle of the two remaining Titans (the gigantic monsters) on our planet is finally here, and boy, do they deliver everything as advertised. It includes uncontrolled mayhem, massive city destruction, panicking humans, and most importantly, two of the biggest names in monster film history duking it out. It may not be a perfect studio movie, but it sure is fun. I would’ve happily watched an extra 30 minutes of them fighting each other.

This is the fourth film in Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ loosely tied “MonsterVerse” that began in 2014. Each entry has built up on the overarching narrative of the Monarch organization studying and monitoring the Titans who once ruled the Earth, became dormant for centuries underneath the surface, and have finally awakened to take back their place again as kings. The studios hired a different team of filmmakers who got the chance to put their own stamp with each iteration. Godzilla examines the trauma of learning how insignificant the human species are in relation to these godly creatures. Then in the period piece Kong: Skull Island, a group of soldiers venture into a mysterious island to discover primeval creatures, taking cues from Apocalypse Now. Finally, Godzilla: King of the Monsters reveals other dormant Titans that are bound to be ancient rivals, and explores the possibility of a mutually beneficial coexistence.

However, Godzilla vs. Kong sets aside any deep observations about human drama and our survival instincts during a crisis. Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) gets recruited by Apex Cybernetics CEO Walter Simmons (Demián Bichir) to guide the search for the Hollow Earth – where the Titans originally came from – to acquire a power source enough to combat Godzilla, because our once-celebrated protector has started attacking their facilities. Gee, I wonder why? Dr. Lind suggests to bring Kong, who is being monitored by Monarch in a dome that simulates his natural habitat, to lead them to the right direction. Joining them are Kong’s handler Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her adoptive deaf daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), an Iwi native from Skull Island who has a special bond with the overgrown gorilla.

On the other hand, the humans of “Team Godzilla” has Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friend Josh Valentine (Julian Dennison) tracking down Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), a podcaster spouting conspiracy theories about Apex, in order to investigate the corporation’s hidden agenda. Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) is back as well, but has been relagated to just running around in distraught, a downgrade from his major role in the previous entry.

Clearly, the story is the least important thing viewers have to pay attention to. Every scene of human interaction and uttered dialogue is just there to justify why a huge radioactive lizard-dinosaur hybrid must fight a giant ape. The humans are not supposed to matter all that much in films like these. And yes, we get it, how can we relate to the monsters and their motivations? The simple answer is, why do we have to? There is no greater meaning to these rampaging creatures, nor any eye-opening metaphors about how we’ve failed as humans and our fight to overcome this great crisis. That’s why it’s also kind of surprising that there are a couple of subplots, contrived as they are, involving various human characters that range from mildly interesting to annoying.

The movie switches back and forth to the humans and the monsters, but it is most entertaining when either Godzilla or Kong is on the screen, and even more exciting when both of them finally meet. Two apex predators fighting to be king. As Godzilla swims faster and faster in the open seas, tearing though several army vessels, the suspense builds up until it finally attacks the carrier holding Kong. Director Adam Wingard has crafted incredible set pieces and fight sequences that portray the beauty of unrelenting chaos. Godzilla vs. Kong reaches its high point when the two Titans finally square it out in a Hong Kong, with its neon lights illuminating every punch and slash atomic breaths. Taking a famous line from Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa, it’s time to sit back and “let them fight.”

Rating: ★★★½