After the success of Kong Vs. Godzilla, Legendary Pictures has unsurprisingly greenlit a sequel. How the story will unfold so that the two beasts face off once again is unknown, but it has a high benchmark to meet when it comes to the fight scenes.
The titans’ fights were on such an epic scale that it’s hard to top, but they weren’t the first villains to come head to head. Whether it’s a crossover movie between two slasher icons, or two villains in the same universe fighting each other instead of the hero, these battles left a lasting impression on Redditors, even if the movies weren’t great.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Greenlighting The Scorpion King is one of the strangest decisions a studio has ever made given that the villain is the most negatively received aspect of The Mummy Returns. Dwayne Johnson wasn’t the actor he is today and his performance is questionable at best, and the CGI is ghastly even by 2001’s standards.
However, Dcj012 points out that the character still has its merits, one of which is his fight with Imhotep, the Mummy. It turns out that Imhotep is no match for the Scorpion King, and that the King is actually a terrifying opponent. The fight leaves audiences wondering what Universal could have done if the studio followed through with its Dark Universe that was set to include The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula, and many others.
Jurassic Park (1993)
The first Jurassic Park is the best in the series, and it isn’t even close, and the blend of digital and practical effects of the dinosaurs is so seamless. But for as thrilling as it is seeing the T-rex, Goondal explains that it’s still a villain. The Redditor points to the “T-rex v Raptors” as the best villain vs. villain movie fight.
It isn’t much of a fight, as the T-rex makes such short work of the raptors, save for one or two jumping on its back, but it’s the most thrilling moment in a movie full of them. The T-rex saves the day in Jurassic Park and does the same thing in Jurassic World too, but before the final act, the carnivore was just as much of a villain as the raptors. The sequence paints the T-rex in such a great light, as a banner falls that says “When dinosaurs ruled the world,” as the carnivore strikes the closest thing to a superhero pose, but the dinosaur was terrorizing the humans not one hour earlier.
Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)
CornishVince thinks Freddy vs. Jason features the best villain vs. villain fight, but the Redditor is one of the few. The film was overwhelmingly negatively received by critics, and even most fans of the franchises were left unsatisfied with what should have been the crossover of the decade.
While it’s fun to see the two horror icons go head to head in a grudge match, there’s no attempt to do something surprising or out of the ordinary in the genre. The 2003 movie is just another typical slasher flick, and it doesn’t fully utilize the two incredibly inventive characters. There could have been all sorts of dreamlike and fantastical violent sequences, and the result was a massive missed opportunity.
Alien Vs. Predator (2004)
Alien vs. Predator was badly received when it was first released 18 years ago, and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem had an even worse reception, as if that was possible. The biggest criticism of the movies was that they focused too much on the human characters instead of the main attraction.
However, whenever the hunters and the xenomorphs were hunting each other, it was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Dragon_Blue_Eyes states, “Seeing the Predators and Aliens go at is always fun.” The series deserves a reboot that focuses solely on the two alien species, which could end up being the greatest “vs.” movie of all time.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith (2005)
Mr. And Mrs. Smith doesn’t have typical villains, but as DonmeccaYYZ points out, “They’re both assassins so can qualify as villains. The fight in their own house is great!” Movies that see villains face off against other villains generally follow the same formula, as they end up teaming up to face a common enemy. But in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, there is no common enemy until the end, and it’s just them trying to kill each other.
The house sequence is ridiculous, as the rival assassins end up tearing their own home apart just to murder each other, which is an exaggerated metaphor for dysfunctional marriage. The movie isn’t perfect, but as it’s being adapted into a TV series with Donald Glover, the show should adopt the hilarious action scenes between the married couple.
The Departed (2006)
When it comes to traditional “vs.” movies where two villains face off, the last film viewers would think of is The Departed. The 2006 film is a two-way cat-and-mouse chase movie, as an undercover cop, Billy, and a criminal FBI agent, Colin, race to track each other down. Flying_Video refers to when Colin turns his back on sadistic gangster and father figure Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) as the best villain vs. villain fight.
The Redditor notes, “Not exactly a long fight, more of a long execution, but still.” Almost every character dies in The Departed, but Colin shooting Frank in the forehead as the mob boss grins is the most memorable. It’s made even better by Nicholson’s over-the-top performance, which pushes The Departed over the edge as Martin Scorsese’s best gangster movie.
Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)
KoyashP refers to the newest “vs.” movie to hit theatres, explaining, “Maybe not straight out villains, but from the perspective of humanity – Godzilla vs. Kong.” While the film doesn’t draw attention to the unanimous casualties and fatalities that surely resulted from their fight, King Kong and Godzilla absolutely level Hong Kong before they team up to fight Mecha-Godzilla.
The two monsters must have killed thousands of civilians, but their fight was on an unbelievable scale, and the film kept its promise of delivering an epic battle. While 2014’s Godzilla is criticized for how much it focuses on the human characters, it at least accurately depicts how much of a catastrophic event a titan like Godzilla marching around is.
The Northman (2022)
Always_Garnet points to the recently released The Northman as the movie with the best villain vs. villain fight. The Northman is the best revenge movie of recent times, but just because it’s classed as revenge doesn’t make what Amleth did right.
In fact, even when his mother tells him that he doesn’t know the full story and that his uncle, Fjolnir, was her savior, it doesn’t stop him from ruthlessly murdering his whole family. By the end of the film, Amleth is more of a villain than Fjolnir. Either way, it results in one of the most epic fights of the 21st century, as they battle on top of an erupting volcano, and it doesn’t end well for either of them.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Spider-Man 3 wasn’t the greatest movie in the world, and it was, in fact, a bitter disappointment to Sam Raimi’s mostly great Spider-Man trilogy. Any_Shower_5054 acknowledges that, but they know when credit is due. The Redditor posits, “Spider-Man 3 was an inconsistent mess but they had a few cool villain vs. villain scenes. I wished the Sandman vs. Venom fight was longer.”
Whether it was Sandman against Venom or Venom against New Goblin, the movie was full of exciting villain-on-villain fight sequences. In a way, Spider-Man 3 is just misunderstood, but no amount of sand colliding with the symbiote can forgive the scene of Peter dancing down the street.
Man Of Steel (2013)
Superman is a symbol of hope, but Man of Steel portrays him in a way that has fans thinking otherwise. Lenflakisinski genuinely believes that Superman is a villain in the film, referring to his fight with General Zod. The Redditor notes, “They both help demolish an entire city.”
The user is not wrong, as the Man of Steel is just as guilty of throwing Zod through buildings and destroying entire skyscrapers. It was such a questionable final act that the entirety of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a reaction to Superman’s heinous acts.
