Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
March 26th, 2024
MOVIE: GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE
STARRING: REBECCA HALL, BRIAN TYREE HENRY, DAN STEVENS, KAYLEE HOTTLE
DIRECTED BY: ADAM WINGARD
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
Much like the title, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (apparently the X is silent) is one big, loud, dumb concoction. That’s exactly what I expect from my kaiju parties, with massive monsters smashing into one another, like a bunch of action figures thrown around by toddlers. Director Adam Wingard attempts to follow up the success of 2021s Godzilla vs. Kong by turning the level up with new monsters, more battles, and more destruction. He nearly achieves it- I’m quite partial to the last one- but The New Empire delivers ridiculous fights, paper-thin human characters, and action on a massive scale. Godzilla X Kong is one great big smash.
The story picks up where Godzilla vs. Kong left off, where our primate friend is now thriving in Hollow Earth, the space between the planet’s surface and the core, where monstrous creatures roam, some looking like pterodactyls, others looking like mutant hyenas. It looks like a paradise, with outposts run by Monarch, while Godzilla roams Earth to take care of other titan threats. Overseeing the company is doctor Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), still monitoring Kong, along with her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who is still looking for a place that feels like home. When odd seismic shakes occur, Jia begins to have visions, while the patterns call Godzilla back to hollow earth. When they arrive, the big monster and his Kong friend find the vicious leader of other kaiju gorillas, Scar King.
As most of these plots go, the human characters lack intrigue, but they know all the info we need on Kong, Godzilla, or any other hidden mega monster. Written by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater, it’s obvious that surrounding the behemoths with character stories is futile. But we do get the always lovely Hall, along with Brian Tyree Henry back as obsessed podcaster Bernie Hayes, and Dan Stevens introduced as a tooth-pulling, monster medical expert known as Trapper. Their performances are fine, but what the writing does correctly is make Zilla and Kong our heroes, bouncing back between Godzilla’s journey, while Kong discovers the new civilization of primates, including a cute kid-Kong version. It’s a gradual build to a massive battle, with a bunch of mini-battles sprinkled in between, keeping the action constant, while never letting go of our anticipation.
The main factor is that some will love this kind of movie and others will view it as dumb. It certainly is dumb, as I wouldn’t lie to you that it takes a release of our serious receptors to fully enjoy Godzilla X Kong. What allows us to disregard low-brow entertainment is the wonderful CGI effects used, along with motion-capture actors as the titans. Every move of Kong is that of a person, reminiscent of what was done in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, while the story feels like an epic journey similar to The Lord of the Rings. Although the graphics are not always perfect- some of the color grading is a bit wonky here- the visuals of the monsters with backgrounds of Cairo, Rio, and Rome are great sights to see.
With Godzilla Minus One still lingering in our heads, it’s clear that there can be a Godzilla movie of great intellect, flawless special effects, and commentary about the destruction of war. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the exact opposite of that. It’s Transformers with more focus and has the silliness of a Fast and the Furious installment. If all of those things are what you are looking for, you will have a great time, as I did. Adam Wingard has figured out exactly why watching these kinds of movies is perfect for massive IMAX screens, delivering deafening roars, and epic battles. The New Empire is the Royal Rumble of monster movies.
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE IS IN THEATERS FRIDAY MARCH 29TH, 2024.
3 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
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