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RISE TOGETHER OR FALL ALONE
In 2021, moviegoers were treated to the fourth installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse series with the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, with the large-scale promise of giant monster mayhem amongst the two famous monsters. Directed by Adam, the film, which starred Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry and Shun Oguri, finds Kong clashing with Godzilla after human’s movie the ape from Skull Island to the Hollow Earth, homeworld of the monsters known as “Titans”, to retrieve a power source for a secret weapon intended to stop Godzilla’s mysterious attacks. Released on March 31st, 2021 (internationally released on March 24th, 2021, the movie received generally positive reviews from both critics and moviegoers alike, with many praising the feature for its visual effects and action sequences, though criticism was drawn towards the human characters in the story. The success of Godzilla vs. Kong made records during the pandemic box office results, with the film grossing over $470 million against its production budget of $155-200 million, making it the eighth highest grossing movie of 2021. In addition, the film, which premiered on HBO Max during its streaming release date, was a huge success launch title for the streamer’s platform. Now, three years have passed since the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, Warner Bros. Studios (in association with Legendary Pictures) and director Adam Wingard return for the next installment in this giant monster cinematic universe with the film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Does this blockbuster monster film rise to expectations, or does it fall from its nonsensical and goofy kaiju team-up premise?
THE STORY
Since the events that took place in Hong Kong, Kong has maintained order in his part of the Hollow Earth realm, who is still seeking out for more of his kind. Across the world and on the surface, Godzilla is fighting the large-scale battles against other Titans, but is troubled by something in the air, pushing Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) to figure out what’s going on, joined by her adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who’s been recently distracted by visions she doesn’t understand. With many signs pointing to an unknown distress signal from within Hollow Earth, Ilene requests help from old friend / monster vet Trapper (Dan Stevens) and Titan expert Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), with the gang traveling to the prehistoric subterranean land to locate the source of all the unrest. Once there, the group makes contact with the long-lost Iwi tribe, with Jia confronted with the realization of both her heritage and power. While Godzilla starts to amass more power from nuclear radiation, Kong goes looking into Hollow Earth’s uncharted territory and is confronted with a hidden tribe of his ape species, including taking up an unlikely friendship with young ape named Suko and learning more about the Scar King, a ruthless orangutan who seeks to find a way to the surface world and claim dominion over all. All of these players come together in a situation that plays out as war is declared by Scar King, sending the Titans (along with the human characters) on a collision course of a monstrous battle for supremacy.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
I can easily say that I enjoy watching Legendary’s MonsterVerse take shape throughout the years. Yes, it’s quite the journey and seeing each of the blockbuster style installments and bringing the giant monster franchise to the forefront attention of modern-day moviegoers everywhere. 2021 saw the return of the MonsterVerse struggle for giant sized action and mayhem with Godzilla vs. Kong. Sadly, the movie was one of the many films that were shuffled around and delayed a few times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, changing its November 2020 before settling on release date of March 31st, where it was it premiered on both in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously (a particular ploy that Warner Bros did during the pandemic). I did take the chance of such a streaming opportunity and first viewed the movie on HBO Max when it first appeared on there. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it as good as some were making it out to be…let alone to be better than Godzilla: King of Monsters. Yes, the cinematic kaiju battle of Godzilla and Kong was something to behold (something long awaited by many to settle a fanbase debate), but I felt that some of the storytelling elements in the feature were a bit undercooked and unnecessary at times (the whole Mechagodzilla bit could’ve been saved for another movie), while the human characters were a bit annoying and undeveloped right from the get-go. Of course, I knew that the human characters were (again) going to weak, but I felt that some of them didn’t really do much for the feature beyond snippets here and there or just obstacles / exposition dumps. Again, it was good, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but nothing really incredible to write home about. Still, the MonsterVerse continued to show promise, including the Monarch series on AppleTV+, so, despite what I might think of the film itself, Godzilla vs. Kong still captured the cinematic attention of moviegoers, providing plenty of giant monster distractions for its hungry viewers.
This brings me back around to talking about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a 2024 giant monster film and follow-up sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong / the fifth installment in the MonsterVerse. Given the amount of success that Godzilla vs. Kong received, it was almost a forgone conclusion that another installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse would be eventually greenlit, with the upcoming feature being greenlit some after as well as director Adam Wingard returning to direct the film. After that, I really didn’t hear much from the project until it was the film’s movie trailers started to appear both online and in theaters (during the “coming attractions” previews). From the trailers alone, the movie seemed to similar (in tone, style and fashion) as to what Godzilla vs. Kong was, which was especially to be true considering that director Adam Wingard (the mind behind that film) would be helming this fifth MonsterVerse picture. The preview also showed that a new threat to be emerging and that both Godzilla and Kong would have to unite to defeat it, which definitely sounded interesting. Still, I did have some reservations about this movie, especially some of the problems that I found with Godzilla vs. Kong (and even a little bit with Godzilla: King of the Monsters). Still, I was quit interested to see what the latest chapter Legendary’s MonsterVerse was going to be about, so I decided to check the movie out a week after its initial release. I did have to wait a little bit to get my review done for it as my review scheduled was crammed of getting my unfinished 2023 movie reviews completed first. Now, with all that out of the way, I can finally share my personal thoughts on the film. And what did I think of it? Well, I actually liked it. Despite some problems that with its story and characters, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a blockbuster visual spectacle that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish with its giant monster action to humbly please fans of the MonsterVerse. It doesn’t change up the formula of these types of movies like how Godzilla Minus One was able to do, but definitely knows what moviegoers want to see…. large scale monsters battling each other in a fun popcorn feature film endeavor.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is directed by Adam Wingard, whose previous directorial works include Godzilla vs. Kong as well as The Guest and You’re Next. Given his familiarity of working on the last installment of Legendary’s MonsterVerse franchise, Wingard seems like the most suitable choice to helm the next feature film; approaching The New Empire with same type of energy and style of what he brought to the 2021 film. They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I think that Wingard seem to know by taking what he learned from working on Godzilla vs. Kong (i.e. what worked and what didn’t work) and then to apply such knowledge in this latest film. In that regard, I think that Wingard succeed, with The New Empire being the superior of the two features (at least in my opinion) and gives more understanding what viewers want to see from a giant monster film. How so? Well, part of the problem with Godzilla vs. Kong was that the human characters, which had too many to follow, and sorts of distract from the film’s main attractions scenes of the giant monster fights. So…. Wingard reduces the number of human characters follow in The New Empire and delegates them to pushing the narrative along with some moments of comical relief and / or exposition information. Even better…. the character themselves are less annoying than they were in the previous film, which does make their sum parts of appearance more tolerable and enjoyment. Moreover, Wingard knows what viewers want to see…more giant monster, with this picture displaying a plethora of giant monster throughout the movie, especially since majority of the feature is in Hollow Earth, the original home for the Titans. Wingard also further explores the areas throughout Hollow Earth and gives more context as to where this “hidden world” is found within different areas and various creature monsters. What’s even more beneficial is that The New Empire has longer stretches of screen time that solely involves its giant monster where no visible human characters (or dialogue lines) are in sight. This, of course, makes the movie quite unique as we (the viewers) get treated to the various interactions of the Titan monsters battling or conversing through a series of roars, grunts, or even body language gestures, which is quite delightful and fun. Overall, I felt that Wingard has seemingly improved upon what he did with Godzilla vs. Kong, making The New Empire feel more elevated and cinematically engaging that the previous installment.
As to be expected, The New Empire exists (and ultimately runs on) purely for entertainment value and visual spectacle nuances, which is (in truth) is kind of a good thing. It definitely holds its own and, while it may be a bit nonsensical at times and a hurried in a few areas (more on that below), the movie still manages to fun rollercoaster type of film of action set pieces that pushes everything (story and characters) forward towards an inevitable conclusion. There isn’t any type of twists or sudden reveals, so the movie is to be taken for face value, which is something I did expect from it. I mean…. I didn’t expect any type of sudden shocks or surprises from the fifth installment in the franchise. Everything play out exactly as I sort of pictured it, but that’s not say that is a bad thing. Everything in The New Empire was a lot of fun to watch and to enjoy from the giant monster film genre, with Wingard and his team build upon that expectation. As such the action in the movie is quite good and continues to be the sort of “bread and butter” for these features, with the latest film demonstrating the graphical visual effects from a major Hollywood studio tentpole production. Both the famous colossal lizard and ape, much like what was in Godzilla vs. Kong, get to show up their fearsome display of powers on various titanic creatures and it clearly shows the awe and spectacle that comes with these features. The movie also boasts plenty of these scenes, so sequences aren’t hidden away or “saved for the ending” mantra, which makes The New Empire engaging from start to finish. Overall, the film’s action is terrifically fun to watch and to behold, with the sequences executed the right way as well as being well-choreographed for some adrenaline filled scenes of gigantic proportions of “rock’em sock’em” thrills.
For its presentation, The New Empire still keeps with the blockbuster traditions of its predecessors as Wingard and his team envisions a stunning large, budgeted film that definitely caters to the whole giant monster variety and delivers in the spectacle. Whatever a person’s opinion about this movie, most will probably praise the movie’s visual appeal and how the CGI effect shots are well-placed in bringing this world (and all of its large-scale action set-pieces) to life. Naturally, the detail effects used in bringing both Godzilla and Kong to life stay true to what has come before in the MonsterVerse franchise, but have more that much more intricate detail in this presentation, making their appearances in the film the best that this cinematic universe has to offer. This also trickles down to the many other giant monsters’ characters that this new film showcases, including the small yet big-eyed Suko to the lank and fearsome Scar King. It’s true amazing to see such enormous creatures brought to life with such detail and believable through the usage of body movement and personality. The film’s CGI visual effects are heavily aided in the feature’s fighting sequences, which (as I mentioned) are terrific and provide some great blockbuster popcorn appeal in some of the fighting sequence…. most notably towards the movie’s climatic third act portion. There is also the depiction of the Hollow Earth, the mythical hidden land where the Titans originated from, which is heavily laden in CGI shots, but captures a visually stunning new location where the MonsterVerse can go and explore. While this was first depicted in the previous film, but The New Empire further explores this “hidden” monster world, with majority of the feature being set primarily in this location. Loved it. Thus, I do have to commend all the film’s CGI wizards for their efforts made in making The New Empire such a bright and detailed visual feast for the eyes.
Even the film’s other visual aspects from its “behind the scenes” players, including Tom Hammock (production design), Thomas Salpietro and Jeff Sturm (set decorations), Emily Seresin (costume designs), and the entire art direction, for their efforts made on The New Empire definitely bolsters the background setting for the feature’s world and brings it to life with such detail. Additionally, the cinematography work by Ben Seresin is really good in the movie; creating some very dynamic and creative camera shots and angles throughout the film. This, of course, makes the feature have some fun and unique scenes that (combined with the impressive CGI shots) are entertaining in a blockbuster popcorn endeavor. I also have to mention that the sound editing / mixing team should be praise for their efforts on The New Empire, with the movie boasting plenty of incredible audio noises throughout from roars, stomps, and building collapsing; creating such a sound design that’s worth of a giant monster flick.
Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL), who previous worked on the score for Godzilla vs. Kong, and Antonio Di Iorio, provides a solid musical composition; projecting the right amount of energetic bombastic throughout the feature within its colliding escapades of giant monster action sequences and rousing themes of adventure. It definitely suits the movie and compliments almost every scene with bombastic triumphs. As a sidenote, there are a few musical song selections in the movie that I found amusing.
There are some problematic areas that The New Empire can’t overcome, which does not derail the feature, but still makes it less than what it could’ve been. How so? Well, perhaps the most prevalent one that many can agree on is in the overall “human element” that the feature presents. It’s been a problem with the last two MonsterVerse features, with the human characters projecting rather “cookie cutter” or stock-like (placement and overall development) players in the grand scheme of things. Sadly, that projection is felt within this particular film. Yes, I do understand that’s part of the genetic make-up of a feature like this and is probably the more favorable decision to make (see the criticism face in 2014’s Godzilla), but even characters need a bit more substance to make a lasting impression. Besides probably one, almost all the human characters in the film are thinly sketched and don’t have a whole lot of attachment to them…beyond the actors playing them. Thus, it’s kind of a “give and take” type of scenarios, so it didn’t bother me as much. Plus, I sort of knew that going into the movie. Thankfully, Wingard (as mentioned above) reduces the number of human characters to follow in the main plot to only a handful, which is a good thing, and it is not as goofy / silly as it was in Godzilla vs. Kong. Nevertheless, the sort of “human component” in The New Empire still remains rather weak and uninteresting.
In addition to that…. I do have to say that the movie’s overall tone is quite corny and cheesy at times. This seems to be the continuous problem in the past two MonsterVerse films and this latest feature follows the same suit, with the feature’s overall tone having a blockbuster flair, which is good, yet still feels a bit silly at times and uses a lot moments in the movie that comes off as a bit campy. Of course, giant monsters features usually have this, but stuff gets a bit campy at illogical at times. Speaking of illogical….certain spots in the movie happen just for convenience to the characters / plot, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and only occur to further along the narrative. Such absurd moments could’ve been better handled without the right amount of overall flow (as I’ll mention below) or time to examine such details. As such, the movie does not, with The New Empire glossing the surface of these ideas and making us (the viewers) going along with without any type of rational thought. This is all mounting towards the feature’s script, which was penned by Wingard as well as Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jermey Slater. Given the amount of people handling the film’s screenplay, it’s no wonder why the story for The New Empire is a bit nonsensical at times; finding the mantra “too many cooks in the kitchen” coming to mind. This also causes numerous plot holes that aren’t’ fully address in the story and end up being unanswered or just vaguely concluded by the time the film reaches its ending. Of course, I wasn’t expecting something grand over deeply thought out of, especially given the MonsterVerse’s history of broad storytelling within their endeavors, but some parts of the narrative could’ve been easily fleshed out more or (for the matter) ironed further for a proper and easier flow of things.
As such, the movie’s pacing moves a bit too fast in certain parts. While I do praise Wingard for making a very fast-paced monster movie that never gets bogged down with unnecessary details, this does cause the film to rush through many times (as mentioned with the wacky and absurd moments) as well as robbing the picture with some moments of particular characters. In fact, Godzilla sort of gets pushed aside in the feature, despite being a chief kaiju co-lead in The New Empire, with Kong getting center stage for the bulk of the feature. His scenes, while fun and engaging, feel quite limited and his battle scenes (beside the ending battle in the third act) end rather rapidly, which is a bit of disappointment.
Lastly, another point of criticism (a minor one) comes from the comparison of this movie to 2023’s Godzilla Minus One. There is no doubt that Minus One was indeed a surprise hit with moviegoers, especially in the US, and how it should that Toho (the original studio behind the Godzilla franchise) could make the famous kaiju be adapted for a modern movie landscape for moviegoers to delight over once again. It was entertaining, engrossing, and well put together, which had a great combination of character development and giant monster action. Plus, it was all made for on quite a low budget, especially when comparing to the MonsterVerse films, including The New Empire. So, it goes without saying that many would compare Minus One to this movie and it shows the differences between them, with Minue One embracing a more gravitas narrative that’s filled with devastation and heart, while The New Empire showcases a more “Americanized” blockbuster iteration of iconic giant monsters, with more attention to visual effects and large-scale fights rather than well-drawn out characters. It’s a sort of the classic “give and take” as to what a viewer wants out of giant monster flick and just merely depends who you (as the viewer) is looking for. As terms of storytelling and character development, Minus One is far superior, but The New Empire boast plenty of creative CGI effects and more large scale monster fights. So, to me, it’s a tossup. Although, it’s clear that moviegoers were enchanted with how Minus One was put together, especially to the traditional (yet mindless) blockbuster endeavor that this film is presented to be.
Much like what I said in my review for Godzilla vs. Kong, The New Empire gives plenty of spotlight attention to the two giant alpha titans in both Godzilla and Kong were the “big stars” of the movie (quite literally). Like the previous films, Godzilla himself is again depicted as a titanic force of nature; a monstrous titan who is somewhat indifferent to the humans of the world and battles other giant apex predators for dominance. It definitely works in this movie and Godzilla himself is a great monster, with The New Empire giving the giant lizard creature a different shade; showcasing that the monster cannot be reasoned with….and shouldn’t be. Perhaps the one small downside is that he isn’t quite the main focus of the feature, which was somewhat the problem with Godzilla vs. Kong; finding the famous kaiju to get pushed aside in favor of the film’s other alpha titan lead. Still, Godzilla is still Godzilla in the movie and the proclaimed “king of the monsters” is still awesome and great to behold in this cinematic universe.
Similar to the previous installment, Kong seems to be the more main focus of the picture, with the movie presenting the giant ape with a lot more compassion and emotional reasoning behind his bestial size and scale. Carrying over from the last flick, Kong is given a personality and is clearly visible throughout both his body language and facial expressions, which sort of gives the gigantic ape a sort of “human” quality. Unlike Godzilla, Kong is given more of a character arc, with he great ape continuing to find more of his kind in the film’s Hollow Earth realm as well as taking a comforting (almost paternal) shine towards the Suko, a young and impressionable ape. It’s always a fun moment when the two (Kong and Suko) are paired together and (again) shows that personality side to the giant titan, which is both amusing and endearing. Although, Kong is still very much a brutish titan and has the strength and sheer force to go toe-to-toe to face off against other giant monsters, with Wingard clearly showing that throughout the movie. Plus, I do like how the movie sort of “aged” Kong in the film and gave him more of distinct look with his face.
As for the film’s main antagonist, The New Empire finds a suitable villain to follow in the form of the Scar King, an enormous yet lanky orangutan ape that holds dominion over other apes in the uncharted territory in Hollow Earth and holds a great power as his beckon call. His design looks great and shows the differences between him and Kong as well as having the trademark “bully” mantra of being fearsome and cruel. There is a little bit of a backstory of him (explained through an exposition scenes) and, while it works, I do wish that the movie explored more of him and gave him more screen time, which he only appears in the latter half of the film. Overall, While he’s not as memorable or formidable as King Ghidorah from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the Scar King still makes for a good villain for both Godzilla and Kong to square off against and definitely works well within The New Empire’s narrative plot.
As a sidenote, I do have to give credit to Allan Henry, who provides the motion capture performances for both Titan characters of Kong and the Scar King. While not exactly a “household name” amongst mo-cap performers, Henry’s involvement on this project is still quite remarkable, which showcases the different motion capture depictions of both giant apes (i.e. the differences of body movements).
The human cast in The New Empire is understandable where the movie gets weighed down, but this isn’t quite as nearly a “deal breaker” for me. Naturally, the acting talents involved are relatively good, especially with a lot of recognizable actors and actresses attached to the project (as seeing in the previous MonsterVerse installments). Plus, Wingard (as mentioned above) seems to reduce the number of human characters to follow in the film’s narrative, which is kind of a good thing in my opinion. However, the time allotted for most of these characters are quite limited by design; creating some rather broad characters to come out of the MonsterVerse. Collectively, the movie only has four main human characters to follow in the film, with actress Rebecca Hall and actor Brian Tyree Henry reprising their Godzilla vs. Kong roles once again as Dr. Ilene Andrews and Bernie Hayes respectfully. Hall, who is known for her roles in Iron Man 3, The Town, and The Gift, ends up being one of more “seasoned” acting talents in the film and , which does make her a recognizable actress; lending a bit credence to this particular feature. She continues to have a solid performance in this movie as well, returning to play Dr. Andrews, Skull Island / Kong expert working for Monarch, in The New Empire, with enough fun and joy of playing such a classic archetype-ish character. She does seem to be “less serious” than how she was in the last picture (whether how she was written or through Hall’s portrayal of her), but it is indeed a bit of welcome one. Like before, Hall is fine in the role, but there still isn’t much substance beyond her relationship with Jia and being an expert on Kong. All in all, Hall’s Andrews was good and served her purpose in the feature’s narrative.
Hottle, who made her acting debut with Godzilla vs. Kong, comes back to the MonsterVerse realm to play the character of Jia, Dr. Andrew’s adopted deaf girl who shares a special bond with Kong and who was raised on Skull Island. Like before, Hottle definitely can handle herself in the film and does carry film’s emotional weight on her character, but it is still quite impressive that the filmmakers decided to make a character deaf a part of a blockbuster feature film (I still certainly do applaud the filmmakers for bringing in someone who is actually deaf to play such a role in the film). She doesn’t bond as much with Kong in the movie, which is mostly due to narrative storytelling structuring, but does play a larger role in the main plot, especially when the film explores the lost Iwi tribe in the uncharted territory of Hollow Earth. In addition, Hall and Hottle are still a good pairing together on-screen as a mother / daughter relationship, but I think that the writing for their feature could’ve explored more of it than what was presented. Overall, Hottle’s Jia still ends up being the most memorable character of the entire movie.
As for Henry, who is known for his roles in Bullet Train, Eternals, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, comes back as Bernie Hayes, a former technician at Apex Cybernetics and now a podcast conspiracy theorist. Like before, I get where they are going with this character and I do believe that Henry improved upon his character (not as annoying as before), but is a bit redundant at times is mostly there to serve a bit continuity from the last film as well as comic relief. Although, I did find myself chuckling a bit more than in the previous installment and Henry is still quite good with his fast-talking banter…..I just wish that there was a bit more substance to his character.
Lastly, the character of Trapper, a titan monster veterinarian, is the final member of the main cast of human character and is introduced in this movie as a new player. Played by actor Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey and Beauty and the Beast), the character of Trapper can be seeing as a bit of a mixed bag amongst viewers, with some liking his quirky personality (fitting right in with the feature’s more goofy tones), while others might find him a bit insufferable at times. For me, it’s a tossup. I can see both arguments, but they didn’t bother me as much. Plus, I do like Stevens and he did make for a fun character for the other players to bounce off (i.e. more sentimental moments with Hall’s Dr. Andrews and more comical stuff with Henry’s Bernie). Still, he’s mostly there for characters to interact with and removing him from the movie altogether could’ve happen without disrupting the narrative. Thus, Steven’s Trapper is okay in my book, but is mostly there to move the story along. At least he was better than Skarsgard’s Dr. Lind from Godzilla vs. Kong.
The rest of the cast, including actor Alex Ferns (The Batman and Wrath of Man) as Monarch security officer Mikael, actress Fala Chen (Sound of the Desert and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as the Iwi Queen, actress Rachel House (Moana and Foundation) as Monarch supervisor Hampton, actor Smyck (Zelos and Spiderhead) as Harris, actress Chantelle Jamieson (Crownies and Doctor Doctor) as Jayne, actor Greg Hatton (La Brea and Home and Away) as Lewis, actor Kevin Copeland (The Osiris Child and Power Rangers Beast Morphers) as the unnamed submarine commander, actress Tess Dobre (We-Fi and Sugar Cube) as the unnamed submarine officer, and actor Tim Carroll (Upright and It’s a Cult!) as Wilcox, make up the minor supporting characters in the movie. Naturally, some only have one or two scenes, while others have several and, while their screen time is limited, I felt that the talent behind these characters were sufficient enough in their sum parts throughout the movie. Again, most of the “human characters” in The New Empire aren’t exactly the main focus…. even for side / supporting roles.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A new threat emerges, and war is about to break out as both Kong and Godzilla must stop the formidable Scar King from conquering all in the movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Director Adam Wingard latest film takes what he established (and learned) from the previous film and expands upon it with plenty of playful monster battles and rampaging engagement throughout the MonsterVerse’s sandbox. While the movie does struggle within its somewhat nonsensical storytelling elements (too vague and too coinvent) and lack of the “human component” thrown into the mix (lacking the integrity that Godzilla Minus One was able to achieve), the film still manages to carve out (or rather roar) a slice of visual fun and spectacle entertainment by giving fans what they want to see, which is special interest thanks to Wingard’s direction, great monster battle action, great visual effects, a terrific score, and engaging moments monster amusement and diversion. Personally, I liked this movie. Yes, it did have it fair share of problems within its story and characters (something that seems to be the common thread within the MonsterVerse features) and a few moments where a bit nonsensical and goofy. Still, there is a certain type of blockbuster sublime that the film holds within its own undertaking and execution, especially considering the move finds its rhythm when its giant monster battles and pure popcorn entertainment. The “human” side of the things are still limp, but the monster themselves were terrific, with a few moments of surprising personality and depth found within these titanic creatures. I think that the movie was better than Godzilla vs. Kong, but still found Godzilla: King of the Monsters to still be the better. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is a solid “recommended”, especially for those who are fans of this giant monster series as well as those who are looking for some mindless blockbuster escapism for a good two hours of entertainment value. The film’s conclusion leaves the door open for another chapter in the series, with sixth installment already being planned by WB / Legendary (yet Wingard said he wouldn’t be returning to direct). Will it be another solo giant monster outing or another team up endeavor? Will some of the human characters return or will it be new players? The answer is still “up in the air”, but I’m sure that the next chapter in this giant monster will be another blockbuster presentation of clash of titans (quite literally). In the end, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, despite its flaws, still manages to come out on top and presents a cinematic giant monster film that’s load of fun to watch, entertaining to revisit, and a visual spectacle within its clash of colossal feral beasts that brings tremendous likeability and gratuitous kaiju movie distraction.
3.8 Out of 5 (Recommended)
Released On: March 29th, 2024
Reviewed On: June 27th, 2024
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is 115 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for creature violence and action
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