Pure spectacle of one epic battle after another, Godzilla x Kong is kaiju-mania! A totally crowd-pleaser that sees these fan favorites putting their differences aside in order to take out a behemoth of a villain.
Godzilla x Kong Review
If you're seeing a movie like this hoping for some deep, meaningful story or emotion-inducing character arc then you're in the wrong theater. Godzilla x Kong is not a think piece nor a heart puller–it's a battle royale. It's Kaiju-Mania where your favorite pro-Titans face other Titans before reluctantly tag teaming to take on an even bigger threat. Simply put, it's pure spectacle and a total crowd-pleaser.
To maximize the runtime and keep things going smoothly, the script from Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater, minimizes the human aspects of the story. Honestly, they are mostly there just to add exposition between fights. Meanwhile the giant monsters fighting each other is clearly the focus of director Adam Wingard and that's just as it should be. This doesn't make the film a bad one, contrary to what other critics have complained about, in fact I could've gone with less humans and more monsters. I don't need dialogue. What I need is more of Godzilla molly-whopping titans all over recognizable cities.
Although this is the fifth movie in the MonsterVerse franchise, you don't need to watch previous films or even the AppleTV Plus spinoff Monarch: Legacy of Monsters to get what is happening. The New Empire lays it all out almost immediately. Earth has a sub-level section dubbed Hollow Earth where monster-sized creatures thrive and happens to be the new home of King Kong. Why? Well after the events of Godzilla vs Kong, a battle that ended in a tie for the titans, everyone thought it best to send Kong away so Godzilla could hang out on Earth. TLDR: they don't like each other. Kong is lonely and spends his days looking for other giant apes while Godzilla roams around Earth, battling other, more vicious monsters (Titans) before napping in the Colosseum.
What is Godzilla x Kong About?
Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) along with other members of Monarch begin to suspect something is wrong in the world of mega monsters when Andrew's adopted daughter and the last of the Iwi, Jia (Kaylee Hottle) begins to have visions. Godzilla has also been going around absorbing radiation as if to signal something truly terrible is coming, but what? In Hollow Earth, Kong meets a mischievous but cute little ape named Diddy Kong, just kidding. His name is actually Suko but I didn't learn that until after the film. Following Mini Kong, Big Kong discovers a group of giant apes, but it's not as peaceful of a reunion as he would've hoped. They are ruled by the ruthless Skar King who hates everyone and everything that isn't himself. Which makes him a massive threat to the surface world if he breaks free. In order to stop him Kong will have to find Godzilla, make nice, and fight alongside him to prevent the end of the world as we know it.
Also back is the ultimate monster fanboy, YouTuber Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) who wiggles his way into the mission to visit Hollow Earth. Henry is the comedic relief but never in an obnoxious way. His jokes land and his experiencing Hollow Earth for the first time is sure to bring out several laughs. Poor guy. Hall and Hotel's relationship serves as the heart of the film and although the human storylines are definitely pushed aside in favor of the Titans, these two are great together. Their mother-daughter bond is sweet and the message of found family never disappoints.
Joining the team is newcomer Trapper (Dan Stevens), a Monarch veterinarian who is part Ace Ventura part surfer dude. He's responsible for keeping Kong up to date on his dental visits and the genius behind the new metal arm Kong sports in the promos. Stevens seems to be having a blast as Trapper and his caricature of a performance serves as another way to break up any serious moments that threaten to drag down the pacing.
Humans aside, the Titans are the point, they are the moment, they are the reason your butt will be in that seat watching this on the biggest screen possible. In fact, the film is at its best and most compelling when it chooses to focus on the Kaiju. Godzilla, despite getting first billing, gets little to do here aside from powering up, kicking tail, and taking names. Kong gets an actual character arc, growing as an ape from loner to pseudo-dad and leader of his people. Beautifully rendered, Kong's facial expressions leave zero doubt for how he is feeling at any given moment. Whether it's curiosity at new creatures, doubt about his place in the world, or tenderness towards a misbehaving youngster, Kong's effects artists are giving one hell of a performance. Equally stunning is Hollow Earth, a place that truly feels untouched by man.
Where the monsters are concerned, the CGI in general is top-notch.Each set-piece is more insane than the last, with each fight growing in intensity and ferocity. Cleverly shot, the battles that take place in Hollow Earth trick you into forgetting the sheer size of these creatures. Once everything erupts into the familiar, it can be shocking to remember that yes even Diddy Kong is taller than some buildings. The fight choreography itself mimics all your favorite wrestling moves and again that is a total compliment. Godzilla hits Kong with a suplex, Kong pile drives Skar, and the crowds go wild.
VERDICT
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire feels like a return to the late-Shōwa era of Toho’s classic films, the ones that made Godzilla a household name. It's not here to be serious or introspective, it's here to entertain with a showdown for the ages, and to do so as loudly as possible. On all counts it delivers a crowd-pleasing, WrestleMania-esque battle royale. With it's threadbare plot it doesn't seem to set up a future or reason for another one, but if the show Monarch and Godzilla Minus One prove anything, it's that the MonsterVerse does have compelling stories to tell if the studio wants them.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now in theaters. It is rated PG-13 for creature violence and action with a runtime of 1 hour 55 minutes.
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