Knowing its target audience is always something that has to be respected in a movie. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire perfectly captures what would happen when you pick a thread from r/Godzilla and display it on the scree,; an absolutely stunning, eye-popping visual feast that builds up nothing but is all climax. Almost perfectly high but not quite firmly established stakes and a film comprised of action payoff after action payoff.Simply put it’s breathless unless you breathe out ice or fire through your mouth. This feels like a roller-coaster ride when experienced in IMAX for 1 hour 55 minutes; I gasped throughout the entire thing, afraid of what lurks around the corner – or rather, behind this universe’s electrically charged plasma barrier. When everything didn’t make sense to me, I just took it as it came without getting too serious about it.
This story is obviously aimed at people who are new to MonsterVerse which would have been perfect if anyone watching the fifth movie was one of those persons though it’s hard to imagine such. (Perhaps they got their Kaiju movie introduction via Godzilla Minus One and now want to see some more noisy and fiery American output from The Big G.)
We have knowledge that both these alpha titans whose names makeup part of their titles had history worth several decades behind them with fans who will rush for tickets being superfans that remember every single detail about each film directed by Michael Dougherty.“Another electrical anomaly,” they’ll say as if seismic waves and electric currents hadn’t been part of the appearance of Godzilla since time immemorial – this was infantilizing the most dedicated followers and missing an opportunity for better original content. And yes, revisiting these basics keeps The New Empire consistent with its classical mythology, but our characters should be recognizing these signs by now.The foundation here can be built upon instead of playing dumb within seconds.
The New Empire establishes its “Godzilla above, Kong below” dynamic early so by the time 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong rolls around, it’s clear that these former enemies have come to a MAD (mutually assured destruction) pact any time they stray out of their own lanes. But, as anyone could have predicted, it doesn’t last very long either.Kong is the central monster in The New Empire, which immediately humanizes him in a way that makes him seem more relatable. He is showing signs of aging through his gray fur and this leviathan has become weaker and more vulnerable than ever; at one point he’s defeated by toothache.
His limited lifetime allows for a desire for family bonds to be formed and this drives much of the plot for both ape and man. It is also what turns Rebecca Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews into just another motherly figure who caves under love for adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle)…and an old college buddy? However, this also hampers Ilene from shining bright like she could have despite being arguably the main character amongst humans due to her ongoing association with Titans.. She doesn’t express herself as strongly as Kong or the other monkeys do when looking for them.
On top of all that, new addition Trapper- a giant doctor played by Dan Stevens- takes over from Andrews, who is just there to push some parts of the story by reading them aloud from ancient ruins. There are few moments in which emotion rings hollow – what’s the point of even having a mother-daughter relationship in a monster movie?
There is no room for feelings! Changing to an intellectual villain makes the world saving team come together again and save the world like they do every time. While small details are swept under the carpet, Wingard thinks up nothing but action after action and eye-catching images ever before. In Godzilla x Kong, there are textures that can hardly be seen on the large screen especially with regard to brightly oozy intestines, frozen meat explosions as well as glowing plasma.
All that is definitely impressive and the world building is literally out of this world but The New Empire has too many moving parts. It’s sensory overload. However, even though it looks great, because we’re rushing through so much of these environments it’s difficult for any one of them to leave a lasting impression on us. Before we’re able to ask ourselves “How does Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie figure everything out so fast?” we’re through another area. Hollow Earth remains about as deep as The New Empire gets into Titans’ subterranean home turf than either Godzilla vs Kong or Apple TV+ Monarch series.
The New Empire borrows heavily from past sci-fi hits in order to create a mash-up of fan favorite bits and pieces. But Hollow Earth has touch of Jurassic Park in every acre; an orcish Lord Of The Rings doppelganger; Titan Night King from Game Of Thrones; and also plain Stargate vibes among others.The New Guardians of Galaxy anyone? Not only talking about soundtrack songs from old rockers here: Trapper comes off like an unlikable version of Chris Pratt’s snarky hero. Think Star Lord, but with a more annoying Australian accent.
On the contrary, the new villain is an unmatched formidable opponent. The Skar King is brutal, terrifying, and deformed; in fact what exactly he has made Kong’s species do remains unclear, but it is transformed Hollow Earth into a Mordor-like hell for which reason alone he is dangerous. Skar King can not only whip you with a gnarly bone weapon over four continents, but also exert complete influence on your race of apes and even Shimo – an ancient creature believed to be the Titan’s most powerful.
A backup arrives in evolved Godzilla who turns cherry blossom pink after a battle that I wish we had seen more of. With a new fancy monster glove, Kong teams up with his new BFF to face off with Skar King. It is mind-blowing, taking the action between the two monsters to a whole new level. Is it worth slogging through the human-drama undercard leading up to this royal rumble? Sure. The Hall and company parts could have been done away with, but it’s fun as hell if you don’t think about it too much.
Conclusion
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a textbook visual thrill ride punctuated by brief moments of forced emotion and little else. Adam Wingard, the director uses textures, colors, and camera work very well and has even given fans the absurdity in monster mash they crave via an imposing new villain. Unfortunately, there’s no time for making things make sense or even matter all that much and what few emotional punches are thrown lack enough wind up to connect save for some very well done moments between Kong and his Hollow Earth kin.
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