Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Dir: Adam Wingard

Cast: Rebecca Hall, Bryan Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen

Despite providing some ludicrous escapism, the latest instalment in the Monsterverse lacks the peril and scale that made its titular titans so iconic

It does not seem that long ago when I was singing the praises of the exceptional ‘Godzilla Minus One’, arguably the most grounded and hauntingly realistic depiction of the iconic fictional lizard in its 70 year history. The film has gone on to be a rousing success with audiences and critics alike, as well as breaking records at the worldwide box-office. The strength of the movie’s fandom ultimately steered it towards an Academy Award for Visual Effects, a monumental achievement for an international film with such a modest budget.

Now, only a few months later, Godzilla is back in cinemas once again, this time teaming up with his decades old rival King Kong in the fifth instalment of the ‘Monsterverse’. As could have been predicted, based on the trajectory of the now decade spanning franchise, this latest Godzilla adaptation could not be further from the Toho production we were treated to as recently as December. Unlike ‘Godzilla Minus One’, the latest release from Legendary Pictures is over reliant on CGI, and is not afraid to splash the cash in order to add some meatiness to its visually impressive but emotionally dull clash of titans.

When the franchise started back in 2014, an impressive amount of scale was showcased by director Gareth Edwards, as the behemoth that is Godzilla, decimated everything in its path in order to become the one true ‘Kaiju’. This feat was once again achieved three years later to more horrific effect by Jordan Vogt-Roberts in ‘Kong: Skull Island‘(2017). However, the sheer sense of peril and destruction has begun to dwindle as the franchise has progressed, with primary focus shifting from its human characters to that of the titans themselves.

The latest entry, ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ is a direct sequel to 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which itself was a homage to the iconic face-off between the two legendary monsters back in 1962. Adam Wingard returns to direct the follow up, which follows Monarch employee Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) as she keeps a watchful eye over Godzilla, who remains predominantly dormant following his victory over Kong several years prior. Following his defeat, Kong has been forced to occupy ‘Hollow Earth’, a geographical anomaly that is as preposterous as it sounds. Thought to be the last of his species, Kong predominantly spends his time in ‘Hollow Earth’ surviving and hunting amongst the equally colossal eco-system that surrounds him. It is during one of Kong’s many routine hunts that one of his traps disrupts the surface of ‘Hollow Earth’, awakening an entire clan of Kong’s genus, who are ruled by the ‘evil’ Orangutan, known as ‘The Scar King’.

Upon hearing a distress beacon from ‘Hollow Earth’, Godzilla too is awoken following his most recent Kaiju confrontation in Rome, alarming Dr. Andrews to ‘The Scar King’s presence. Theorising that it will take the might of both Godzilla and Kong to prevent ‘The Scar King’ and his army from reaching and destroying the Earth’s surface, Dr. Andrews along with her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), conspiracy theorist Bernie (Bryan Tyree Henry) and veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens), journey to ‘Hollow Earth’ in a bid to partner up Godzilla and Kong.

Following its trailer release at the backend of 2023, I knew what I would be letting myself in for when it came to ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’, an extremely loud and ludicrously silly monster movie, and that is exactly what I got. If you are looking for 2-hours of nonsensical escapism, this is it. Showcasing some of the dumbest plot points and cinematic contrivances of recent memory, I can only sympathise with the cast of veteran actors that have had to deliver some of the most shambolic dialogue of their careers. I can appreciate that Wingard has fully embraced the stupidity of the franchise’s concept and occasionally this makes for some enjoyable, light-hearted fun but it never goes deeper or beyond that. I am not expecting for a Godzilla or a Kong movie to be a trailblazer when it comes to narrative or character arcs, but as proven by Toho last year, it is possible to balance scenes of large-scale destruction with those quiet moments of emotional release and reflection.

The strongest element of the latest ‘Monsterverse’ entry is the focus an development of Kong himself. The human characters are largely side-lined, with Kong taking centre-stage, with his own unique character arc as he finally comes to terms with being the last of his species, only to come to discover that his ancestors had far more wicked intentions. This however does mean Godzilla is shamefully underutilised, especially considering he is celebrating 70 years on the big screen. In fact, the two arch nemeses do not appear on-screen together until the final act, which sees Cairo and Rio de Janeiro destroyed without anyone batting an eyelid.

Visually spectacular but narratively absurd, ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ embraces its silly side and brings out the best in Kong. However, it is shockingly lacking in the peril and scale that has made its two titular titans iconic for decades.