Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/godzilla-x-kong-the-new-empire-review/ "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a “more” version of the previous installment. More Hollow Earth, more Titans, more gloriously giant fights filled with fantastic visual effects… and much more nonsense too. Through an openly absurd narrative, Adam Wingard takes the charm and chemistry of his cast to help focus the film’s main spotlight on the titanic protagonists, Godzilla and Kong, delivering two hours of pure, unadulterated entertainment. It won’t convert the most skeptical, but it will certainly solidify the unashamed passion of MonsterVerse fans." Rating: B

A whole load of nothing! <em>'Godzilla × Kong: The New Empire'</em> is not a good movie, in my opinion anyway. It is similar to its predecessor in that sense at least, this is a minute improvement on that 2021 entry mind. It's basically a Kong film though, Godzilla goes missing for large periods. There is less human to be found onscreen which is good to see, but what's added in its place with Kong is just so dull to me. The needless humanising of Kong continues, though this time it's actually done in and around the other monsters because... well, actually I'm not sure why monsters are acting human-like to each other but, eh, the movie, I guess. That Suko young ape character is particularly annoying too, it sounded like a clown horn and looks more belonging to that one Coldplay music video. The whole film feels like if <em>'<a href="https://letterboxd.com/films/in/avatar-collection/by/release-earliest/size/large/" rel="nofollow">Avatar</a>'</em> and the <em>'<a href="https://letterboxd.com/films/in/planet-of-the-apes-reboot-collection/by/release-earliest/size/large/" rel="nofollow">Planet of the Apes</a>'</em> reboots had a baby and that's not a positive. It felt watching that it was also taking bits and pieces from other films too, mind perhaps that's just me reaching? The best scene of it all features the two titular characters in Giza, their bits together in Hollow Earth are decent too but their opponents are incredibly lame. Cast-wise, it's OK. Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle are as fine as previously, Brian Tyree Henry is marginally improved and Dan Stevens is serviceable. None of the others are all that noteworthy to me, but that actually is a true plus for this production; last time out I wanted less humans and less humans is what we get here. My review kinda reads as if I hate this 2024 release. I do not, there are far worse pictures out there of course. It's just a heap of disappointment. I guess I just want pure, turn-off-your-brain titan carnage from these flicks, which evidently is not what the Monsterverse is necessarily trying to do... that's probably on me. Catching up on this franchise has made me want to even more check out the 'proper' Godzilla releases out of Japan, so there is that. As for these American ones, I like <em>'Kong: Skull Island'</em> at least...

It has to get at least three stars because it's got Dan Stevens (and his piercing eyes) in it. Otherwise, this is an entirely derivative and predictable effort that leaves nothing at all to our imagination. A truce has broken out since the last time (2021), with "Kong" ruling the roost deep in "Hollow Earth"; "Godzilla" curled up asleep in the Coliseum and "Ilene" (Rebecca Hall) and the troubled "Jia" (Kaylee Hottle) keeping an eye on things for "Monarch" and mankind. "Kong" has a bad tooth so he comes to the humans for help. Fortunately, "Trapper" (the aforementioned DS) is a dab hand at grand-scale dentistry but it's while the ape is topside that alarm bells go off. "Godzilla" starts marauding again and an undiscovered vortex in the nether world requires investigation by "Kong" and his human pals. With "Bernie" (Brian Tyree Henry) back in the gang, off they all go to discover that a new menace has arrived, destroyed their monitoring outpost and it is now setting up a battle royal with just about every Titan left on Earth - above or below. Adam Winyard does just about everything on this film, and that shows in a complete lack of objectivity when evaluating this third rate adventure, the banal writing and equally lacklustre acting. It's as plain as the nose on your face why "Godzilla' - who doesn't feature so much in this - is collecting energy, and when we do eventually get to them, the combat scenes are repetitive and too tightly choreographed. The scale is all over the place too. At times "Kong" appears the size of an house, at others he's more like a mouse. The visual effects are put to good use, but Hall just underwhelms, Henry talks way too much and Stevens' busky humour just doesn't hit home at all. I know it's difficult to keep coming up with new ideas for this genre and it must be difficult for the actors to constantly engage with nothing but some greenscreen, but the story is thin and the film reminds you of just about everything from "Jurassic Park" to episodes of "Stargate". It does need a big screen, though. On television it will be even more forgettable - but I did like the moth.

Godzilla x Kong is an exposition driven production, wrapped up in CGI eye candy, in an attempt to make the generally bland proposition, marginally appetising to the end consumer. The eye candy aspect of this monster action flick is well done. In fact, its flawless and whilst this might evoke "ooohs and ahhhs", on the big screen, there's a lot more to any film, than visuals. Unlike Godzilla minus One, this Hollywood affair fails to deliver beyond the superficial. Its back story, sprinkled with the usual woke fluff, is formulaic, unimaginative and frankly, a little lazy. The results a film whose elaborate exposition, holds you, for a time but equally, its effect quickly dissipates. A little over half way in, I became thoroughly bored and distracted. In summary, Godzilla x Kong is a simplistic action monster flick propelled by CGI laden exposition. On a big screen its a visually impressive but ultimately,rather empty experience.

**You get what you expect** It is what it is, an old concept with some twists in the story. There is nothing jaw dropping in this movie, because everything you have seen hundreds times before. I think you can tolerate it with a group of friends with beer in a living room party, that’s it. Nothing special to watch it in theaters. In the end, it also doesn’t pretend to be a masterpiece, so you can forgive it for its honesty.

It took me two attempts to get into Godzilla x Kong. The first 25 minutes of this movie are utterly boring. I've got no problem with human drama in movies like this when it's done right, or at least engaging. Monarch was engaging. For the main human characters here, this only ever gets engaging at the very end. I'm beginning to think the problem here is that movies like this are no longer "movies", they're "installments". They don't feel like self-contained polished products anymore, they feel like filler episodes filled with smaller barely connected filler episodes. Godzilla x Kong is like the opening to Age of Ultron, except it's the majority of the movie. You just don't really feel grounded at all. There's too much music. They try to recapture the "magic" of the intro and ending of Godzilla vs Kong but it fails spectacularly. It was cute there because the focus was on Kong and they didn't overdo it. Here the focus is on Trapper AKA NOT Kong AKA no one cares about Trapper because not giving the man a name is doing a stupid. The monster action is fine. Kong meeting the other Great Apes got me pumped and the finale is lackluster but satisfying enough. So, Season 2 of Monarch when?

The mistake I made was watching Godzilla Minus One first. I don't know if the screenwriters' strike disrupted Godzilla X Kong, but the story seems to come straight from the book "How to Write a Hollywood Screenplay." The music feels like it came from a documentary about African great apes. The opening narration is unnecessary. The characters are typical Hollywood stereotypes seen in hundreds of films. As for the special effects, there's nothing to criticize; they are what save the film.

This is the weakest of the of the "Monsterverse" series of films to this point. The CGI is all-out cartoonish, and it makes it nearly impossible to care about what's going on. Nothing looks real and I'm sure the creators of these movies have given up trying to make anything photo realistic. Or maybe it's an intentional choice because moviegoers actually prefer it to be unrealistic. Perhaps CGI has morphed into its own thing and realism is no longer required. That's probably the case and what a sad evolution that is. The final battle in Rio is so chaotic that even though buildings are being smashed by monster fighting, none of it has any weight, structurally or consequentially. The scale of the monsters on the surface is diminished by the lack of anything to judge their size by when they are in "Hollow Earth". It's a lot like the old **Godzilla vs. Megalon** film released back in 1973. Godzilla and Jet Jaguar battle Gigan and Megalon and the whole thing takes place in an open field. The size of the kaiju is completely lost by having the fight take place in this setting. Hollow Earth promotes the same kind of scale problems. It's also a mistake to make these huge beasts move with the agility they do in this movie. The Hollow Earth concept is lame and seems like it's a way to allow for Kong to still be the king of something since Godzilla is the dominant Titan on the planet. The humans in this movie are disposable again and this is even more evident when comparing this film to the far superior **Godzilla Minus One**, not to mention the stakes raised in **Shin Godzilla**. The lack of dialogue, either by an important cast member being deaf or due to a lot of monsters growling and grunting, probably allows the Monsterverse movies to sell well internationally. The necessity for dubs and subtitles is greatly reduced. _"You mean I don't have to read!?! Awesome!!!"_ It actually pains me to have to write an almost entirely negative review. As a reference, I own EVERY Godzilla movie on physical media and consider it to be my favorite film series. Many, many of them are silly B-movies and some of them I don't even like, but none of them seem as formulaic or as tossed off as **Godzilla X Kong**.

Not great but ultimately satisfying, if not mindless, sci-fi actioner and addition to the Monsterverse. There was never a moment I was bored so that has a one-up over the previous film, Godzilla vs. Kong, and they kept the human actors to a minimum with only four characters taking focus. The visual effects were passable enough and I did like the continued characterization given to Kong and to some extent, Godzilla. In the end, it's an entertaining time-waster and doesn't overstay its welcome showing you these movies can be under two hours. **3.25/5**

The Monsterverse is headed in a fun direction with its 'Titans', more famously known as Godzilla and Kong. However, while the action and spectacle continue to impress, the human element of these movies has significantly declined with this latest installment. My hope is that the great character-building seen in the Monarch series can catch up to the movies. The human characters in this movie feel underdeveloped and somewhat sidelined, which detracts from the overall narrative. Despite these shortcomings, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is an action-packed and fun addition to the Kaiju subgenre. The introduction of new Titans, Skar and Shimo, provides a fresh and exciting rivalry for our iconic heroes. Their dynamic interactions and epic battles are thrilling to watch. Adam Wingard's direction effectively channels the spirit of the Showa Era Godzilla films, blending it with an 80s aesthetic and a futuristic vibe. This stylistic choice creates a unique and visually appealing backdrop for the film. The film also explores themes of rivalry, survival, and the balance of power, although these are primarily conveyed through the Titans' interactions rather than the human characters. The tone is a mix of nostalgic homage and modern spectacle, aiming to please long-time fans and newcomers alike. For example, scenes where Godzilla and Kong reluctantly team up against a common foe evoke a sense of epic camaraderie and respect, reminiscent of classic monster team-ups. Overall, while Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire excels in delivering thrilling action and visual spectacle, it falls short in human character development. The new Titans, Skar and Shimo, are exciting additions that enrich the kaiju universe. Adam Wingard's direction brings a nostalgic yet fresh aesthetic to the film. If future installments can balance the monster action with stronger human elements, the Monsterverse will continue to be a captivating franchise. This movie is a must-watch for fans of the genre, promising an entertaining and visually stunning experience.