-Written by John Cajio.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a film that mostly does not suck. As of this writing (Monday, April 1, 2024), a direct quote from the plot summary of the Wikipedia article for Godzilla x Kong states: “Despite Kong trying to clarify his intentions… Godzilla attacks him due to being dumb.” This statement is, by and large, representative of the entire film. It’s a dumb film, but there are plenty of thoroughly entertaining clashes between monsters—enough to keep one occupied for much of the film’s run time. My primary frustrations with this film are due to (a) the lack of any significant character development for any of the human players in the film, and (b) the fact that Godzilla clearly plays a secondary role despite top billing in the film, and despite the fact that the King of the Monsters is presented as an already overpowered destructive force of nature that levels up to a whole new of overpowered destructiveness to take on an old threat from his ancient past, it doesn’t really use any of that super overpowered destructiveness in any meaningful way.
Rebecca Hall reprises her role as Monarch’s resident expert on Kong, Dr. Ilene Andrews. Brian Tyree Henry also returns as Titan conspiracy theorist and podcaster, Bernie Hayes. And Kaylee Hottle returns as Jia, the sole survivor of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, and is now under the adoptive custody of Dr. Andrews. Joining them as principal players, Dan Stevens plays Trapper, a veterinarian specializing in Titans; and Fala Chen, in a role I will not disclose to avoid spoilers.
Writers Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater create a script that I think is best described as “epic clashes of titanic monsters interrupted by interludes of human mumbo jumbo in service of the titans.” Rinse and repeat for nearly two hours.
Kong, cut off from his only companion, Jia, spends his days in the Hollow Earth hunting for food, defending his territory, dealing with an infected tooth, and searching for more of his own kind. Godzilla, meanwhile, spends his time on Earth defending his territory and sleeping in the Colosseum. Everything changes when a trap that Kong crafted and activated in the opening moments of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has the unintended effect of opening up a giant sinkhole to a massive subterranean territory in the Hollow Earth. After a risky venture to Earth to have his infected tooth pulled and replaced by Trapper, Kong ventures into the sinkhole where he discovers more of his kind under the brutal rule of the Skar King, a vicious and intelligent Titan ape that was trapped by Godzilla centuries or millennia ago due to his desire to conquer both the Hollow Earth and the surface world. Meanwhile, both Jia and Godzilla detect a warning signal transmitted from the Hollow Earth. Jia begs her adoptive mother, Dr. Andrews, to take her along when a reconnaissance mission is put together. It turns out that she has a special connection with the Hollow Earth beyond her connection to Kong. Godzilla, on the other hand, pays a visit to a couple of sites of massive radioactivity to level himself up, leading the viewer to think that there will be a great payoff for this use of the principle behind Chekhov’s Gun when there really isn’t.
Good actors work with what they are given. The actors in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire aren’t given much to work with, but they are clearly doing their best to make something from nothing. Both Henry and Stevens play supporting comedic roles. They try valiantly to make the comedy work but it mostly falls flat. Hall generally makes the overprotective-mother-who-must-learn-to-let-go part she’s given work, but she wasn’t given much. I wish I could write more, but so little was given to the human side of the film.
Godzilla spends a good chunk of his time in this film powering up, presumably for an epic final bout of violence against the Skar King. He winds up relegated to a supporting role for much of that final clash. It’s all about Kong versus the Skar King. And that would be fine, if Kong was given top billing over Godzilla. But Godzilla was given top billing, and so one would think even if Kong controlled much of the final encounter that Godzilla would have the definitive final say thanks to his newly gained, world-shattering powers. But he doesn’t. And that’s a shame after all of that time spent gaining all of that power.
I think that something must also be said of the fact that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire comes just four scant months after the release of Godzilla Minus One, one of my favorite films from 2023. It was great to see Godzilla play the villain again in an effective remake of the 1954 original. Godzilla Minus One was made with great care of the cast and crew, led by Writer-Director Takashi Yamazaki. Importantly, it focused on the human element without neglecting the titular monster’s epic power. I remember comparing Godzilla in that film to the Reaper ship Sovereign in the 2007 video game Mass Effect, specifically a line that Sovereign tells protagonist Commander Shepard: “You exist because we allow it. You will end because we demand it.” That, I think, effectively summarizes Godzilla’s palpable dominance and power in Godzilla Minus One.
On the other hand, in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, I never felt that director Adam Wingard and the aforementioned writers treated their film with a similar level of reverence and care. For them, it was all about the visual spectacle without any real regard for the human experience. And, in spite of the awesome powers displayed by the various Titans in the film, none of them really reminded me of that quote from Mass Effect’s Sovereign.
In short, if you like seeing giant monsters beat the absolute snot out of each other, you will likely find Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire mindlessly entertaining. Make some popcorn, crack open a beer, and have a good time. If you’re looking for something more real, you will likely be disappointed.
Directed by Adam Wingard.
Written by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater.
Starring Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Dan Stevens, Fala Chen, etc.
5/10 = WORTH THE RISK, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
