GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE
March 29, 2024
March 29, 2024
S P O I L E R W A R N I N G!
Obviously...
Kong ventures deeper into the Hollow Earth, discovering an ancient enemy that threatens to continue a war started ages ago and bring it to the surface world. Meanwhile, Godzilla, sensing the threat himself, begins to gather power to face it. In the end, the only hope for the planet may be for the two bitter rivals to team up against the oncoming threat.
Let’s start out with our humans.
We have 3 characters returning from the previous film: Dr. Illene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle) and podcaster/conspiracy theorist Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry.) Our newest principal character comes in the form of Titan veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens), who is an amazing human being who deserves his own spin-off series (Preferably not on Apple TV.)
The rest of the human characters are made up of Monarch operatives monitoring Godzilla’s activities/giving exposition and a previously unknown Hollow Earth Iwi tribe. I appreciate that the main cast of characters is relatively small, it made the story easier to follow and all of our returners were great as always. I love Illene and Jia’s family dynamic, and Bernie and Trapper get a good rapport going in their own unique way.
Once again, the main stars of these movies are the monsters. Kong takes center stage and is, for all intents and purposes, the star of the movie. We follow his quest to find others like him, as well as going about his daily life. All of it is done without dialogue, just facial expressions and body language done to perfection. This is one of those rare monster movies where the monsters truly feel like the focus of the story.
Remember how I said this movie was believed to be a new version of Son of Kong? Well, we did at least get something similar in the form of a younger Great Ape named Suko. Suko is an adorable little shit to whom you’ll eventually warm up. He is also by far the greatest weapon Kong has ever wielded. I mean, the B.E.A.S.T. Glove is cool and all, but c’mon…
Once again Godzilla doesn’t get as much focus as Kong, but we still get a good amount of him so as to feel like he hasn’t been pushed aside despite his top billing. Honestly, I feel like GxK does this better than GvK. GvK had a Team Kong/Team Godzilla split story, but Team Kong’s story stayed with Kong throughout the story, Team Godzilla doesn’t even include Godzilla. GxK’s Godzilla plot at least focuses on and shows him doing stuff instead of just talking about him.
Also, Godzilla sleeping in the colosseum is genuinely amazing and wholesome. Adam Wingard stated that this moment was inspired by seeing his own cat, Mischief, sleeping in her cat bed.
Remember Barbenheimer? That whole phenomenon surrounding 2 major film releases, one focusing on a character with ties to nuclear weapons and the other on a franchise known for being bathed in all shades of pink? Well isn’t it amusing how the very next year, here comes this movie featuring a character whose origins are tied to nuclear weapons and is now bathed in shades of pink? Life’s just funny like that, isn’t it?
I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about Godzilla’s new ‘Evolved’ look. I’m used to seeing his design change in between movies, but most of the toys didn’t do the design any favors. Even so, seeing it on screen made me warm up to it a lot.
Kong eventually does find more of his kind, for better or worse. Unfortunately, the newly found Great Apes are under the tyrannical rule of the Skar King, a lanky, red-furred ape standing only a few feet shorter than Kong. Skar isn’t the most imposing Titan in the series, he more than makes up for it with his cunning and devious nature. He attempted to reach the surface before being stopped by Godzilla, who barely survived the battle.
Skar also has another trick up his sleeve: A captive ancient Titan named Shimo. Shimo is a massive force of nature who was said to have caused the last ice age.
Shimo’s first appearance was in a crossover event for Call of Duty of all things, she was seen on a cave painting depicting her fighting Godzilla.
As much as I want to see new versions of classic Toho monsters, I also crave new and imaginative monsters and I love Shimo.
The fact that much of the movie focuses on the monsters is the best thing about it.
I especially appreciate the effort to give focus to some of the other Titans in the background lore including Scylla (previously seen in King of the Monsters) and Tiamat, a Titan who had only appeared in the MonsterVerse tie-in comics and as an antagonist in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. We were introduced to the Hollow Earth in Godzilla vs. Kong, but we are now taking our first steps into this larger world. One of the goals Adam Wingard had with New Empire was to expand on the Hollow Earth lore, that was certainly something I was excited about seeing. He did deliver on that promise. Among the beautiful/dramatic landscapes and the unique/fearsome monster designs, we see another tribe of Iwi, possibly more ancient and advanced than the ones previously seen in Kong: Skull Island. Also, it turns out the Iwi are psychic, which gives us a plausible way to incorporate a character like Miki Saegusa into the MonsterVerse.
And now we come to THIS movie’s worst kept secret. Although it wasn’t as egregious as spoiling Mechagodzilla, I still think it would have been better if the initial trailer didn’t show that frame of Mothra being visible in Jia’s eye. That being said, far be it from me to deny the glory that is the return of the queen. Every time she appeared on screen was simply mesmerizing.
The visual effects in this movie continue to impress and the monsters are beautifully designed down to the smallest details. Huge kudos should be given to the VFX team for their efforts in having the monsters drive the story through looks, vocalization, and body language alone. Props especially to motion capture actors Allan Henry (Kong/Skar King) and Luke Hawker (Suko)
The score by Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio fares a little better to me than GVK even if most of the themes don't stick around in the back of my mind after the film is done.
In addition to the mix of mellow/boisterous compositions and 80’s style synthwave tunes, we get a good mix of popular rock songs to go with the action. Wingard’s song placement here is far better than the ones in his version of Death Note.
You want some great fights in your monster movies? You’ll get your money’s worth here! One of the things I always want to see with a new monster movie is something I haven’t seen before. Well, a monster fight in zero gravity was not exactly on my bingo card, but I’m glad I saw it.
The movie isn’t perfect. Some contrivances are inevitable and there’s no shortage of cheese surrounding the goings-on, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Its monster focused story, balanced and well done human characters, over the top action and creativity completely won me over. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now my second favorite MonsterVerse film (with the first being King of the Monsters).
Fans will always have their preferences and disagreements about whether or not Godzilla should be portrayed as a dark and serious metaphor about the horrors of war or weapons of mass destruction or fun and action packed monster wrestling. In my opinion, it’s very fortunate that both sides are able to coexist as they do now. I’ve seen many instances of Adam Wingard and Godzilla Minus One director, Takashi Yamazaki meeting each other and praising each other's films. If that isn’t proof enough, I don’t know what is.
At the time of writing this, Yamazaki is hard at work on another Godzilla film and Legendary Pictures are preparing a new entry into the ever growing MonsterVerse. No matter which direction these films take, the future of Godzilla, Kong and their creature co-stars looks very promising.
Special thanks to my dear friend River for helping me edit this review!
Good Night, Godzilla,
King of the Monsters.
Pleasant Dreams.
With the hype surrounding the long awaited Godzilla vs. Kong at an end and the MonsterVerse at the end of it's first phase, there was still one question looming over the fanbase: "Where could the series possibly go next?"
There were the usual rumors and wishful thinking abound, but the only thing we knew for sure was that Adam Wingard would return to direct and that Kong would once again play a big role. Many thought the movie was going to be a new version of Son of Kong.
Unlike previous MonsterVerse films where the contents of the next entry were teased almost immediately, the premise for this new film was mostly a mystery. Even after the first teaser trailer in April 2023, there were still questions.
The marketing really started to kick up in late November, we got a good look at the new enemy monster, Kong sporting a nifty looking power glove and Godzilla assuming a brand new form.
This much was certain, we were in for one hell of a wild ride. The only thing missing from those trailers was Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” playing as Godzilla and Kong were charging into battle.
We have 3 characters returning from the previous film: Dr. Illene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle) and podcaster/conspiracy theorist Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry.) Our newest principal character comes in the form of Titan veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens), who is an amazing human being who deserves his own spin-off series (Preferably not on Apple TV.)
The rest of the human characters are made up of Monarch operatives monitoring Godzilla’s activities/giving exposition and a previously unknown Hollow Earth Iwi tribe. I appreciate that the main cast of characters is relatively small, it made the story easier to follow and all of our returners were great as always. I love Illene and Jia’s family dynamic, and Bernie and Trapper get a good rapport going in their own unique way.
Remember how I said this movie was believed to be a new version of Son of Kong? Well, we did at least get something similar in the form of a younger Great Ape named Suko. Suko is an adorable little shit to whom you’ll eventually warm up. He is also by far the greatest weapon Kong has ever wielded. I mean, the B.E.A.S.T. Glove is cool and all, but c’mon…
Once again Godzilla doesn’t get as much focus as Kong, but we still get a good amount of him so as to feel like he hasn’t been pushed aside despite his top billing. Honestly, I feel like GxK does this better than GvK. GvK had a Team Kong/Team Godzilla split story, but Team Kong’s story stayed with Kong throughout the story, Team Godzilla doesn’t even include Godzilla. GxK’s Godzilla plot at least focuses on and shows him doing stuff instead of just talking about him.
Also, Godzilla sleeping in the colosseum is genuinely amazing and wholesome. Adam Wingard stated that this moment was inspired by seeing his own cat, Mischief, sleeping in her cat bed.
I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about Godzilla’s new ‘Evolved’ look. I’m used to seeing his design change in between movies, but most of the toys didn’t do the design any favors. Even so, seeing it on screen made me warm up to it a lot.
Kong eventually does find more of his kind, for better or worse. Unfortunately, the newly found Great Apes are under the tyrannical rule of the Skar King, a lanky, red-furred ape standing only a few feet shorter than Kong. Skar isn’t the most imposing Titan in the series, he more than makes up for it with his cunning and devious nature. He attempted to reach the surface before being stopped by Godzilla, who barely survived the battle.
Skar also has another trick up his sleeve: A captive ancient Titan named Shimo. Shimo is a massive force of nature who was said to have caused the last ice age.
Shimo’s first appearance was in a crossover event for Call of Duty of all things, she was seen on a cave painting depicting her fighting Godzilla.
As much as I want to see new versions of classic Toho monsters, I also crave new and imaginative monsters and I love Shimo.
The fact that much of the movie focuses on the monsters is the best thing about it.
I especially appreciate the effort to give focus to some of the other Titans in the background lore including Scylla (previously seen in King of the Monsters) and Tiamat, a Titan who had only appeared in the MonsterVerse tie-in comics and as an antagonist in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. We were introduced to the Hollow Earth in Godzilla vs. Kong, but we are now taking our first steps into this larger world. One of the goals Adam Wingard had with New Empire was to expand on the Hollow Earth lore, that was certainly something I was excited about seeing. He did deliver on that promise. Among the beautiful/dramatic landscapes and the unique/fearsome monster designs, we see another tribe of Iwi, possibly more ancient and advanced than the ones previously seen in Kong: Skull Island. Also, it turns out the Iwi are psychic, which gives us a plausible way to incorporate a character like Miki Saegusa into the MonsterVerse.
The visual effects in this movie continue to impress and the monsters are beautifully designed down to the smallest details. Huge kudos should be given to the VFX team for their efforts in having the monsters drive the story through looks, vocalization, and body language alone. Props especially to motion capture actors Allan Henry (Kong/Skar King) and Luke Hawker (Suko)
The score by Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio fares a little better to me than GVK even if most of the themes don't stick around in the back of my mind after the film is done.
In addition to the mix of mellow/boisterous compositions and 80’s style synthwave tunes, we get a good mix of popular rock songs to go with the action. Wingard’s song placement here is far better than the ones in his version of Death Note.
You want some great fights in your monster movies? You’ll get your money’s worth here! One of the things I always want to see with a new monster movie is something I haven’t seen before. Well, a monster fight in zero gravity was not exactly on my bingo card, but I’m glad I saw it.
Fans will always have their preferences and disagreements about whether or not Godzilla should be portrayed as a dark and serious metaphor about the horrors of war or weapons of mass destruction or fun and action packed monster wrestling. In my opinion, it’s very fortunate that both sides are able to coexist as they do now. I’ve seen many instances of Adam Wingard and Godzilla Minus One director, Takashi Yamazaki meeting each other and praising each other's films. If that isn’t proof enough, I don’t know what is.
At the time of writing this, Yamazaki is hard at work on another Godzilla film and Legendary Pictures are preparing a new entry into the ever growing MonsterVerse. No matter which direction these films take, the future of Godzilla, Kong and their creature co-stars looks very promising.
Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon
and thank you for joining me here in my lair.
So long...
Special thanks to my dear friend River for helping me edit this review!
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Thanks!
Good Night, Godzilla,
King of the Monsters.
Pleasant Dreams.
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