The two most famous kaijus in history are forced to join forces against a common enemy in what is one of the most fun film of the year so far
Star Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, and Kaylee Hottle
Director: Adam Wingard
What’s Good: The movie has a firm focus on the kaiju and understands that they are what people pay their tickets for, and it is glorious.
What’s Bad: The film’s story is very simple, and for some audience members this can be a turn-off, as the movie has a clear Saturday morning cartoon vibe to it.
Loo Break: There are breaks in this film, because even when the movie takes its time setting up some things, and never really goes frantic with the pacing, it would be a shame to miss something here.
Watch or Not?: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a must-watch for all kaiju fans out there who have been wishing for a kaiju movie that really puts focus on the creatures, leaving the human characters of a secondary plane.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 115 Minutes.
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The MonsterVerse just keeps expanding its horizons, or to be more precise, its depth, as the discovery of the Hollow Earth changes everything for humanity and for Godzilla and Kong as well, when a new enemy that calls the Hollow Earth its home gets ready to wage war against the invaders that has trespassed its territory. Only the combined forces of Godzilla and Kong might be enough to defeat this new and powerful enemy once and for all, but can these two old rivals actually work together?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Review: Script Analysis
When the MonsterVerse debuted in 2014 with the release of “Godzilla” directed by Gareth Edwards, it seemed that the MonsterVerse was choosing to go the path of the dark and serious filmmaking that to this day places the original Godzilla from 1954, as one of the most important filmmaking documents in history. However, as more and more movies started to get released, something became clear, the fact that this western version of Godzilla would follow the exact same route that the original character followed after its debut.
With this, I mean to point out that Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) couldn’t be more different. The original Japanese Godzilla film is a serious and devastating story about the horrors of the nuclear weapons, something only Japan has experienced first hand, but then the following films started to become more and more lighter with their tone, and suddenly the dreadful Godzilla stopped being a horror nightmare, to become a hero, and even a role model for kids all around the world.
If Godzilla (2014) is the original Godzilla from the Showa era, then Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is Destroy All Monsters from 1968, a film that focuses all of its energy in present a huge spectacle, with no regards for story or human characters, and this ends up making Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire one of the most fun experiences of the year in a theater, as the movie clinically cares about each huge set piece and each battle in the same way that other movies would care for characters development and complex storytelling.
The script written by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater, might not be the most complex, but it is its simplicity what makes it great as it manages to give human characters enough to do, so that they don’t feel completely worthless, but also give our main kaijus the treatment of actual characters in the movie and not just a series of walking disasters, although they are that as well. Not every single movie is meant to be complex, some of them are just meant to be fun, and the filmmakers behind Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire understood the assignment.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Review: Star Performance
More than in any other movie before, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire displays Godzilla and Kong as our main heroes, this means that the human characters are mostly a secondary affair, and this choice is the correct one, people go to this type of movies to see the giant monsters, and so, creating the scenario for that to happen will definitely please many fans of the genre, and even some members of the audience who would never have thought that just focusing on the kaiju could be interesting enough. Godzilla and Kong have each their own personalities and by the end of the film you can definitely feel what kind of people they are if they were humans
The story definitely leans more towards Kong as a protagonist, which makes sense as he is the more human-looking creature of the two, but Godzilla steals every moment he is on the screen, he is the mysterious bad boy, where Kong is more of the kind-hearted classic hero. The visual effect of both kaiju are excellent, and allow the creature to not only be impressive in their presence on screen but also in their performance, and it is proof that this technology can only keep getting better, and there is a future out there where one of these movies will have zero human character, and it will be better for it.
The human cast does the job they are meant to do, and while they are not the focus at all, they are not useless to the plot, and there are some nice emotional bits here and there for the characters, which only enhances the movie. Dan Stevens definitely feels like a welcome addition, and a more grown-up Kaylee Hottle proves she is a solid performer.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Review: Direction, Music
Adam Wingard has definitely felt like salvation for the MonsterVerse, as his Godzilla Vs. Kong managed to be one of the most successful films in theaters during the pandemic, and also managed to inject new life into the franchise, as previous films were having trouble finding what they really were in terms of tone and general direction. Wingard has chosen the path of the goofy and cartoony Godzilla films, which, in their time, made excellent business in Japan. However, Wingard’s films still have that edge that never allows them to go completely into the realm of the cartoony, as you see the film it feels like a nice balance.
Wingard also has a very good eye for the epic, and many of the sequences in this new film are really blood-pumping, and thanks to the uncomplicated story all objectives are clear in the audience’s mind. Some of the battle sequences in here are awe-inspiring, and they are definitely meant to be seen in the biggest theater screen you can find. Wingard has the talent to do this type of spectacular tentpole filmmaking and keep it fun and unpretentious, and he and his team should be proud of it
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Review: Last Word
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire knows what it is and actually excels at it by delivering a spectacular film full of fun set pieces, amazing visual effects, and enough emotional bits to keep you engaged on almost every level. The story might be too simple for some, but this helps the movie to keep focus on what is really important, and while this is not a movie you will remember for its character, you will definitely remember the moments for just how fun they are. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is nothing transcendental, but we need more movies that are willing to be good old fun entertainment and nothing more.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Trailer
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire released on 29 March, 2024.
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