Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

 

5/10

Starring

Rebecca Hall

Brian Tyree Henry

Dan Stevens

Kaylee Hottle

 

Directed by Adam Wingard

 

There must have been two reasons for this film to be like this:

1)      Many people must have clamoured for a film with monsters fighting from start to finish.

2)      The rights to the franchises were going to end and Universal had to make a film to keep it.

This was not a good film. The plot is so straightforward that you could watch it without sound and still understand everything. Monster fights dominate from start to finish, and since Godzilla and Kong are clearly the good guys, anyone opposing them is automatically the villain. Dialogue feels almost redundant, as most of it revolves around Godzilla absorbing radiation and Kong navigating the Hollow Earth, both preparing for an inevitable showdown.

Set three years after Godzilla vs Kong, the film follows Kong exploring Hollow Earth and encountering massive creatures that he quickly dominates. However, he soon comes across a smaller ape-like creature, and their confrontation leads him to a lair filled with others like himself. Here, he faces off against the leader—a sinister ape intent on breaking into the surface world and triggering an ice age. This villain wields control over a Godzilla-like creature, forcing Kong to retreat after a fierce battle.

There are also people living in the hollow earth. It is like a society which seems to have been around for ages, just as long as these monsters have. In this society, they have a prophecy that sees the only savior of the earth is Godzilla and a large butterfly creature working together. You can gather from them that this is not the first time Godzilla had to save the earth, and this is not the first time he had to work together with this creature to do it.

Meanwhile, Godzilla senses the rising threat and begins absorbing all forms of radiation to prepare for the fight. How Godzilla was able to sense this threat, and all the reasons he is absorbing, are not well put together. Although mentioned, I felt the movie could have given in to explaining more about the past battles, how these creatures work together. Anyway, it felt like a hole they could have addressed. So as Godzilla is gearing up for a fight, the humans are busy trying to wake the creature that will aid Godzilla in this fight.

The action sequences produce spectacle, but the film lacks balance, with too few moments of human connection or meaningful plot development. If your sole desire is to watch epic monster fights to save humanity, this movie delivers. Otherwise, it offers little substance and feels like an uninspired continuation of its predecessors.