GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE (2024) review
written by: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater
produced by: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Brian Rogers, Mary Parent, Alex Garcia & Eric McLeod
directed by: Adam Wingard
rated: PG-13 (for creature violence and action)
runtime: 115 min.
U.S. release date: March 29, 2024
Since 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” from director Adam Wingard, there has been a series called “Monarch” on AppleTV+ that delved into the history of the titular clandestine organization that has studied kaiju creatures in this new MonsterVerse that started back in 2014 with “Godzilla”. Warner Brothers, Toho, Legendary Pictures, and Wingard return for massive scale chaos and epic smackdown action with “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire”, continuing to expand upon the cartoon fun and CGI talents from the last movie. This one has the appropriate tone to make it easily digestible entertainment for the right audience. That would be viewers mainly interested in monster mayhem.
Godzilla and Kong have been two of the most popular giant creatures since Kong debuted back in 1933. When they were dormant on the big screen, they thrived in other forms, such as animated series, comic books, and toys. So, it’s easy to understand how there can be more than one depiction of these characters. The recent Oscar-winning “Godzilla: Minus One”, proved that a serious period piece can exist alongside a movie with a pink Godzilla and a robot-arm Kong.
After that climactic battle between Godzilla, Kong, and Mechagodzilla in Hong Kong, those who survived retreated or recuperated. Godzilla took to the ocean, watchful of any future kaiju threats, while Kong retreated to the newly-discovered Hollow Earth, where a Monarch base has kept an eye on the 300-foot giant ape. As he did on Skull Island, Kong maintains a specific order throughout the savage land, yet his spirit is growing as weary as his battle-scarred body. His current state requires Monarch to call upon a Titan veterinarian (imagine that gig!) named Trapper (a game Dan Stevens) to help with Kong.
Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) now oversees Hollow Earth and specializes in all things Kong. This is primarily because her deaf daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), can communicate with him via sign language. Their connection also stems from him being the last of his kind and her being the only surviving member of the Iwi tribe that we know of, at least. Something is happening in Hollow Earth, though. As a series of bizarre readings from somewhere within is picked up by Monarch equipment, it’s no coincidence that this also happens to be the source of mysterious visions (or are they hallucinations or flashbacks?) that plague the teenage Jia. Dr. Andrews asks Titan expert and blogger, Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), for his help in determining what the connection is. He inevitably convinces her to bring him along in their sci-fi jet to track down the source of the signal in the Hollow Earth. Dr. Andrews must be easy to win over since Jia had the same success. Soon enough, the three of them, along with Trapper, are being escorted into the Hollow Earth through a portal in the Caribbean.
On the other side of the world, Monarch has continued to monitor Godzilla’s whereabouts vigilantly. The giant lizard maintains a specific order on the surface world, battling other kaiju when they surface. The latest siting is in Rome, where Godzilla kills the crab-like (with a Cthulhu mouth) creature Scylla and then finds a resting place in the Coliseum. When he awakens, the creature travels to France to attack a nuclear power plant and eventually submerges north while Monarch scrambles to determine where he’s off to.
Under the surface, Kong has discovered that there are indeed other giant apes like him, including young Suko. However, they are a more volatile and savage race, led by the Scar King, a cruel and vicious giant orangutan who controls an ice-powered Titan, Shimo. The human team at the Hollow Earth also learns of this threat and is soon reunited with a hidden Iwi tribe and learns that Jia is prophesied to be the one who will help prevent the Skar King from enacting a new ice age on the world.
With a sequel called “Godzilla X Kong,” one can easily assume there will be less fighting between the titular giants. Although it’s hard to tell if the title means Godzilla “times” Kong or Godzilla “and” Kong, considering the way the movie plays out, the latter applies. Yes, as you can imagine, since there is a new monster-size threat that screenwriters Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater have created, Godzilla and Kong will need to team up to face the threat together.
Since we know that, the curious thing is how exactly all this will play out. It’s not like Monarch can text Godzilla and ask him to help Kong out under the Earth’s surface. We know that just as Dr. Andrews and her crew do. Even if Godzilla did have a phone, he’s too busy absorbing insane amounts of power. After France, he makes his way to the Arctic, where he battles and defeats Tiamat, a pink-radiated Titan who resides underwater. Instead of his dorsal fins lighting up blue, he has a pink hue. We learn from one of many human exposition moments that Godzilla is “powering up” because he senses something. Perhaps it’s the same thing that calls out to Jia.
Exposition is expected in these movies, but what the screenwriters and Wingard do here is give us enough time with the Big Two and their like. This tactic works out well for the most part, like following a silent movie (granted, this movie is anything but quiet); here, we get an idea of Godzilla and Kong’s expressive personalities. Sure, keep in mind that Kong has always been a more expressive character since he’s closest to humans. It’s a kick to see him wail in pain over an infected tooth and even funnier to see how Trapper implements some bold dental work. The humor is appropriate for how ludicrous this all is. It is sci-fi fantasy, after all.
“The New Empire” spends most of its runtime in the Hollow Earth and a new Subterranean area of the colorful landscape. The initial encounter between Kong and a juvenile ape (Suko is his name, but I can’t recall anyone calling him that) is quite contentious. Still, eventually, Kong puts him in his place and wins over the kid with…kindness. During these scenes, we see Kong annoyed, bemused, and shocked. It’s not something you’d expect in a Kong movie, and it’s welcome. Nor would I expect to see the classic rock-loving Trapper fix up Kong with a robot arm that not only treats his frostbite wound but also augments his strength.
When Kong realizes he will need powerful help to defeat this Scar King, he figures out how to use one of Hollow Earth’s many portals to reach the surface world. He surfaces near Cairo, and Godzilla tracks him at the pyramids, and you just know those iconic landmarks won’t look the same after Kong and Godzilla roughhouse. Once Kong manages to lure Godzilla through the portal down into the Hollow Earth, the action turns sideways when anti-gravity is activated, thanks to the combined efforts between the Iwi tribe and Dr. Andrews’s team. For the record, Jia’s arch stands out as something different and unique. The humans even manage to release Mothra, and the winged creature winds up assisting the Big Two in their fight against the Skar King.
As you would expect, even hope, humans take a backseat to the big stars of “The New Empire”, which is fine considering everything involved knows that the people just aren’t as interesting. Bernie’s comedy relief isn’t that funny, and Dr. Andrews’s exposition and parental bond with Jia is an eye-roller. Since this New Empire consists of apes, the focus is primarily on Kong, with Godzilla in the sidecar. The visual appearance of the Skar King’s lanky orangutan frame is a welcome addition to the melee. His villainous behavior is sometimes a little too broad, but it’s still a hoot to see a different kind of threat in the MonsterVerse.
Indeed, there are enough differences in “The New Empire” to make this entertainment exciting and fun. Wingard delights in going nuts during the climactic battle of these Titans. The action is epic, and the furious action serves as pure big-screen escapism and nothing more.
RATING: ***
