It has been ten years since the birth of Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise, which has spawned five movies and two television shows, including Netflix’s animated Skull Island series. While these films have been plagued by non-compelling human stories and a muddled mythology that tries to evoke Toho’s decades-long franchise, we have seen mostly successful new spins on iconic movie monsters, ranging from Godzilla, King Kong, King Ghidorah and Mothra. After Godzilla vs. Kong – which as the title suggests, had the two titans battling each other, only for them to put aside their differences and defeat Mechagodzilla – where else can returning director Adam Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire take these giant icons?
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire continues with elements we have seen from this franchise, from the recent discovery of the Hollow Earth where Kong establishes his territory to Godzilla continuing to maintain order between humanity and giant monsters as he battles the latter across the world, there is a sense during the opening minutes of “been there, done that”. From this point, Kaiju cinema has become so prominent in the West during the last decade, starting with Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and after the recent Oscar-winning Godzilla: Minus One, should we expect more from this subgenre?
As Rebecca Hall, Bryan Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle reprise their roles from the previous film, they, along with Dan Stevens’ Trapper, travel deeper into the Hollow Earth, where Kong encounters more of his species, led by their tyrannical leader, the Skar King. As this new threat plans to lead his army of giant apes, as well as a powerful, climate-changing Titan, Kong must team up with Godzilla to protect the surface.
As previously stated, the human stories in this franchise are not the most well-written and are at best loose and melodramatic that in some way inform the monster spectacle. In the case of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the closest thing to an emotional angle is the relationship between Dr. Ilene Andrews (Hall) and her adopted daughter Jia (Hottle), the latter of which turns out to have a greater significance with the Hollow Earth. Dan Stevens is having a lot of fun as the weird, but loving Kaiju vet Tripper, who shares plenty of humor with conspiracy podcaster Bernie Hayes (Henry), but it is obvious where the director’s heart truly lies – the Titans themselves.
Prioritizing Kong over Godzilla, the giant ape has developed more of a personality than originally established in 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. Without a word of dialogue, we understand what the giant CGI Kong is going through all sorts of emotions throughout his journey, from his initial loneliness to his shock over encountering others like him. The most dramatic stuff comes from Kong interacting with his own king, whether it is the cute buddy relationship with the adolescent Suko, or his confrontation with the Skar King, who is basically missing a mustache, since he is so evil from his physical appearance.
Despite the numerous Kaiju battles here and there throughout the movie, Godzilla starts to shine in the third act when he starts glowing; “Can you feel the Kenergy?!” Whereas Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla: Minus One depicted the giant lizard as a destructive force of horror, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire treats its titular leads as superheroes, each of which get their own power-up and team up in a climax that goes from defying the laws of gravity, to a citywide equivalent of a wrestling match. If we are to get another instalment and if Adam Wingard was to return, he should give up on the shallow drama of humanity and focus on the brawling nature of the Titans, since that’s where he is most comfortable.
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