Film Review: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Welcome back to the blog readers. I apologize for the lack of activity so far this year, but I have not really seen a lot of films or television this year. This, however, is an event that I absolutely could not miss. The MonsterVerse is some of my favorite content out right now because of its appeal and just monster action. I have been unnaturally excited for this film, but how would it fare now that I have seen it? Stick around to find out.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is directed by Adam Wingard from a screenplay by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater and a story by Wingard, Rossio, and Barrett. The film stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen. In the film, Kong encounters more of his species in Hollow Earth and must reunite with Godzilla to prevent their leader and a frost-breathing Titan from destroying the surface.

While I was not able to catch Monarch (2023-present) yet, which I definitely plan on since the word of mouth is nothing but positive, this has been the year of Godzilla, between that, this and Godzilla Minus One (2023), which was my second favorite film of the year. What did I wind up thinking of the film? I thought the film was utterly stupid...but ultimately a blast to watch. While the story may be baffling in some places, the monster action is enough to keep you invested.

I will keep this paragraph short because these films are not gold mines for Oscar nominations for acting. Although I do want to say that Dan Stevens and Brian Tyree Henry have impeccable chemistry and I definitely want to see more of them. I also want to know the name of the person doing the motion capture (if there is one) for Kong. That person absolutely deserves a raise because they made Kong feel believable and real as ever in this film.

I want to end this review by talking about the mind-boggling story. There are elements of the story that made me scratch my head, such as the whole thing about the blue crystal that controls Shimo, the frost Titan that is captured by the Skar King. Also I do think the fact that Godzilla was able to sense the threat of Shimo and the Skar King when it literally had nothing to do with him was kind of pointless. But don't worry guys, the story is not as terrible as the one in Meg 2: The Trench (2023). Rest assured there. But when the monsters got down with it and started fighting, that is when I perked up and the popcorn stuffing began. This is some of the best monster fighting that I have ever seen in the MonsterVerse, hands-down.

In conclusion, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire makes up for the lack of characters and story depth with intense monster battles that leave you on the edge of your seat. Thank you for reading, and I will see you guys for the next post.