Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, 2024.
Directed by Adam Wingard.
Starring Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen, Rachel House, Mercy Cornwall, Ron Smyck, and Chantelle Jamieson.
SYNOPSIS:
Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull Island’s mysteries.
Not only does Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire lose some of its luster due to several reasons causing diminishing returns, but this time around, director Adam Wingard (working with a bland screenplay from Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater) seems to have forgotten that the purpose of these crossover films comes down to seeing these two ancient titans interact with one another, even if it’s not a full-fledged one-on-one battle. To be fair, they do still fight and inevitably team up to take down mutual enemies, but the threat of those antagonists feels next to none this time with little urgency, intensity, and stakes, something that is not helped by the majority of the film taking place inside the Hollow Earth, a convenient location to eliminate living collateral damage.
That’s also not to say Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doesn’t have a rousing final act that delivers the goods because it does; the titans suplex one another and destroy Egyptian pyramids (an awesome visual, for sure, but another carefully selected area away from human civilization in a means to sanitize the ordeal) before comboing villains back and forth like their ping-pong balls.
It’s mostly just a shame that the film didn’t get to that point sooner, much like its predecessor, especially since it doesn’t carry anywhere near the emotional weight of the reason Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. Perhaps that’s also not a fair comparison since each provided a different tone and take for monster chaos, but movies are not released in a bubble, and this film can’t even muster up a basic, solid emotional core or human characters worth investing in and caring about, something the filmmakers succeeded at the first time.
The returning human characters, which include Monarch’s Irene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) overseeing Kong (in his new home, the Hollow Earth) and her nonblood-related daughter, the last remaining Iwi native Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who can communicate with the giant ape using sign language, all teaming up with Brian Tyree Henry’s podcaster Bernie Hayes (trolls don’t believe a damn thing he says about his part in helping save the world, so here he is on another journey looking to document proof) and Trapper (Dan Stevens), a specialized veterinarian capable of extracting an infected tooth from the titan and giving him upgraded fighting gear, are frantically trying to understand a distress signal possibly related to unexpected movement from Godzilla on the surface.
From the moment these characters fly into the Hollow Earth’s access point, and even how Kong is once again observed, aspects of the first film are repeated, this time going through the motions. It all feels perfunctory, even when Kong is off discovering a new realm with a hidden tribe of apes covered in red tribal paint determined to have a rematch with Godzilla. As a result, Kong, who is already seeking something to call family, develops a bond with the runt of this pack, going from literally using him as a weapon (one of some admittedly funny bits, with another being Godzilla making a Roman Coliseum his new favorite place to take a nap) to protecting him and joining forces.
Whether it’s because visual effects artists are overworked, CGI has once again improved, or some other unforeseen factor, it’s also frustrating that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is also lacking in this department, with some awkward movements and general fakeness to certain expressions. The mini-Kong seems to have been designed to look and act cute, except it doesn’t come across as convincing, and there isn’t much of an emotional thread here between them. It’s almost as if there is so much reliance on CGI special effects this time that there weren’t enough resources to go around and render everything impressively (Godzilla still looks detailed, for example.)
Some of these disappointing shortcomings could have been forgiven if Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire focused more on those two titular behemoths battling each other or shared foes, but it hurts itself taking too much time to become that kind of spectacle. It’s more concerned with exploring new realms within the Hollow Earth, lost civilizations, and exposition dumps without any narrative intrigue and sense of momentum from the monsters or human characters. This time, we are the losers.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
