Will a moth save the day? Can a child who communicates via ASL unite warring monsters to stop a new Ice Age on Earth? Or do you just want to see iconic monsters battle it out on the Big Screen while smashing into world landmarks? If your answers are maybe?… yes, and heck YES, then this new MonsterVerse film from Legendary Pictures is perfect for you.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is family-friendly fare with very few scares. It’s a loud film with lots of monster battles. If your child is sensitive, they might not like the bad monkey and there’s some off-screen deaths. Does anyone else wonder why the film wasn’t simply titled “Kong + Godzilla”? The story is mainly focused on Kong and requires that the two creatures unite to save the day. Perhaps the title makes sense if you’ve been following this series of films for the last 10 years.
“G x K” is a sequel in this new iteration of Godzilla films. Following the success of a trio of American-made Godzilla films, with lead characters from America rather than Asia, this film is light on story. With returning characters and storylines from “Godzilla vs King” (2021), the story is set in the universe that features Kong living in Hollow Earth and Godzilla protecting humankind from Titans on the surface of Earth.
If you missed the last film, you needn’t worry. There are references to Kong surviving that last great battle with Godzilla, but this story is about how these monsters must unite. You can guess the basics. There’s scientists and believers and a military presence that threatens to take over the enterprise and destroy the work of our hardy band of crusaders. There’s some mumbo jumbo about the mythology but the focus is on the battles.
Our returning scientist, excuse me, Planetologist, Dr Ilene Andrews, played by Rebecca Hall, teams up with an ex-boyfriend and Titan veterinarian, Trapper (Dan Stevens). Together with another returning character, live-streamer and conspiracy-theory spouter, Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and Dr Andrew’s adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), they venture into Hollow Earth to find the source of a distress signal. There’s a new threat to humanity and they’re the only ones who can solve the mystery.
The humans get less screen time than the creatures of Hollow Earth. These are not nuanced characters; the actors seem to get two emotions to play. Bernie is shocked and amazed. Young Jia is frightened and concerned. Dr Andrews is wise and loving. Trapper is jovial and has reliable intuition. At least Trapper is a fun character and Bernie gets to be funny. They add some levity to a film featuring lots of exposition that’s plodding and unbelievable.
There’s more character development with Kong. Some time is spent showing him searching for other apes in Hollow Earth. He wants companionship. Kong discovers a young ape that initially tries to get him killed and then seems to be leading him to his family. These scenes build an empathy with the characters. The way the filmmakers show the apes communicating with each other is well-done. Blood or some other red substance, is matted in the fur of the evil apes and dust and weariness coats the downtrodden slave apes. Simple and effective.
These more nuanced scenes are intercut with action scenes involving Godzilla trying to “power up” with radiation and battling other titans only to quickly vanquish them. The film seems to take it in stride that there will be mass destruction and thousands of humans slaughtered in these battles…but it happens casually and is given no account. Sure, Godzilla has decided to sleep in the Coliseum in Rome. Tourists will just have something new to see there. With the attention to detail given to how realistic the creatures are rendered, it’s odd to witness such disregard for the lives of humans.
There are only a handful of scenes with Godzilla alone. He does a lot of roaring. Most of this film concerns Kong and his health and well-being. The moth referenced is of course, Mothra. This returning Titan must communicate to Godzilla that Kong is not the enemy. They must battle together to defeat the ice Titan, Shimo. Shimo is controlled by the ancient evil ape, Skarr. If you’re steeped in the kaiju lore and mythology, perhaps this doesn’t sound completely ludicrous. This mash-up of Japanese creature culture and American disaster film is an acquired taste.
One thing’s certain, if audiences continue to flock to these films, more will be made. It’s difficult to applaud the millions of dollars spent to replicate a franchise that thrives in another form in Asian countries. For American audiences, it seems that we need to have our own take on the Titans featuring Americans saving the day. The film does feature a great soundtrack.
Personally, I’m glad that the Japanese film, “Godzilla Minus One” (2023) won some Oscar love for Special Effects. It’s the first film in a decade-spanning franchise to have won an Academy Award. Yet watching a five-year-old boy get so excited to see his first big screen Godzilla movie, I was glad “Godzilla x Kong” wasn’t subtitled. Maybe there’s a place for both types of MonsterVerse films.
There’s no need to sit through the credits for an additional tidbit of action. There’s no end or mid-credit sequence.
Drinks With Films rating: one really, really big glass of water to wash down the creature guts munched by the Big Ape (out of 5)
Drinks with films 