Director: Adam WIngard
Writers: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens
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.
This franchise has gone off the rails. Granted, it’s not a franchise that had much in terms of a deep mythos. The filmmakers have had to make a lot of it up with a sprinkling of the stories developed in the original Japanese Godzilla films. It’s just that what they’re making up is nonsense. Not the fun kind of nonsense like most time travel comedies, but a headache inducing kind of nonsense like any film that attempts to recapture the magic of a more popular film that got there first.
It doesn’t help that every time a human is on screen they vomit exposition. While the previous films had far too many humans, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has a slim coterie of adventurers, each one an “expert” who takes over talking duties when another one has finished. The film is written as if we really need context to multiple kaiju pummeling each other into the dirt. The spectacle is the monsters.
Though, that’s another weak point of the film. So much of it is spent with Kong, telling his story through dialogue free sequences that are then explained. The moviegoing public isn’t so dense that they can’t differentiate the protagonist ape, Kong, from the antagonist ape, Skar King. Why these apes aren’t with the other creatures in the upper levels of the hollow earth is just stuffing and so irrelevant. The exposition only serves to build a universe that is unbearably uninteresting.
The details are irrelevant, just like almost every human in this film. To tell you of the relevant human would be to give spoilers, so just trust that there is one, though only one. All other humans are collateral damage that don’t even merit close up reaction shots. There is supposed to be a fun aspect to the collateral damage of cities. When two monsters fight, it’s exciting and terrifying. We feel for the people below them, but the filmmakers never give us anyone to hold onto. There’s no Elizabeth Olsen running away or Millie Bobby Brown screaming her head off. There’s no emotional connection, not even in the fights themselves.
The filmmakers stuffed Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with so much kaiju on kaiju action that most of it is blink and you miss it entirely. Did you just see a giant crustacean get boiled by Godzilla? Maybe, but all you see now is Rome partially destroyed and covered in guts. Then it’s off to the next scene. These are giant monsters, they should live in the wide shot, we should see the true impact of their destruction, yet we get nothing in the way of a breather. Not even a cheer or a real sigh of relief from our human protagonists. They aren’t even on the sidelines for most of the fights, but completely elsewhere uncaring about the destruction of the world.
This franchise has no real direction or metaphor like the original Showa Era of Japanese Godzilla films or the current Reiwa Era of Japanese Godzilla films. It may be because while Godzilla is in the title and is arguably the bigger draw for casual fans, this film, and the one before it, are Kong films. The franchise has embarked upon a story that heavily favors Kong, which makes it far weaker. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is an especially weak entry. It lacks the grand battles that require no deep mythology and like most franchises when it hits this point, it has far too many antagonists.
Though, there are a couple of bright spots amongst the monster mayhem. The chemistry between Dan Stevens and Brian Tyree Henry is delightful and not nearly present enough. Get these two a buddy film. The other bright spot is if you enjoy the small stories. There’s a nice coming of age/parenting narrative between Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle). The two are at odds, but come together, it’s sweet if predictable. Are these enough to recommend this film? Not at all. It’s high time for the Monsterverse to give up and let these two creatures live to roar again separately another day.
