Godzilla x Kong : The New Empire – Review

Directed by:Adam Wingard

Produced by:Thomas Tull,Jon Jashni,Brian Rogers,Mary Parent,Alex Garcia,Eric McLeod

Starring:Rebecca Hall,Brian Tyree Henry,Dan Stevens,Kaylee Hottle,Alex Ferns,Fala Chen

Cinematography:Ben Seresin

Edited by:Josh Schaeffer

Music by:Tom Holkenborg,Antonio Di Iorio

Production company:Legendary Pictures

Release date: 29th March 

Language:English

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is an  American monster film directed by Adam Wingard. Produced by Legendary Pictures, it is a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), and the fifth film in the MonsterVerse franchise. It is also the 38th film of the Godzilla franchise and the 13th film in the King Kong franchise. The film stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen. Hall, Henry, and Hottle reprise their roles from the previous film. In the film, Kong encounters more of his species in the Hollow Earth and must unite with Godzilla to stop their tyrannical leader and a powerful, climate-changing Titan from destroying the surface.

All monster films fall into one of two categories: the kind that takes its time revealing the monster, and the kind that shows you the monster right away and never leaves it for long. Godzilla x Kong,on the other hand, introduces Kong and Godzilla after less than a minute, then keeps them (and lots of other big, scary creatures) front and centre throughout the film’s running time. The hollow earth is magnificent, At its best, it reminded me of “The Mysterious Island” and “The Land that Time Forgot,” films that were little more than collections of monster-driven action scenes hitched to a perfunctory story about explorers wandering a jungle, doing stuff they were warned not to do, and getting eaten.

expanded universe” storytelling, it seems tailor-made for films with apes and lizards the size of sky scrapers.The monsters are brilliantly designed and skillfully animated (except for a few shots where Kong looks a tad cartoony), and the army of visual and sound effects artists convinces you that these CGI titans live and breathe and weigh hundreds of tones.

The cast includes a couple dozen people who are basically monster chows and therefore not worth describing here. The thing is, though, that Godzilla x Kong and the new Empire seem uncomfortable with being pure childish fun. Unfortunately, every time the film’s prankish eye puts a smile on your face, a misjudged line or idea wipes it off. Characters keep making cryptic “meaningful,” but these never really sync up with blending the universe and being predictable in most of the parts. 

Bottomline

The comedy and emotional angle worked well. Mass appeal, creatures, and VFX make the perfect bingo watch!