Some films are just “critic-proof.” We critics have to sit down and try to come up with an in-depth review looking at the film’s cinematic excellence. Certain films make this a challenge. In reality, most people don’t care. These movies have other priorities. They are simply meant to be enjoyed. As an audience, we know what we expect from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The question is, does it deliver? Does the new monster picture bring the “rock ’em, sock ’em” goodness we all deserve? Or do the monsters play second fiddle to the humans? Read on!
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire follows the continuing story of Monarch and the mysterious monsters of yore. More specifically, Godzilla and King Kong. The world is finally in a good place… ish. Kong lives on Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, Godzilla is up on the surface world. As long as these two never meet, things should be dandy. However, life is thrown into chaos when Godzilla picks up on a mysterious SOS signal. Who’s trying to invade the surface world? Will either Titan be able to handle the threat on their own? Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, and Kaylee Hottle co-star in the movie. Adam Wingard directs Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire from a script by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater.
There’s one question on the tip of everyone’s tongue when a movie like this comes out. We don’t go see these for the humans. It’s the monster battles we’re there to revel in, we know this. This has been somewhat of a struggle in certain franchise entries. When this one really steps up to the plate to let Kong and Godzilla do their thing, it is an awful lot of fun. This is perhaps most true in the film’s second half. Landmarks are destroyed, cities are flattened and there’s no grounding in reality. While it never feels like enough, this installment takes another step toward embracing what this action should feel like. This is Transformers for the monster scene. We need pummeling action. We deserve pummeling action.
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In the grand scheme of things, the film probably takes a bit too long to get to the true good stuff. While the fight scenes are big, loud, and radioactive, sometimes there’s an awful lot of time between them. As mentioned, this is particularly true in the first act and a half. As soon as the story reaches its mid-point, there’s plenty of Godzilla x Kong action to go around. They just take a bit of time to meet up.
That leads to the next most important question… the visuals. Obviously, Godzilla won’t come trotting out of his trailer at this juncture. Large portions of this film are being created deep inside a computer. Unfortunately, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is not visually ground-breaking. An Imax screening yielded some grainy moments during some of the most intricate shots as well as some clumsy attempts to integrate humans into the monstrous action. While nothing is offensively bad, the moments did sometimes stand out.
It has been often said that humans really aren’t needed in these films. Oftentimes, they are merely a distraction from the action. However, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire gifts us with something we really didn’t know we needed in 2024: Dan Stevens and Brian Tyree Henry. Get these two actors into a buddy comedy… stat. Stevens and Tyree Henry find an easy and entertaining chemistry that lights up the screen when we’re forced to watch the humans. Both look to be having a blast and it’s worthy of a call-out. Dan Stevens has entered his Matthew McConaughey era, and this critic is here for it. Meanwhile, Tyree Henry keeps going with the goodness he started in the last film. Lots more of these two, please.
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Outside of Stevens and Henry, Rebecca Hall is her usual fabulous self. While she’s always a delight to watch, she’s saddled with some of the film’s most awkward script moments. Many of these revolve around that age-old cinematic conundrum, the exposition dump. Two moments stand out… one of which stops the movie cold (albeit, briefly) while the other is so convenient it’s almost silly. No spoilers! At the same time though, she’s also the film’s heart, its emotional center, and we love that for her. She’s Rebecca Hall. She can do it all.
When all is said and done, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire comes into theaters this week with one purpose, giving audiences fabulous, monster-fueled battles. While there probably aren’t as many as there could be (and they do take some time to get there!), what the movie does give us is big, loud, and fun. Watch it on the biggest screen you can get and make sure to buy some popcorn. This critic-proof film was exactly what it needed to be, a heck of a lot of fun.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opens in theaters around the country March 29, 2024.
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