Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire | A mindless, sometimes fun Kaiju film

Some cool titan-on-titan action isn’t enough for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire to match the excellence of Godzilla Minus One. Nor does it even measure up to the Apple TV Plus show in the same universe as Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Godzilla X Kong is the weakest of the Monsterverse films.

Adam Wingard returns as director after helping 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong. The story as it is is a continuation of that film. Godzilla lives in the human world. Kong resides in Hollow Earth, an alternate world beneath the Earth’s surface. Monarch is the research organization that tracks Kaijus. They use an outpost in Hollow Earth to track Kong’s whereabouts. After discovering some peculiar readings, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), Trapper (Dan Stevens) and Jia (Kaylee Hottle) head to Hollow Earth to investigate. They discover an ancient Kaiju with sights set on returning to the human world and conquering.

In Godzilla X Kong, Godzilla is pretty much an afterthought. He gets a couple of cool moments. However, the story is Kong-centric. Kong is great and shows his connection to Jira and the other humans. Plus, the dynamic between Kong and Kong Jr. is pretty entertaining. There’s not enough compelling action to compensate for the same issues that have continued through the Monsterverse.

Unfortunately, the human characters exist to deliver expository dumps and little more. Hall, Henry and Stevens are great actors, but only Stevens brings life to the film. Godzilla X Kong tries to build conflict between Ilene and her adopted daughter, Jia. However, it just doesn’t work tonally in a film that’s so cartoonish.

Fortunately, Godzilla X Kong saves its best moments for last and delivers an appropriately epic fight between multiple kaiju. Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio‘s score is excellent.

Godzilla X Kong continues on this series’ most significant weaknesses and less of the strengths.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Review Score

5 out of 10 – Average

With the overview out of the way, here’s a closer look at human and kaiju storylines in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. You can stream other films in the Mosterverse on MAX.

Finding a place to belong

Jia and Kong established a strong bond via sign language in Godzilla vs Kong. Their connection continues across dimensions in Godzilla X Kong. They also happen to be struggling with their new homes.

Kong’s a bit older, wiser, and still strong but not invincible. He’s also quite lonely. There’s nobody like him in Hollow Earth, or so he thinks. After a tough skirmish, Kong is forced to head back to the surface to get his tooth replaced. The most impressive aspect of handling Kong is how easy it’s to understand what it is going through.

Meanwhile, Jia isn’t adjusting well to her new school in Barbados. Her grades are slipping and she’s receiving bizarre signals from Hollow Earth. While Ilene tries to reassure her daughter, Jia doesn’t feel accepted in this environment.

Godzilla X Kong misses an opportunity to bring these two characters together more as they walk similar paths. Instead, the film focuses on the disconnect between Jia and Ilene which isn’t too much of an issue.

Kong’s adversary in Godzilla X Kong

Kong’s search for belonging eventually leads to a new section of Hollow Earth. He meets some unfriendly apes one of which is a small ape that becomes his companion.

Kong discovers a dangerous Kaiju-sized ape, Scar King, who controls apes. An exposition dump by Ilene reveals that Scar King wants to rule over the surface world and has the power to brainwash other Kaiju.

After suffering an injury, Kong is forced to return to the surface world and ask Godzilla for help. Godzilla spends his solo time destroying cities, killing kaiju, and sleeping in the Roman Colosseum.

Token tour guides

After Kong’s bad tooth is replaced, Ilene, Bernie, Trapper, and Jia follow Kong to Hollow Earth. They discover an ancient civilization that has a special connection to Jia.

Outside of the surprising discovery, the human characters function as defacto tour guides for Hollow Earth. Hall does her best to deliver a serious performance in a film that’s anything but. Henry and Stevens try to bring some humorous energy to proceedings. Stevens fares the best as a ripoff of Peter Quill. Bernie is the audience’s surrogate to this unknown world.

Godzilla Minus One proves that you can tell interesting, nuanced stories about giant beasts of legend. Sadly, Godzilla X Kong falls short.

Godzilla X Kong final thoughts

If you’re a fan of Kong, there’s some compelling stuff in Godzilla X Kong. However, you will likely be disappointed if you’re looking for more balance between the titular monsters or a nuanced story.

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