A movie with a title like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a bit pointless to review (so it’s a good thing I’m writing this nearly a week after it came out, right?). Who’s waiting for the critical consensus before going to see this? (“Well, I was going to see the new giant monster movie, but Jake Coyle of the Associated Press wasn’t a fan, so I’ll skip it.”) To be fair, I would argue that film criticism is most useful after you’ve seen a movie anyway so you can get a different viewpoint to consider. But the point remains that everyone watching this knows what it is: giant monsters punching each other.
That’s normally how I would approach a film like this, but this one was special. This was the first Godzilla movie I watched in a theater with my son and daughter after my son and I became big G fans (my daughter is more into Kong, so I won’t be mentioning her any further in this).
My four-year-old son seemed to enjoy it. His short review (beyond the simple thumbs up he gave me when I asked for his review) can be summed up by his behavior during the movie. About twenty minutes in during a human scene, he asked if the movie would be over soon. During a Kong fight with some Skar King lackeys, my son started reenacting the fight on his chair, pounding his fists down on it like an ape. And when it was over, he asked if we could watch it again as soon as we got home (Dad having access to awards screeners at the end of the year has really messed up how my kids think movie releases work, and COVID didn’t help). So, in short, the human stuff was a bit boring, but the fights were great. Pretty much sums up the general response I’ve seen in blurbs and whatnot.
For me, it was a bit different. A few months ago, this would be an afterthought movie I would wait for home video to watch. But after watching all of the Godzilla franchise last month, I was genuinely excited for this. I was able to appreciate that this was like a middle-of-the-road Shōwa Era Godzilla movie: the fights are good and a little goofy (that suplex of King Kong had me laughing), and the humans are fine but not nearly as compelling as the big dudes. In other words, I had the same response as my son, but I could give it a little context within the franchise…and at no point did I act like an ape in the theater.
The main takeaway was how Hollow Earth was presented here. The scientists claim that they’ve barely mapped out Hollow Earth, which leaves the series open to endless possibilities. Instead of using outer space for the source of new monsters and enemies (as a lot of films in the series do), they have Hollow Earth. That’s fine, but Hollow Earth is still a new enough idea in the series that we have to spend too much time trekking through it when we all know there’s a lot of monsters and whatnot lurking around there.
If Hollow Earth was some feast for the eyes, I wouldn’t mind hanging out there. But aside from some camera spinning stuff, it just felt like a Dollar General Pandora. Which is fine, if it’s only a means to a kaiju end. Don’t give me multiple scenes in the woods with scary plants and bugs. Just immediately stumble onto the lost tribe or whatever.
That written, it’s not like the movie dwells there. It moves plenty fast, and the humans aren’t that bad. There is a genuine emotional connection between Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle, and Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens have some amusing moments here and there. But yeah, I have a hard time remembering their character names, and I’m more concerned with what Godzilla is up to during their scenes. I’m just saying the human moments are not devoid of heart and entertainment.
But like my son, I watched this for the fights. While the Kong stuff was decent, and I kind of like Baby Kong (I know it’s not his name, but you know who I mean, just like how Baby Yoda still works better than Grogu), I’m just here for Godzilla. I do wish there were more fights for G leading to the big team up, but what we get is nice and brutal. More than anything, though, I liked the version of Godzilla in this as he powers himself up into nuclear meltdown mode a la Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, one of my favorite Godzilla movies. He gets that glowing eyes demonic treatment here, and it’s great.
The team up battle with G and Kong is nice, especially that suplex, but it’s just the appetizer before the big brawl. Once G, Kong, Skar King, and Shimo started fighting in Brazil, my brain shut off, and I was in giant monster nerd heaven for a couple minutes. Seeing that in IMAX was sensory overload at its finest, and it’s what makes me love this series, despite its flaws.
DIrector Adam Wingard knows his way around a monster fight, though I wouldn’t mind if someone else took over the next one. I’m a fan of Wingard’s early work, especially You’re Next and The Guest, but aside from some trippy colors, Dan Stevens, and some needle drops, I think Wingard works better on a smaller scale. And that’s coming from a fan of this movie; I just want some new blood for the series as this and Godzilla vs. Kong are very similar, and a change would be nice.
No matter who makes the next one, the future is bright for this series. With this exceeding box office expectations coupled with Minus One’s success, I hope to see a more Godzilla-centric film next in the Legendary monsterverse. Kong is okay, but I’m tired of seeing G play second-fiddle to a homesick ape. Maybe in the next film, he can teach little Kong how to ride a bike or something while Godzilla takes care of the monster fighting. At the very least the next one can begin with Kong and Godzilla working together and won’t need the bulk of the screen time to lead up to it. This is a rare series that can get better as it continues. Whatever route they take, I plan on being there opening weekend with my kids, ready to shut my brain down and have some fun.
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