The subject of this review is the 2024 action/adventure film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the newest entry in the American “Monsterverse” series of films - and Godzilla Minus One’s tonal opposite.

Plot

After the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, Kong has taken residence in the hollow Earth and Godzilla maintains his dominion over the surface world in an uneasy truce between the two monsters.  For a good few years both titans keep to themselves but Kong, being a social animal, starts to grow unhappy due to his isolation.  He spends most of his days searching the deeper recesses of the hollow Earth for more giant apes like him to no avail.  One day he accidentally opens a chasm to an even deeper uncharted level of the hollow Earth, and to his terror finds a population of apes in a fiery and hellish pit, held there by the tyrannical ape known as the Skar King.  

Kong doesn’t stand for it and fights the Skar King, until he reveals his ultimate weapon: the titan of frost, Shimo.  Severely outgunned, Kong flees.  Now free from his fiery confines, the Skar King begins his trip to the surface, planning to use Shimo to cause another ice age to wipe out humanity so he can take over Earth.  

On the surface Godzilla senses the Skar King’s presence and begins a trip around the world to absorb as much radiation as possible, and to evolve to be strong enough to face him and his army.  As for Kong, his frostbitten hand is outfitted with a massive gauntlet to even the odds. The two triumphantly return to the hollow Earth and confront the Skar King and his army head-on.  

My Opinions

Despite my love for the Godzilla series I didn’t have particularly high hopes for this film. All the previous Monsterverse films, and the ambiguous ending to the original 1962 King Kong vs. Godzilla, had been building up to Godzilla vs. Kong - so without all that setup the inevitable sequel would have a lot of trouble living up to its predecessors. It seems like Legendary Pictures thought the same because this film also has the lowest budget of any Monsterverse film at only about $135,000,000.  But despite all this the movie still manages to be a fun - but shallow - experience.  

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doubles down on the nonstop monster slugfest of Godzilla vs. Kong, and is basically a WWE tag team match with skyscraper-sized monsters.  And while the fight choreography in this film is a little worse than that of Godzilla vs. Kong - and there are a few times where the CGI is notably worse than what is to be expected of a Hollywood blockbuster - this movie is so ridiculous you’re more likely to be focusing on things like Kong using a baby monkey as a nunchuck than Godzilla’s gills looking funny in one scene.

 While I’m on the topic of presentation I’d like to say a bit about the soundtrack: it’s terrible.  Tom Holkenberg is back to no fanfare and his music is as boring and forgettable as ever. The one saving grace is the 80s music that plays in some scenes but unfortunately it’s never used in any of the major fight scenes.  I hope that they get Bear McCreary back for the next film.

Anyway, that’s enough negativity. There is something I think this film did genuinely very well, which is characterizing the monsters.  Every one of them is extremely expressive and possesses distinct personalities that really shine in how they move, emote, and fight. This movie also spends a lot of time with the monsters: an entire hour to be exact!  One part of the movie that perfectly captures how animated the monsters are is Kong’s journey through the hollow Earth and discovery of the Skar King’s lair.  It’s 20 minutes of just apes, and even without any dialogue you can tell exactly what’s happening, who everyone is, and how they're feeling.  Kong is just a blast to watch; he’s by far the funniest part of this movie and un-ironically the best character.

Conclusion

If funny monkeys and kaiju carnage are what you’re after, this is the movie for you.  I’d advise you to enjoy this movie with a few friends and a lot of snacks (preferably in your tacky theater-exclusive Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire popcorn buckets). Don’t take it too seriously and just enjoy the silliness of something like Godzilla suplexing King Kong, or four giant monsters fist fighting in zero gravity.

I’d say this movie is an objective 6/10, but that doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy it. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is available for streaming on HBO Max, and purchasable or rentable on numerous streaming sites.