THE EVENT WAS WAITED BY MANY PEOPLE–GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE
King Kong and Godzilla are the epitome of iconic Monster or Monster Universe films from Wonder Bros, which first came to the public in 2014 with the movie Godzilla, followed by Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and most recently Godzilla vs. Kong. Recognizing the audience’s unwavering desire to watch, the filmmakers continue to release Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire, hoping to continue their Monster Universe. So, does the latest installment of the Monster verse meet the audience’s expectations or not? Now, let’s dive into our review of Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire.
Following the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, after their clash and defeating another titan, the skies have cleared, and now Godzilla rules the Earth’s surface, where he keeps any rogue titans in check. Meanwhile, in the Hollow Earth, Kong has found a place of his own where he can reside without fear of encountering Godzilla. However, Kong still feels lost within his massive home. At this point, Kong and the new organization Monarch discover another ecosystem deep within the Hollow Earth, where Skar King reigns as the alpha, a giant ape with a weaponized axe and the mastermind behind controlling an ancient giant titan known as Shimo, capable of plunging the Earth into an ice age. How will Godzilla and Kong deal with these new emerging threats?
It can be said that following Godzilla’s triumphant return at the Oscars, particularly in the category of outstanding visual effects, Hollywood’s Godzilla has somewhat regained attention as viewers begin to focus on the atomic lizard once again. However, Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire may leave some viewers slightly disappointed as Godzilla’s screen time and direct contribution to the plot in this installment are negligible. Aside from some humorously portrayed aspects of Godzilla, the trademark action scenes of Godzilla from previous films have been significantly reduced, if not diminished altogether.
Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire was heavily promoted as a film that boasts numerous sequences of Titan battles. However, when watching the film, this promotional aspect is both true and false. While it does have a runtime of 115 minutes, it takes over an hour before the Titan battles truly kick into high gear. The characters in Godzilla and Kong have become more useful in this film. They are no longer passive or merely running around aimlessly to study or obstruct, as they directly impact Kong and Godzilla’s ability to combat the opposing faction. While these characters have indeed contributed a lot, and even impressed the audience to some extent, they are not the reason to entice audiences to theaters. We believe many viewers will agree that the shared screen time with these human characters is a bit excessive.
While the characters are more deeply explored, having their own backstories to focus on, the runtime of Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire is limited and directly affects the amount of screen time the Titans receive. The characters benefiting the most from this installment are perhaps the deaf-mute girl, Jia, played by Kaylee Hottle, who portrays Dr. Ilene Andrews’ (Rebecca Hall) adopted daughter. Jia not only has a special connection with Kong but is also the only one who can communicate with him. In this film, we delve deeper into Jia’s origins and the Ewe people, previously thought to be extinct after the events on Skull Island.
‘Kong: Skull Island’
Unlike the impressive relationship in the previous film, Godzilla vs. Kong, Jia in The New Empire lacks significant interaction with Kong. Instead, she engages in more independent activities. Alongside Jia and the Dr. Andrews family, Brian Tyree Henry and Demian Bichir also have lively moments to help liven up the film. However, The New Empire is struggling with its dialogue. The conversations in this film are bland and monotonous, from the scientific explanations of Titan behavior, hypotheses about Hollow Earth, to translating ancient Gaki script on walls. It’s all a tedious way of storytelling, lazy from the screenwriters, and it’s about something else that’s been reused. However, the use of music in The New Empire maintains the essence of the MonsterVerse franchise. The rock music scores are still vibrant and exhilarating during the exploration of new territories or intense battles, serving as exciting accompaniments to the viewer’s excitement witnessing Titan confrontations.
Despite all the film’s advertising as a CGI extravaganza and visual spectacle, Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire are still a grand feast on the big screen. If you can patiently endure the first hour, then we can start enjoying the lavish banquet that the new empire has served us. Godzilla and Kong are built as the main characters in this installment, and while the majority of Godzilla’s initial time is spent sleeping and recharging, throughout the film, we follow Kong’s journey, from first finding out about the extinct giant ape species to facing off directly with Scar King and calling upon allies for assistance. It can be said that Kong’s journey in The New Empire is no different from that of a typical action film protagonist, unlike the Japanese-born Godzilla, who always has a somewhat familiar and intimate connection with humans. Especially with facial expressions and eyes, which have always been a highlight of visual effects to help keep King Kong modern and continuously engaging. Compared to the team-up duo of Godzilla and Kong on the protagonist side, Scar King, despite his authority, does not dominate. Scar King does not outshine Kong even once in their direct confrontations. Scar King’s physical appearance, skinny and flattened, lacks the menacing presence, even in the film.
Scar King
While Kong pulls off One Punch Man-like moments, we won’t delve into that much for now, but overall, this prehistoric titan still fails to impress many viewers as much as Ghidorah, Mothra, or even the Skull Crawlers did in Kong: Skull Island. Viewers are also reminded of the extensive damage caused by Titans, which is still evident from Hollow Earth to the Earth’s surface. If you’ve watched the Monsterverse series before, you only need to multiply the destruction in that film by ten times to get the horrific extent in Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire. In summary, if you’re going to the theater just to watch Titans throwing punches and wreaking havoc, then Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire is still an excellent choice, especially for those watching in the highest film formats. You’ll find it easier to enjoy the film’s grandeur.
WISH YOU HAVE GREAT MOMENTS WITH THE MOVIE !!!
