After seeing it in theaters in 3D for its premiere on March 28, did Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire deliver? For a film that had as much media marketing as any movie I have seen in recent memory, it was a good choice to lean into it. Director Adam Wingard returns after directing the first Godzilla vs. Kong that came out in 2021. This new film was an extension of that, which can be seen as a good and bad thing for Legendary Pictures Entertainment.
Godzilla x Kong: Ties to previous Monsterverse Films
Having them team up to stop something is a great idea with how the last movie ended, and some things were introduced to make it make sense, but ultimately I am mixed on it since it lacked tension overall. Although I loved some aspects of where Wingard went with Godzilla x Kong, I think even more prevalent than the last film, this is intended as a Kong-focused flick.
Godzilla is involved, but it is more to showcase his motives in his path of destruction. This had little relation to what the people and Kong were doing on the Hollow Earth. Sort of like a cameo cut in between the Kong scenes, Godzilla was likely thrown into this movie late to promote a tag-team duo battle against a common enemy.
Most fans liked that specific aspect at the end of Godzilla vs. Kong, But some new plot elements about Godzilla were introduced in Godzilla x Kong just because they could. This didn’t truly impact the actual story, but it was cool to see. There were other surprises, more than I expected compared to past films, which was nice.
Godzilla x Kong would’ve likely not changed without Godzilla, and as a Godzilla fan, it is somewhat disappointing. Even with Godzilla appearing the most out of any Monsterverse film for this movie, it felt like it needed to be longer with how it was done.
But that isn’t a huge complaint, as Godzilla‘s presence in any scene matters more in the end.
The Unfair Comparison to Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla fans are spoiled with Godzilla Minus One coming out a few months ago. In its wake, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire shouldn’t be compared to an award-winning Japanese film. Both can coexist and be rated highly for different reasons.
Many fans of the Monsterverse have been wanting a film that is all about the monster Kaiju fights and less human character involvement. Well, hopefully, fans who wanted that got what they asked for. Still, I think with so many fights, the meaningful ones were shorter than expected.
At an hour and 55 minutes, it is longer than the last one, but the build-up throughout had more pace issues. At the start, it dragged out a little too long with action but without that much consequence. Occasionally, the exposition was just thrown in randomly. Most of the major action shows up halfway through or at later points of the film.
It tried to blend many of the personal human moments with insane monster fighting. Some cuts to different scenes seemed off with the tone shift. A few plot conveniences and action sequences were just humorous. It was in ways that were better than previous movies but seemed too far-fetched even for this type of film.
Rated the same as the last few films at PG-13, Godzilla x Kong is one of the more violent Monsterverse films in terms of how over the top the destruction was. It was more funny and ridiculous than anything else. This Sci-Fi action film is one to just appreciate the action and less on the actual story itself.
Public Reception for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The ratings so far are mixed, with a 54% Tomatometer score from critics, but a 92% audience score. That makes sense to me, as this movie is more geared toward families than anything else.
Although the main villains were unique and brought some personality, that shouldn’t be the focal point. This film is about Kong and his relationship with the main characters we follow, with some Godzilla. That said, compared to past foes, this didn’t seem as threatening as others. I did wish some more time was spent on the opponents they were facing so there would be more weight on the fights.
The Monsterverse movies span over a decade, which include three others I have yet to mention. They include Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
I still preferred the storyline of King of the Monsters, but the characters were handled better in this film. The fights were more than in Godzilla vs. Kong, but I am unsure if they were as memorable. It was still a spectacle to see but it was CG-heavy, which was expected.
In this new movie, the effects were in your face, and are a must-watch in theaters. It might even be too much for some. Especially with some of the cool effects they did with gravity but some scaling inconsistencies were there. It was different to see all the fights in their glory, for better or worse. Compared to previous movies, the color grading for this film is way brighter.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is rated somewhere among its predecessors. It is worth a watch if you want to see monsters duke it out. Godzilla x Kong should be seen in IMAX and/or in 3D on the biggest screen possible.
For More Great Content
If you liked this, check out: New Era for Japanese Godzilla-Changing Cinema
Follow Andrew on Twitter at @kookykim1357, and follow us at @TotalApexSports for the updated news in ALL sports. Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.