Giant Lizard & Big Monkey tag team against another Big Monkey
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Written by: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater, & Adam Wingard
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens
Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action
Release Date: March 29, 2024
Runtime: 1:55
This review may contain spoilers
Godzilla Fanboy
You know, I started my first online review with Godzilla vs Kong. It seems fitting I start my own site with the next Godzilla movie (granted it took me a year later to finally launch it).
Naturally, I’m a lifelong Godzilla fan, and these days, it’s a good time for Godzilla fans. In addition to these American films, the excellent Godzilla: Minus One also came out this year and won an Oscar (special effects). My favorite giant monster has his own Oscar now, I’m so proud.
While Godzilla x Kong may not be Oscar-worthy, it brings Godzilla and Kong back onscreen for more city-destroying action and a new villain to threaten the world… again.
MonsterVerse
2014’s Godzilla began its own cinematic universe called the MonsterVerse, following Marvel’s example. This will be the fifth movie in the lineup, linking Godzilla and Kong movies made under Legendary Pictures. There are also two TV shows connected to the movies – Skull Island on Netflix and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+.
Let them fight… again
After Godzilla vs Kong, Kong now lives safely in Hollow Earth (the recently discovered home of the Titans deep within Earth) while Godzilla still reigns on the surface. Both are closely monitored by Monarch, the monster-tracking organization also responsible for protecting the portals between the surface world and Hollow Earth.
But under Hollow Earth is yet another world full of monsters, including apes like Kong. The leader of these apes is Skar King – a dangerous, older ape who wants to return to the surface. Kong alone won’t be enough to stop Skar (who has an ice Pokemon-like monster under his command), and he will need the most unlikely ally to help him – Godzilla.
Hollow Earth
Most of this movie is happening inside Hollow Earth. But what is Hollow Earth?
This Hollow Earth is home to all the big monsters, including Godzilla and Kong. It exists within Earth and is an inverted wrap-around jungle land where the “ceiling” above is just another jungle floor. The laws of physics apparently never made it to this world.
This film introduces a new subterranean level under Hollow Earth, which would logically mean it would be closer to the Earth’s surface. But nothing here makes a lot of sense. Like, where is the light coming from when there’s no sun?
Hail to the Monkey King
Both Godzilla vs Kong and Godzilla x Kong have been more of a Kong-centered story. There’s more focus on Kong’s current life in Hollow Earth and his journey into the uncharted subterranean world underneath. It’s nice to just follow Kong without humans narrating he’s lonely – instead, the film shows it.
We get to see and understand Kong through visuals, and I think that needs to be done more. It makes the movie more enjoyable when you don’t have humans to explain everything when we can just see it.
This makes it all the more hilarious when he grabs a cute baby monkey and uses it as a club to get out of an ape ambush. Oh my God, that fight left me in tears.
Kong gets an upgrade this time! Monarch people supply the big ape with an experimental arm exoskeleton (conveniently left in Hollow Earth nearby), which you can see on posters and movie trailers. So Kong gets an axe and power glove; what does Godzilla get – pink scales?
“What’s a King to a GOD?”
Kong’s scenes are about his discovery of the subterranean level and finding more of his own kind; Godzilla’s are mostly of him killing other kaiju and absorbing their power. In fact, Godzilla’s need for power consumption and getting stronger keeps him out of the main fights Kong deals with until the big finale.
Again, this is more of a Kong film than Godzilla’s.
Compared to Kong, Godzilla is more animalistic and fiercely territorial. To get more power, he even swam to the Arctic Circle to fight a hibernating underwater dragon that wasn’t even threatening the world. It wasn’t even bothering anyone, but Godzilla didn’t care. He tore it up like an enraged animal and took that power himself.
In fact, twice, Godzilla makes a cute sleeping spot in the historic Colosseum in Rome. He’s like a big ol’ kitty; look at him sleeping like that. Someone get the camera.
I mean, what are you gonna do – get the world’s biggest spray bottle to keep him out?
He also runs, now. And before you say anything about mammoth bipedal lizards running like white women to a new Starbucks – This is still a Godzilla movie, weird shit happens. I still remember Godzilla movies where he ran and did flying kicks on other monsters. Hell, he flew in one of them. Godzilla… flew. Your real science arguments are invalid.
Come on, no rematch?
Sadly, this wasn’t round 2 of Godzilla fighting Kong. Shame with the new upgrades…
Well, okay, Godzilla and Kong immediately fight once they meet again. Both demolish the pyramids, and Godzilla pulls off a sweet suplex move on Kong. I don’t care if it’s stupid and makes zero sense – that was awesome!
It’s brief and is interrupted by Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the deaf Iwi girl from the last film who is now some sort of kaiju avatar. Another long story, but something-something-something-chosen-one; I was waiting for more monster fights.
However, this movie is more of Godzilla and Kong teaming up again to stop a common enemy. Like how they had to join forces to stop Mecha-Godzilla in Godzilla vs Kong, a new enemy emerges that’s too much for Kong alone.
Skar King
Lost underneath Hollow Earth, long forgotten, is the tyrannical Skar King (that is his whole name). He’s a red orangutan or chimpanzee-like king ruling over other apes with his own throne. He also has a lean, lanky figure and does a lot of flipping and kicking.
Wait, is this an oversized King Louie from The Jungle Book? Did I miss him scatting and singing about his obsession over “man’s red flower?”
Anyways, Skar also has his own weapon – a monster’s spinal cord as a whip. Metal.
He also has a crystal that somehow controls an ancient Titan that is part icemaker (apparently, this creature was responsible for the Ice Age) and part riding steed.
What’s the crystal about, and where does it come from? I have absolutely no idea… it was one time I could have used humans to explain what that was all about.
Human Side Quest
My biggest gripe with these monster movies is too much focus on the humans. This is 2024; can we please stop making humans the center of these movies?
Compared to the other Legendary films, there are fewer humans and whatever BS story they have going on. Their journey in Hollow Earth (which is mostly them farting around in the jungle) feels like a side story, giving Kong more room to explore on his own adventure. Even leaves Godzilla to go around hunting other Titans, absorbing nuclear reactors, and going stronger.
It still gives human expositions on what is going on story-wise, but they’re limited. Thankfully, there is enough onscreen for audiences to figure out all on their own.
Oh No, there goes… nevermind, Tokyo is safe
Okay, random thought, but I’m just realizing that this American Godzilla has never been to Japan. He’s been to several US cities, Hong Kong, Italy, and even Antarctica. I could be wrong, but the big guy (originally from Japan) has never stomped on Tokyo. Well, maybe in the next sequel.
Future?
Will this MonsterVerse keep the monster fights going, or is this the end?
Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Legendary doesn’t make a multi-year schedule of monster movies. Director Adam Wingard says he has ideas for more Godzilla and Kong movies but is waiting to see the outcome of The New Empire first.
Or, you know what? Bring us a showdown that’s decades overdue – Godzilla vs Gamera! Get that flying turtle in there!
Super Mega Monster Team Up, Go!
Godzilla x Kong was damn fun! As much as I wanted to see Godzilla and Kong duke it out again, seeing a powered-up Godzilla and Kong with a power glove fight out a villain ape with a backbone whip was worth it.
I really like how Kong is handled, with his scenes having little narration. It’s left to visuals for the audience to see what’s happening, which is more enjoyable to watch. I’ll always be Team Godzilla, but Legendary has been doing well with Kong – I can respect that.
Godzilla has less screen time, and while that’s disappointing, it gives him this unpredictability to his nature. He basically evolved himself in preparation for the big fight (how he knew about Skar is anyone’s guess, but that is the explanation we’re given) and is still brutal in his final executions.
The human scenes weren’t as annoying this time and had their own reward for their side quest that added to the big finale fight.
No post-credit scenes this time around; nothing to hint for the future. Time will only tell if the MonsterVerse carries on.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is currently playing in theaters.
