Godzilla X Kong The New Empire Review - MONKEYIN' around

Greetings everyone,

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to watch the new blockbuster, Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire. It's a bit of a maze to navigate through, with a few mild spoilers thrown into the mix. The crux of the plot revolves around a burgeoning threat lurking in hollow earth, compelling the age-old adversaries Godzilla and Kong to set their differences aside and unite against this common enemy before it ascends to the surface.

The storyline is packed with a whirlwind of events, making it somewhat intricate, particularly the human interactions. In essence, it's a typical monster movie where colossal beasts engage in epic battles. Interestingly, although Godzilla headlines the title, it's Kong who truly steals the show. Godzilla makes fleeting appearances, alternately sleeping or aimlessly wandering before making a grand return at the climax, while Kong is in the thick of the action, going full throttle against the other hollow earth inhabitants, somewhat reminiscent of a hirsute Jack Reacher.

The decision to give Kong the limelight is understandable. He can be anthropomorphized and his facial expressions are more vivid, even outshining some of the human actors. However, there's a glaring lack of emotional depth or sense of imminent danger, reducing the plot to a sequence of events leading to monster battles.

While previous films, especially the Godzilla series, boasted a unique visual style, this one seems to echo Godzilla Vs Kong, resembling a high-budget Power Rangers episode during the climactic battle scenes. The CGI is undeniably impressive with occasional striking visuals, but sometimes it's overly intricate and the bright daylight cityscapes during monster fights make it seem unreal, much like the Kong Vs Godzilla's Mecha-Godzilla face-off. The visual aesthetics and direction could have been more captivating.

The nemesis is flat, but that's not a surprise in such a movie. The supposed threat of a giant ape riding a seemingly friendly dinosaur doesn't lend much gravity to the plot. The human characters are present, but their roles are limited to facilitating the fights.

Despite its shortcomings, I found the film more enjoyable than Godzilla Vs Kong, although it felt somewhat hollow, pun intended. It's a clear indication that riveting visuals aren't enough to make a movie truly engaging.

That being said, I find it amusing when people criticize movies like Jurassic World. Big monsters fighting each other is undeniably entertaining if you're into that sort of thing. Just don't expect a Shakespearean plot twist.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've seen the movie. If you've enjoyed this review, please like and subscribe.

Thanks for reading and until next time, peace out.