Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire: Review

Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire is the latest MonsterVerse film, that brings larger-than-life characters to our screen. It is targeted at all those who like to watch giant animal films.

The movie director, Adam Wingard, disclosed that the ‘x’ in the movie title is silent. Therefore, the ‘x’ stands for collaboration in the movie title, as it is a common practice for brands and businesses that collaborate with artists. So, Godzilla and Kong are the real action heroes of this sci-fi fantasy film from the USA.

“Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire” Is A Fun Action Packed Movie For The Fans Of Giant Animals

Trailer: Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire (2024) Movie

Official Trailer – Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire (2024) Movie – Warner Bros. Pictures | YouTube.

“I’m surprised, now that I look back on it, that nobody’s ever used an x in their title like this before, at least to my knowledge. It comes from the shorthand of x standing for a collaboration, like there’s a lot of shoe companies that do special collaborations with artists, and people like that.”

Adam Wingard ~ film director | CBR.

Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire (2024) Movie Review

The storyline/plotline/summary/synopsis

Following the intense battle between Godzilla and Kong, the newest addition to the Monsterverse franchise introduces an all-new cinematic journey where the mighty Kong and the formidable Godzilla are up against a colossal hidden threat within our world. This threat not only challenges their very existence but also questions our own. The upcoming film will delve into the histories of these Titans, their origins, and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, uncovering the legendary battle that shaped these extraordinary beings and linked them to humanity forever.

The names of the MonsterVerse movies released prior to this 2024 film are: 
-> Godzilla (2014),
-> Godzilla: King of the Monster (2019),
-> Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), &
-> Monarch: Legacy of Monster (2023).

Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull Island’s mysteries. So, in this action-packed film, Godzilla and Kong join hands to fight against a powerful arch-enemy, Skar King. It is worth noting that this film is the second in the MonsterVerse series to exclude a human antagonist, following the Godzilla (2014) movie. Among all the MonsterVerse films mentioned above, this particular 2024 movie stands out as the most budget-friendly, boasting a net budget of $135 million. Whereas, the other movies named above enjoyed a much larger budget.

“The Skar King is a really exciting villain. He’s sort of the anti-Kong, with motivations grounded in human desires for power and control.”

Adam Wingard ~ film director

The movie director Adam Wingard suggests that Skar King represents the darker side of humanity, in contrast to Kong who embodies the brighter side. So, the movie boils down to the proverbial good versus evil plotline.

The origin of Godzilla and Kong

The inception of Godzilla dates back 70 years to the initial release of the 1954 film, Gojira, in Tokyo, Japan. Directed by Ishiro Honda, this movie marked the beginning of the iconic monster’s legacy. As per the lore of Godzilla films, its precise origins may differ within the realm of Japanese cinema. However, it is commonly portrayed as a colossal and aggressive sea creature from ancient times, reawakened and imbued with immense power through exposure to nuclear radiation. As of now, the “Godzilla” character is owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd.

Interestingly, the year 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the Godzilla franchise and it comes precisely a decade after Godzilla (2014) initiated the franchise.

The ‘Kong: King of Skull Island’ (2005) novel narrates a story about Kong‘s background. Kong emerges as the sole survivor of a once-thriving species of colossal apes called Kongs, which were once abundant on Skull Island.

The three key human characters

Almost all the human characters in the MonsterVerse movie play supporting roles. It includes the three key human characters, Trapper (Dan Stevens), Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and Jia (Kaylee Hottle) seen in the picture shared below. All three play a crucial role in bringing Godzilla and Kong together to save human beings from possible extinction from planet Earth. And most certainly, they were actively assisted by the fourth man, Brian Tyree Henry (Bernie Hayes), whose wisecracks kept us chuckling.

Godzilla-x-Kong-The-New-Empire-2024-Other-Image
Trapper (Dan Stevens), Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) & Jia -from the Iwi (Kaylee Hottle) – from Left to Right.

Besides, their conversations in this fantasy movie often provide the viewers with important clues and explanations about the lives of these monsters on our planet. For example, check out the following dialogues.

Ilene Andrews: This whole room is covered in Iwi script. It says that in the beginning, Hollow Earth lived in harmoney with the surface world. The Titans were the guardians of nature and the Great Apes became the protectors of humanity. But a great evil threatened the peace. A powerful and ruthless ape desperate to conquer the surface world, led his tribe into war against the they call The Monster Who Ate a Star.

Trapper: Godzilla.

Ilene Andrews: There's more. The war with the Apes nearly destroyed Godzilla. But after a great battle, he imprisoned the apes in a fiery realm of Hollow Earth. Their false king remains obsessed with reaching the surface. The Iwi call him the Skar King.

The conclusion

We came here for two monsters, but then we got much more than that. This fantasy movie has an imaginative tale, high-quality special effects and monstrous action sequences. To conclude, we enjoyed this sci-fi film.

Rating:

FM Rating3.25/5

Posters:

  • Godzilla x Kong - The New Empire (2024) Poster II
  • Godzilla x Kong The New Empire (2024) Poster III

Key Details:

GenreAction, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Original languageEnglish
Duration1 hour 55 minutes
WritersTerry Rossio, Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett
DirectorAdam Wingard
CastRebecca Hall (Ilene Andrews), Brian Tyree Henry (Bernie Hayes), Dan Stevens (Trapper), Kaylee Hottle (Jia), Alex Ferns (Mikael), Fala Chen (Iwi Queen), Rachel House (Hampton), etc.
TaglinesUnite.
Bow to your new king.
Rise together or fall alone.
One threat will unite us all.
Fight together or face extinction.
Witness the rise of a new empire.
DistributorWarner Bros. Pictures

Posters, Other & Featured Images of the Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire (2024) Movie are credited to Warner Bros. Pictures.

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