In the midst of cinema lockdowns and capacity limitations in March of 2021, Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” became an unexpected sensation. Released theatrically and streaming simultaneously, the cumulative MonsterVerse showdown was among the first films to successfully lure substantial audiences back to the cinema. The promise of seeing the American-made ‘eight wonder of the world’ punch a metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki straight in the jaw on the largest screen possible proved to be too enticing for audiences to ignore, and rightfully so. While recent Academy Award-winner Christopher Nolan was busy talking a lot of talk about saving the theatrical moviegoing business with “Tenet,” “Godzilla vs. Kong” was walking that motherfucking walk.
Now, three years later, like many other Pandemic-era relative success stories (“Dune” or “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”), Wingard and co. have returned to cinemas with a sequel to see if they can turn the relative promise of that first film into bona fide, indisputable blockbuster results, in the form of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”
The sequel doubles down on everything from “Godzilla vs. Kong.” There’s more monsters, lengthier action setpieces, more neon color palettes, even more in-depth homages to the classic roots of each respective titular monster, and definitely a lot more distinctly Adam Wingard flavor. But while “Godzilla x Kong” does undoubtedly offer more than its predecessor, it doesn’t necessarily offer better.
TOP FIVE THINGS ABOUT “GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE”
5. Weak Spot: More of the Same… For Better or Worse
If “Godzilla vs. Kong” was akin to enjoying a single ice cream sundae, then “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” feels like being handed five ice cream sundaes all at once. It’s undeniably more of what made its predecessor a decadent delight, but now it’s an excessive and unrestrained serving.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delivers more of the elements that audiences loved in the previous film but fails to elevate beyond that. While “New Empire” offers more content for your viewing pleasure, none of it quite matches the sheer joy of witnessing the monumental clash between the two titans on the aircraft carrier in “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
Despite its extravagant spectacle, stunning visuals, and adrenaline-pumping action, “Godzilla x Kong” leaves the impression of a magician continually pulling rabbits from a hat. Despite the talent and effort of the creative team, the film falls short due to the inability to maintain novelty, ultimately impacting its overall quality.
4. Monstrous Movie Stars
Director Adam Wingard has been vocal in the press about his vision for “Godzilla x Kong,” aiming to make the titular Titans the true stars of the film. In this aspect, he and his team of writers, including Terry Rossio, Jeremy Slater, and longtime collaborator Simon Barrett, have succeeded admirably.
Unlike previous MonsterVerse films, which often depicted the monsters through the lens of human characters, “Godzilla x Kong” features numerous sequences entirely focused on the Titans themselves. Major story beats involving Godzilla and Kong unfold without any human protagonists present, allowing the audience to witness events from the monsters’ perspectives.
While opinions may vary on how this approach affects elements like scale and the role of humans in the story, the creative team’s ambition and commitment to this concept are intriguing. Kong emerges as the clear leading character, and this shift in perspective leads to compelling results.
3. Weak Spot: An Amalgamation of Story Ideas
It seems like after the unexpectedly strong performance of “Godzilla vs. Kong,” there was a brainstorming session where various sequel ideas were hastily written down. Perhaps it went something like this:
“-Son of Kong
-Showa-Era Godzilla
-More Hollow Earth
-Mothra Revival
-Cast Dan Stevens and ensure he has undeniable chemistry with everyone, especially Kong.
-Evil Monkey…?”
And then, they decided to incorporate all of those ideas into a single film. “Godzilla x Kong” feels less like a focused narrative and more like a mishmash of different concepts that don’t seamlessly connect.
The main issue, in my opinion, is that Godzilla and Kong follow separate paths for most of the film. Despite the title suggesting a collaboration, the two characters don’t share the screen until the final thirty minutes. It feels like Kong has his own personal journey, while Godzilla trains and prepares for a vague threat. When they finally team up to fight another monster, it lacks the emotional impact one would expect.
Overall, while the movie delivers on action, it falls short in delivering a cohesive and satisfying narrative.
2. A Highly Caffeinated Saturday Morning Cartoon
This is going to sound like a backhanded compliment, but I mean it in the most genuine of ways: this film is a seven-year-old boy’s dream come true. Channeling Showa-Era influences and further exploring the deliriously visual landscapes and creatures of Hollow Earth, Wingard and co. have delivered a film positively vibrating with manic, child-like enthusiasm.
Between this, the insane monster fights, and absolutely gonzo neon color palette, “Godzilla x Kong” is a delightfully hopped-up Saturday morning cartoon brought roaring to life. Tonally, this is the exact sweet spot for a film of this kind of scale and story. These mash-ups, dating all the way back to original “Godzilla” director Ishir? Honda’s own “King Kong vs. Godzilla” from 1962, are inherently goofy, and the way in which Wingard steers into that skid is deeply admirable.
This is a film in which Kong wears a giant power glove, and characters tackle one another *through* the pyramids of Giza. It’s kind of rad.
1. Adam Motherfucking Wingard
If you haven’t seen Adam Wingard’s lo-fi home-invasion horror film, “You’re Next,” you should do yourself a favor and do so immediately because it is wonderful. But also, watching this low-budget, independently made horror film from over a decade ago is surreal because one can see all the same visual and storytelling principles at play that have gone on to make his blockbuster fare so enthralling.
Seeing Wingard stage action setpieces comes with all the infectious glee of watching a kid set loose in a candy store. This is a man who thinks it would be cool to see Kong suplex Godzilla and is kind enough to share that dream with us all.
There’s also something to be said about how deeply indebted to Wingard’s sensibilities and aesthetics “Godzilla x Kong” is. There are ’80s needle-drops galore, high-concept fantasy-inspired visuals that feel as if they were pulled straight from pulpy paperback novel covers, and he straight-up replaced his Dan Stevens-esque leading man from the prior film (Alexander Skarsgård) with Dan Stevens. This thing is all Wingard, through and through, and that’s pretty awesome.
RGM GRADE
(C+)
I wanted to love “Godzilla x Kong” more than I did. I think ultimately, in the aftermath of “Godzilla vs. Kong”‘s success and staring down the barrel of the kind of lengthy and costly production process these films necessitate, that gears went into motion for this film before it was really ready. The result is a kind of shaggy story that never really quite connects, with Wingard and co. going 1000% in on selling the action and spectacle to try and overcompensate for it.
The result is a disproportionate film in many ways, but one that is certainly not without its joys.
