An unexpectedly emotional monster mash trapped in an empty human drama, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” follows its titular monsters as they delve further into the depths of the Hollow Earth and encounter a viscous threat known as the Skar King. Directed by Adam Wingard from a screenplay by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater, the latest “MonsterVerse” installment stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens and Kaylee Hottle. It is currently playing exclusively in theaters.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” feels like two very different films stitched together and constantly vying for dominance, ironically much like its titular kaiju. One of those films is a story about an ancient monster searching for a place to belong and developing a familiar connection with a younger member of his species. Kong, Godzilla and the other kaiju of the film have no dialogue, yet Wingard’s direction imbues them with so much personality and emotion that words become irrelevant.
In particular, the newly introduced Suko makes an immediate impression as he allows a glimpse of a more nurturing side of Kong, even if their first meeting involved the titanic ape using the juvenile as a makeshift club. Suko’s innocence contrasts neatly with the other major Titan debuting in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”: the Skar King. Boasting an intimidating design backed up with a viscous personality, the villainous monster is a more-than-worthy successor to King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla.
Unfortunately, that genuinely interesting story is regrettably undercut by a tedious and predictable one about one-dimensional human characters who alternate between clunky exposition dumps and unfunny comic relief. Henry, an actor with proven comedic talent, is let down by his character Bernie, who contributes nothing to the story but low-effort, studio-tested one-liners. Newcomer Stevens gives Titan veterinarian Trapper a decent introduction, but he is quickly reduced to sharing Henry’s role of making dull quips in every situation. Only Hall and Hottle offer anything of note, as Ilene and Jia’s struggle to connect gives the human plotline something for the audience to connect with.
Despite its flaws, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delivers everything that a giant monster movie should and proves that the “MonsterVerse” is here to stay.
