Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) Review – Titans Collide Again!

 

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) - When Titans Collide in Spectacular Fashion

Rating: 7/10

There's something wonderfully absurd about watching a giant atomic lizard and a colossal gorilla team up to fight interdimensional monsters while humans scramble around trying to make sense of it all. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire knows exactly what it is – a loud, colorful, completely bonkers monster movie that prioritizes spectacle over substance – and it delivers on that promise with surprising confidence.

Plot Overview: Hollow Earth Adventures

The film picks up after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), with our titular titans now coexisting in an uneasy peace. Kong has made himself comfortable in the Hollow Earth, while Godzilla continues his patrol of the surface world. But when a new threat emerges from the depths – the Skar King and his army of enslaved apes – both monsters must put aside their differences to protect their respective domains.

What follows is a globe-trotting adventure that takes us from the neon-lit depths of Hollow Earth to the sun-soaked beaches of Rio de Janeiro, with plenty of monster mayhem in between. The human characters, led by Rebecca Hall's Dr. Ilene Andrews and Brian Tyree Henry's Bernie Hayes, serve primarily as exposition delivery systems and emotional anchors for the audience.

Visual Spectacle: A Feast for the Eyes

If there's one area where The New Empire absolutely excels, it's in the visual department. Director Adam Wingard and his team have created a truly stunning world that feels both alien and familiar. The Hollow Earth sequences are particularly impressive, with bioluminescent landscapes and gravity-defying architecture that would make James Cameron jealous.

The monster designs are equally impressive. Kong gets a mechanical upgrade in the form of a powerful arm brace, while Godzilla sports a new pink-tinged atomic breath that's both beautiful and terrifying. The Skar King makes for a compelling antagonist, with his whip-wielding combat style and army of enslaved apes providing a genuine threat to both titans.

The film's climactic battle in Rio is a masterclass in destruction choreography. Watching Godzilla and Kong tag-team their enemies while Christ the Redeemer statue looms in the background is the kind of ridiculous spectacle that makes these movies so entertaining. The destruction feels weighty and consequential, unlike some CGI-heavy blockbusters where everything feels weightless.

Box Office Triumph: A MonsterVerse Success Story

The film grossed $572.3 million worldwide against a production budget of $135–150 million, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2024. This impressive performance makes it clear that audiences are still hungry for big-budget monster movies when they're done right.

The film posted the second best opening in the Legendary Monsterverse franchise with $80M domestically, exceeding initial predictions and proving that the MonsterVerse brand remains commercially viable. The success is particularly notable given the mixed critical reception, suggesting that audiences are willing to overlook narrative shortcomings for pure spectacle.

Performance Analysis: Humans in a Monster's World

The human cast does their best with material that's clearly secondary to the monster action. Rebecca Hall brings gravitas to her role as Dr. Andrews, serving as the primary human connection to Kong's story. Her relationship with Kaylee Hottle's Jia provides some of the film's most genuine emotional moments.

Brian Tyree Henry returns as Bernie Hayes, the conspiracy theorist podcaster who somehow keeps finding himself in the middle of titan-related chaos. Henry's natural charisma helps sell even the most ridiculous exposition dumps, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast keeps the human scenes from feeling like complete dead weight.

Dan Stevens joins the cast as Trapper, a titan veterinarian who brings a welcome dose of humor to the proceedings. Stevens seems to understand the absurdity of his situation and plays it with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek awareness.

The Kong Show: A Titan's Emotional Journey

Kong having far more screen time than Godzilla is both a strength and a weakness. The film works best when it focuses on Kong's emotional journey, particularly his relationship with the young Iwi girl Jia and his discovery of other members of his species in Hollow Earth.

The sequences showing Kong's loneliness and his desperate search for connection are surprisingly affecting. Watching the giant ape learn to communicate with other creatures and eventually find his place in a larger community provides genuine emotional weight to the spectacle.

However, this focus on Kong means that Godzilla feels somewhat shortchanged. The King of the Monsters often feels like a guest star in his own movie, appearing primarily to advance the plot or provide backup in the final battle. Fans of the atomic lizard may find themselves wanting more from their favorite kaiju.

Critical Reception: Mixed but Predictable

The film received mixed reviews from critics, with many comparing it unfavorably to Godzilla Minus One, which had been released just four months earlier. This comparison, while inevitable, feels somewhat unfair. Godzilla Minus One was a character-driven drama that happened to feature a giant monster, while The New Empire is unabashedly a monster movie that happens to feature human characters.

This is very stupid, and it knows it is, and it rolls with it – this assessment captures the film's approach perfectly. There's a self-awareness to the proceedings that makes the more ridiculous moments feel intentional rather than accidental.

Technical Achievements: Bringing Monsters to Life

The film's technical achievements deserve recognition. The sound design is particularly impressive, with each titan having its own distinct audio signature. Kong's roars feel different from Godzilla's, and the Skar King's vocalizations add another layer to the audio landscape.

The practical effects work, though limited, helps ground the digital spectacle. The film uses a combination of miniatures, practical sets, and CGI to create a world that feels tangible despite its fantastical nature.

Themes and Subtext: More Than Meets the Eye

Beneath the surface-level spectacle, The New Empire explores themes of family, belonging, and environmental responsibility. Kong's search for his place in the world mirrors many people's struggle to find their community, while the film's emphasis on protecting the natural world from exploitation feels particularly relevant.

The relationship between humans and titans serves as a metaphor for humanity's relationship with nature – sometimes adversarial, sometimes symbiotic, but always requiring mutual respect and understanding.

Entertainment Value: Pure Popcorn Fun

If you approach Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with the right expectations, you're likely to have a blast. This is a movie designed to be experienced on the biggest screen possible, with the loudest sound system available. It's summer blockbuster entertainment in its purest form.

The film delivers on its promise of massive monster action, spectacular visuals, and just enough human emotion to make you care about the outcome. It's not trying to be Citizen Kane – it's trying to be the best possible version of a movie about giant monsters fighting each other, and in that goal, it largely succeeds.

Final Verdict: A Worthy Addition to the MonsterVerse

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is exactly what it says on the tin – a big, loud, spectacle-driven monster movie that prioritizes entertainment over everything else. While it may not reach the emotional heights of Godzilla Minus One or the tight storytelling of the original Kong: Skull Island, it carves out its own niche in the MonsterVerse with confidence and style.

The film's commercial success proves that there's still an audience for this type of old-fashioned monster movie, and the spectacular visuals ensure that it delivers on its promises. If you're looking for profound character development or subtle storytelling, you'll be disappointed. But if you want to see giant monsters punch each other in increasingly creative ways, you've come to the right place.

Bottom Line: A visually spectacular, emotionally engaging, and thoroughly entertaining addition to the MonsterVerse that knows exactly what it is and delivers on its promises.

Perfect For: Fans of the MonsterVerse, anyone who enjoys spectacular visuals, and viewers who appreciate movies that don't take themselves too seriously.

Skip If: You're looking for deep character development, you found the previous MonsterVerse films too silly, or you prefer your monster movies with more human drama.

Best Viewing Experience: IMAX or the largest screen you can find, with a powerful sound system and an audience ready to cheer for the good guys.