Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Reviews

Godzilla is a pink cutie pie

Lizard and Ape team up to fight bigger ape with sharp whip

My biggest issue with this movie is that despite the fact that we get what we want with more monster screen time over humans … you don’t feel the weight of impending doom… it just scenes after scenes after scenes and you know everything will be alright . See it because it’s fun

Now that is what monster fights should be. It is truly a brilliant time showing off the legendary showdown between titans. It reminds of me of the days of the showa era. I was wrong to try to walk into this comparing it to Minus One. It’s best to love it for what it is.

It was fine. If there wasn’t someone snoring the ENTIRE time to the left of me and someone making moaning sounds to the right of me every time a noise happened, it might’ve been more enjoyable. But all that aside, it was what I expected. Same as the last movie, with a new title 🤷🏻‍♂️

I had such a big smile on my face. This was done so well and made me giddy. Favorite movie so far of 2024. Love all the different characters in the movie!

The CGI was great. But no amount of CGI is going to save that ass movie. There was literally no real plot. Not even a bad one, so you can kind of make fun of it. Nothing. They didn't even try. Also, they should remove Godzilla's name from the title because bro was barely in it.

I don’t even know what to say, the fights scenes, the sounds, the everything was amazing. I wish kong and Godzilla fought more together (the movie should’ve been 30 mins longer) but I loved this movie. Such a good watch!!

i love kaiju movies actually

zilla is king, but this movie was not it. wish it was. the cgi was mid, the story was not great, yes the fights were sick but it just felt mainstreamed. felt like i was watching a marvel film lowkey. oh and little kong was an annoying fucker haha. 6 / 10

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stomps back into the Monsterverse, serving as a direct sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and the fifth film in Legendary's kaiju saga. Directed and co-written by Adam Wingard, the film promises colossal spectacle as Kong encounters more of his species in the Hollow Earth and must unite with Godzilla to stop the tyrannical Skar King and the formidable frost-breathing Shimo from invading Earth's surface. Featuring returning cast members Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle, along with newcomer Dan Stevens, the film is designed as a no-holds-barred monster brawl. My initial reaction was one of eager anticipation for more monster mayhem and stunning visuals. My overall impression is that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delivers precisely what it promises – an overwhelming dose of monster-on-monster action and visual spectacle – but largely sacrifices narrative depth and human character development in the process, making it a loud, if occasionally thrilling, ride.

Rating:
6.6/10 ⭐️ (★★★ - Good)
A good rating for a film that excels in its visual effects and delivers on large-scale monster fights, but whose thin plot and underdeveloped human elements prevent it from being a truly compelling or memorable blockbuster.

The Good:
* Narrative & Story (Strengths): The film's primary strength lies in its simplicity: a clear threat from the Hollow Earth (Skar King and Shimo) forces Godzilla and Kong to unite once more. The focus on Kong's journey to find his own kind in Hollow Earth is a compelling character arc for the giant ape. The film quickly gets to the monster action, delivering on its promise of kaiju brawls. The lore of the Hollow Earth and its inhabitants continues to be an intriguing aspect of the Monsterverse, and this film expands upon it significantly.
* Characters (Strengths): While the human characters are largely secondary, Rebecca Hall as Dr. Ilene Andrews and Kaylee Hottle as Jia continue to provide the emotional core of the film, particularly through Jia's unique connection to Kong. Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie Hayes offers consistent comedic relief. The new character of Trapper (Dan Stevens) is a welcome addition, providing a quirky and likable human element. More importantly, Kong himself, through Allan Henry's motion capture, feels like a fully realized character with emotional depth, as he struggles with loneliness and the burden of leadership. The introduction of Skar King as a new, formidable antagonist for Kong is a strong narrative choice.
* Directing & Filmmaking (Strengths): Adam Wingard's direction is confident and clear-eyed in delivering the monster action. He understands what the audience came to see and orchestrates the kaiju battles with impressive scale and impact. The film wisely prioritizes monster screen time over human drama. The visual effects are seamless and consistently breathtaking, bringing the colossal Titans and the fantastical Hollow Earth to life.
* Technical Aspects (Strengths): The visual effects are the undisputed highlight. Wētā FX, DNEG, and Scanline VFX deliver stunning creature designs, realistic environments, and incredibly dynamic action sequences. The depiction of Hollow Earth is imaginative and vibrant. The fights between Godzilla, Kong, Skar King, and Shimo are incredibly detailed and often visceral. The film's use of wide anamorphic lenses and 5K rendering contributes to a grand cinematic feel. Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio's score is suitably massive and propulsive, perfectly complementing the gargantuan action. Ben Seresin's cinematography effectively captures the scale of the monsters and their environments.
* Enjoyment & Engagement: For fans of the Monsterverse, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is an absolute blast. It's a non-stop spectacle of monster action, delivering exactly what the title promises. The film knows its audience and provides ample kaiju brawls, stunning visuals, and epic moments that are genuinely entertaining. The return of Mothra is a satisfying inclusion for long-time fans.

The Not So Good:
* Narrative & Story (Weaknesses): The plot, while providing a framework for the action, is extremely thin and often serves as little more than connective tissue between monster fights. The human storyline feels underdeveloped, with their motivations and purpose sometimes unclear beyond reacting to the monster threats. The attempts at humor can occasionally fall flat, and the film struggles to build genuine emotional stakes for the human characters. The narrative originality is limited, largely adhering to established monster movie tropes.
* Characters (Weaknesses): While the lead human actors perform admirably, their characters are largely underserved by the script, lacking significant development or complex arcs. Many supporting human characters are one-dimensional. The aliens, while visually impressive, lack individual personalities beyond their roles as antagonists or allies.
* Enjoyment & Engagement (Negatives): For viewers seeking more than just monster spectacle – such as a compelling human story, intricate plotting, or deeper thematic exploration – the film will likely prove disappointing. Its reliance on pure action over substance can lead to moments of disengagement once the novelty of the fights wears off. The film's comparison to Godzilla Minus One (which prioritized human drama) highlighted its weaknesses in this regard.

The Verdict:
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a colossal spectacle that delivers on its promise of massive monster battles and stunning visual effects, making it a high-grossing entry in the Monsterverse. Adam Wingard orchestrates some truly impressive kaiju brawls, and the film benefits from its commitment to prioritizing monster screen time. However, its paper-thin plot, underdeveloped human characters, and lack of narrative depth prevent it from being a truly great or memorable film. It's an enjoyable, albeit mindless, popcorn flick for fans who prioritize explosive action and visual grandeur above all else. Recommended primarily for dedicated Monsterverse enthusiasts looking for pure, unadulterated monster mayhem.

Optional Additional Categories:
* Genre & Tone: The film is primarily a monster action film, leaning into a bombastic and adventurous tone, with elements of sci-fi. It embraces a more straightforward "smash 'em up" approach compared to some of its predecessors.
* Target Audience: It directly caters to fans of the Monsterverse, Godzilla, and King Kong, as well as general audiences who enjoy large-scale disaster and monster films with heavy visual effects.
* Originality & Innovation: While expanding the Hollow Earth lore and introducing new Titans, the film's narrative structure and character arcs largely adhere to established monster movie conventions, offering less in terms of storytelling innovation. Its visual effects, however, continue to push boundaries.
* Themes & Messages (Further Discussion): The film touches on themes of finding one's place, protecting one's kind (for Kong), and the delicate balance of nature/super-nature. However, these themes are mostly secondary to the spectacle.
* Comparison to Other Films: It aligns closely with the stylistic choices of Godzilla vs. Kong, emphasizing big monster fights over human drama. It stands in stark contrast to the more character-driven and thematically rich Godzilla Minus One, highlighting different approaches to kaiju cinema.

…why is the critic score for this movie 54% on rotten tomatoes?????? how dreadfully miserable do you have to be to not enjoy the absolute spectacle of this movie??? this felt like the Avengers of the Monsterverse. this was the first one of all of them that truly felt epic and full of stakes. i loved all the world building in this, the characters, the humor, the action, and the story. this is my favorite Monsterverse movie and truly the only one that left me thrilled. i am SO happy to be excited about this universe again after hating the TV show

7.1/10 Any small semblance of “realism” is thrown out the window then hit by a car in the street. Yes big monsters fighting but when I see Godzilla flying thru the air and suplexing a giant ape it’s a little much even for me. Would recommend the first 3 movies 10x over this one.

If you like these kinds of movies you probably will like this one, its just not for me. Very stereotypical action/Godzilla/kong movie. Convoluted, “saving the world”…..but also NOT because there are mass casualties and repercussions we just ignore I guess

This was such a good movie, the fight scenes were absolutely top tier. The final battle felt like an anime battle. 10/10

Goofy ahh

God what is that. Why does the cgi both look incredible and horrendous. Why is it so visually blend, what happened to the esthetic of 2014 Godzilla. Why are kong and Godzilla so short and why is that girl having visions of ps2 cinematics.

Humans sucked but monsters were cool

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Rating: 78