Ever since the MonsterVerse began long ago, the franchise has been building up to a reality where Godzilla and King Kong can team up to take on an opponent too big either of them to face alone. This year’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire finally gets to it, allowing the titular Titans to work together to take down the Skar King. The latest film by Adam Wingard takes audiences on a fun ride that compensates for its faults with visually entertaining fights, special effects and hilarious physical comedy while still failing to make its human characters very relatable.
After Godzilla vs. Kong, the two most powerful monsters in the franchise decided to split the available territory, with Godzilla ruling over the surface. At the same time, Kong was respected inside Hollow Earth. However, when an ancient evil is released from prison, the former rivals are forced to work together again to protect humanity. The sequel introduces what might sound like the logical premise that could be expected out of this franchise after the two heroes fought each other. While the human characters of this story don’t have much to offer, The New Empire is a welcome addition to the MonsterVerse.
The humans in the sequel are led by Doctor Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), the scientist who comes back to join the action after she was introduced in the previous movie. Another returning character from that story is Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry). While Henry does his best with the script he is given, these researchers still fall short of what’s needed from them in a story where a giant ape uses other monsters as weapons.
Trapper (Dan Stevens) is a new character introduced to the MonsterVerse who can’t stay still for one second. His solution for making his life interesting enough was to become a certified veterinarian for the giant creatures Monarch continues to find. Although that might make him interesting enough, Stevens’ charisma infuses his performance. If Warner Bros. decides to move forward with the series, Trapper should be the one character who gets to return for another adventure.
Due to the intensive exposition and monster lore that the series has provided in recent entries, humans are becoming increasingly unnecessary for the MonsterVerse. Thanks to Kong’s ability to communicate with people, the character has been able to formulate ideas on his own, and while Godzilla doesn’t know sign language, his actions speak for the king of the monsters. Suppose the humans, other than Jia (Kaylee Hottle), can’t become directly emotionally invested with the monsters surrounding them? In that case, there’s not much for them to do in a story that’s supposed to be about Godzilla and Kong facing off with the Skar King.
Nevertheless, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire isn’t afraid to explore the possibilities for the physical comedy that the MonsterVerse offers, with Kong constantly finding unpredictable ways to take down his enemies. Thanks to the sequel introducing a variety of giant apes, it’s possible to communicate ideas without the need for dialogue, entertaining audiences with the massive creatures trying to assert dominance in their territory. As the funniest entry in the series, The New Empire found a way to breathe new life into a franchise that continues to come back stronger than before. The fights seen in the sequel set the tone for the entire story.
When the franchise was introduced with Godzilla, a few giant monsters were seen in the dark, slowly trying to defeat their enemies with heavy strikes. Those days are gone, with The New Empire showing a wide variety of creatures in broad daylight and the Titans throwing objects at one another with unprecedented speed. Even if the human characters of the sequel might slow the pace down, the monster fights are worthy of keeping audiences engaged while moving the plot forward. The Skar King would never give Godzilla and Kong an easy battle, and the movie packs plenty of surprises hidden in the depths of the Hollow Earth.
With explosive monster fights that compensate for the disappointing human characters involved, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire makes the MonsterVerse feel fresh a decade after its big screen debut. While it looked like Godzilla vs. Kong would pack the biggest punches in the franchise, this sequel reassures audiences by telling them there’s plenty of fun to be had with Godzilla and Kong. Narratives such as Godzilla Minus One can explore the deepest side of the character, but when it comes to the summer blockbuster aspect of the narrative, the MonsterVerse still has plenty to offer.
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