Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Review: Film That Was Born and Finds Its Entire Essence In The Cinema And On The Big Screen
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle
Director: Adam Wingard
Where to Watch: In Theaters
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
The review of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the fifth feature film from Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse. Returning to the MonsterVerse always arouses a strange effect, especially after the sensations deriving from the previous film (if interested in learning more about the cinematic history of the MonsterVerse, please refer to our in-depth analysis). Once again, however, it is worth underlining that the feeling of being in something cohesive, coherent, and bigger than us returns and becomes dominant over everything else, a sign of the general commitment towards a narrative universe that is relatively simple, but also rich. of a certain contextual charm. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire builds on the events previously seen in Godzilla vs. Kong and channels its essence with a much “tackier” attitude than in the past, and that’s fine.
Almost ten years have passed since, in May 2014, Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla inaugurated the so-called MonsterVerse, an operation by Legendary Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Rediscovering the most iconic and historic monsters that have ever graced the big screens around the world, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, available in cinemas from March 28, 2024, transforms their territorial rivalry into a story of cooperation, in which yet another Sometimes humanity becomes an accessory, something secondary in a battle in which anger and power beyond words take precedence over any reflection of this kind. Once again, therefore, a lot of work is done on context and wonder, once again aesthetics and lightness reign supreme, projecting onto spectators an experience in which simplicity and fun remain the two main languages.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Review: The Story Plot
The story at the center of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire begins again from the events seen in the previously released film. In the finale of Godzilla vs. Kong, we saw the two titans beat each other in a confrontation that then ended with a sort of tacit pact between both, and a division that led to peace without the need to return to the confrontation. So Kong retreated to the legendary Hollow Earth, transforming it into his home, while Godzilla remained the ruler of the surface. Since these are two colossal titans humanity has decided to remain attentive and on guard towards such a situation, choosing on the one hand to study the properties of this “Earth within the Earth” and on the other to better monitor the existence of the two. Everything changes in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire when humans realize that Godzilla is no longer the same, preferring a series of clashes to territoriality, it seems, to become stronger than ever.
On the other hand, however, we find a Kong who, driven by loneliness, discovers that deep down some similar to him have survived, without however knowing the dark reasons. Reconnecting, therefore, to the primordial history of the planet itself and its titanic origins, the film sets in motion a destructive and no-holds-barred confrontation which, at least in this case, manages to make the human contribution important too, tying itself to a history /legend that leaves room for only one possible conclusion. Where were we? Kong and Godzilla have “made” a pact: both titans cannot coexist on the same earthly plane; Kong therefore becomes the titan protector of the Hollow Earth while Godzilla, is the protector of the Earth’s surface. The two, it will soon be said, will have to reunite to face a colossal threat unknown to our world, capable of jeopardizing the existence of humans and the Titans themselves.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Review and Analysis
The Titans return to the big screen in a more empathetic guise, starting with Kong, the last remaining of his race, a giant born to live in packs but who will have to deal with the loneliness and threats of the endless Hollow Earth. In this chapter more than ever, the expressions of the King of Primates allow us to understand and perceive the emotions experienced by something that, at first glance, appears very distant from the human race. The same cannot be said with Godzilla, the King of the Kaiju, with whom it is more difficult to empathize despite demonstrating authority and grandeur for the entire duration of the film, strengthening himself and reaching the maximum (for now) radiation spectrum. Although it was an arduous undertaking, compared to the first films the two Titans had noteworthy character development.
Together with the giants, Doctor Andrew (Rebecca Hall) and Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) return for a new colorful adventure that will see, in an even more central role, the young Jia (Kaylee Hottle). Few new characters are introduced in Godzilla A well-characterized character that works in the film, is a man with a heart of gold but a rock soul, like his entrances on stage always accompanied by hits from the golden years. The years pass and, with them, the VFX improves. If there were already a few defects in the visual sector in the previous chapters, in Godzilla All in all, it remains a great job, particularly in recreating details in Kong’s face or Godzilla’s structure which, let’s face it, are no walk in the park! The MonsterVerse has now found an excellent balance in representing humans and Titans without distorting either side.
If, in the previous chapters, the majority of criticism from the public was on the centrality of humans compared to the Kaiju, in Godzilla X Kong the human characters maintain a fundamental role but without taking away space from the clashes between the Titans. Godzilla and Kong manage, once again, to make us unplug to enjoy a titanic adventure with strong 80s vibes. A must-see for fans of the genre but also for those new to MonsterVerse, curious to see cities destroyed by two icons of cinema history. Only Rebecca Hall (the scientist in charge of monitoring Kong), Brian Tyree Henry (the conspiracy podcaster), and Kaylee Hottle (the original girl from Skull Island) return from the previous films, a trio to which is added, to complete the main human cast, Dan Stevens (in his second collaboration with Wingard after The Guest) as Trapper, a friendly and exuberant veterinarian specializing in gigantic creatures.
And on this last aspect, the film does not disappoint at all, between old glories and new presences such as the aforementioned hidden tribe, almost a Planet of the Apes in MonsterVerse version. It should be noted that there is no shortage of scenes, even quite extensive ones, in which only the creatures appear, often in dialogue with each other, perhaps a preamble to a film completely devoid of human characters (an option that Wingard openly contemplated during the interview). Following the path of Toho’s Japanese franchise, which began solemnly and then alternately opened to the utmost ignorance based on monsters fighting, the MonsterVerse initially harked back to the original Godzilla, son of the fear linked to nuclear weapons, but always to make him interact violently with Kong (not yet King).
Today the more dramatic trend continues on the small screen, with the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series on Apple TV+ (which managed to give a certain dignity to the human figures, so far the weakest element of the franchise), while here it is clear after a few minutes like Godzilla vs. Kong was the dress rehearsal for revenge which is above all that of Wingard, freer to explore the potential and limits of this universe by mixing ingredients and genres (the return of his usual screenwriter, Simon Barrett, is evident in the writing). All raised to tenths compared to the last time, a hymn to the most joyful lack of any inhibitory brake on the tonal level. A noisy film perfectly aware of being so (complete with a scene in Egypt that almost seems to want to imitate Michael Bay’s Transformers), which does its job, shamelessly, for almost two hours and then removes the disturbance before the hypertrophy sets in. wraps on itself. And without the need for post-credits: the duo will most likely return, but for now, this monumental, magnificent adventure without pretensions is enough.
As has also happened in the past, even with Godzilla and Kong we find ourselves faced with a film that finds its maximum expression and main path in the cinema. We are still talking about a feature film that focuses entirely on aesthetics and special effects, triggering generic and genuine entertainment accompanied by writing that is both very simple and, in this case, coherent. The story through images, not surprisingly, is only divided into two clear, although communicating, paths. On the one hand, we see the Titans interacting with each other, both verbally and physically, and on the other, we find some well-known faces from the past, engaged in an adventure with interesting implications, and certainly fundamental for understanding everything that happens between the monsters. What did Adam Wingard essentially do with the screenwriters? He took two extremely simple stories (nothing new in this sense) and tried to give them weight and coherence through the specific experiences of all the protagonists we see on screen.
By doing this they managed to give an interesting role to humans too, in terms of justification and narrative explanation, while still maintaining extremely simple writing. In parallel, we find the mammoth aesthetics of a film that once again focuses everything on special effects and the direct impact of the clashes, here more fun than ever. Not only that, but the director manages to leave his mark again by also playing with the colorful and inspired settings around the Titans, contrasting an expressiveness of this type with an unbridled tamarrage that finds relief precisely in the world of human beings, who without any warning or scruple of any kind finds itself reworked several times as a ring or place of battle (impossible not to be amazed especially when talking about very famous and iconic places).
In all of this, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire seems to rediscover that monstrous spirit typical of 1980s Godzilla, in which monstrous anger and violence were at the center of the action to the detriment of everything else. In the great succession of clashes within the film, the recognizability of some cities and monuments destroyed like nothing will be a further added value to the spectacularization of the action in progress. Real and not real, therefore, alternate the most animalistic violence of a film that surprises precisely in terms of external construction, while also leaving the right space for the insertion of a new threat connected to the history of the world itself. Unlike in the past, with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire there is no longer a game of roles and sides, but rather a story that turns its historical epic into a titanic clash with no holds barred for anyone. In the brutal background violence lies all the fun of a film that doesn’t want to arouse anything else in the general public in the theater.
In the origination of a common enemy, an unlikely alliance is outlined which requires a balance that is difficult to find in the mutual and basic incompatibility between the monsters. However, when everything becomes clear, it is the specific details that leave you speechless, finding new lifeblood in the cinema of the past in terms of aesthetics, action, and above all soundtrack which refers directly to the tones of the most easygoing and fun rock. Adam Wingard, drawing directly from the Showa era, further transforms this MonsterVerse into a colorful and flirty homage to something that Godzilla fans will surely recognize immediately. Godzilla and Kong: New Empire adds little or nothing to the mythology of the MonsterVerse and the relationship between the two protagonists and this can be indicated as the film’s major flaw, even more than its very fragile screenplay. However, when the battles between the monsters begin, it is difficult not to recognize the film’s ability to capture the attention and excite fans of this type of work.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Review: The Last Words
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a film that was born and finds its entire essence in the cinema and on the big screen. In the pre-eminent spectacularization of a story with simple features, all the love of a director, Adam Wingard, shines through, they chose and decided to permeate his film with a series of references connected to the cinematic history of Godzilla himself, shaping the narrative genuinely Tamarra in an experience with colorful, nostalgic and curiously musical features. Of course, general writing, especially that of humans, always remains rather simple, even if the contribution of the latter finds an interesting weight in this case, also on a historical and cultural level. However, the monstrous fights and special effects remain the main feature of a titanic and certainly entertaining tale. Godzilla and Kong meet/clash again with spectacular results, in a film that recognizes and makes the most of the ignorance inherent in its premise.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Review: Film That Was Born and Finds Its Entire Essence In The Cinema And On The Big Screen - Filmyhype
Director: Adam Wingard
Date Created: 2024-03-28 17:51
4
Pros
- Spectacular monster action: If you're looking for a giant lizard vs. giant ape showdown, this movie delivers. The fight sequences are said to be impressive, with large-scale destruction and cool CGI.
- A return to form: Some fans see this as a return to the classic monster movie formula, with less focus on complex plot and more on entertaining monster mayhem.
Cons
- Been there, done that: The plot isn't getting rave reviews. It seems a bit predictable and borrows from past monster movies.
- Characters fall flat: Don't expect award-winning performances here. The human characters seem to be one-dimensional archetypes.
