Film Review - Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
Images courtesy of Warner Bros.
Open scene: Kong, in his home territory of Hollow Earth, is chased by massive dog-like thylacines. He lures them into various traps, before doing a heel turn to fight the remainder of the pack, splitting one of the creatures in half with his bare hands and showering himself in a torrent of green blood. Cut to Godzilla, rampaging through Rome on his way to destroy a humongous kraken-like beast, also pulverising it into lime green goop. He proceeds to snuggle up and take a nap in the middle of the colosseum, resulting in an image that’s sure to elicit a hefty chuckle from any audience (think a cat curled up in its bed, only on a massive scale).
Right from the get-go, Adam Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire makes very clear that its monster compatriots are front and centre stage, with special emphasis being placed on Kong as he embarks on a search to find more of his kind, and find them he does. We are soon introduced to Suko (an infant of Kong's species), Scar King (a lanky, far meaner ape), and Shimo (an iridescent white dinosaur with frost powers, under the control of a magical dagger). Scar King stands out as a particularly awesome addition to the franchise, with loads of personality and a great screen presence, with Suko being similarly enjoyable as a cute but slapstick-y little freak.
In case it wasn't already apparent, this movie falls squarely on the more ridiculous side of blockbuster filmmaking, with the emphasis being not so much about the fate of the world, or even it's few human characters - though there are some minor highlights there in the form of Dan Stevens’ kaiju veterinarian Trapper, who plays like a mix of Steve Irwin and Ace Ventura, as well as the relationship between Gia (Kaylee Hottle) and Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). Instead, the competition is pretty much down to who you want to see land the most punches, dropkicks, and/or atomic breath barrages. It's kaiju combat meets WrestleMania, where the only stakes are bruised egos: a monster mash of ludicrous proportions as the Titans go head-to-skyscraper-tall-head, showcasing wanton destruction and carnage in an endearingly goofy ode to the Showa era of Godzilla. There's more CGI than you can shake a tree trunk at, and pretty much all of it looks about as good as you'd want it to, given the lighter tone.
I don't blame anyone who finds issue with this approach, because this is extremely far detached from the film that started this franchise, Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla (2014), enough so that one might actually induce physical whiplash if there was a way to play this for audiences back then who complained about the lack of monster action in that film. Let alone more immediate comparisons that seem inevitable between this and last year’s Godzilla: Minus One, although given my gripes with that film, I can honestly say I appreciate the focus on mindless gonzo action set pieces, even if I am practically begging for a more Godzilla-centric film at this point. He's my favourite giant nuclear lizard, and I just want to see him get a little more love in the antihero role.
Adam Wingard’s direction is assured here, even if I am getting a little tired of his 80s homages. I get it, I love neon and synthwave as much as the next guy, but it doesn't fit every single movie. It works for something like The Guest where the narrative is more or less a riff on an 80s classic like The Terminator, but I'm not so sure of its relevance in a movie about giant monsters that has more ties to the 60s, though at least it enhances the vibe more so than in his Death Note film. I'd like to see him branch out in subsequent films, seeing as he’s been chosen to helm Legendary’s MonsterVerse for the foreseeable future.
Likewise, I'd love if the series continues to double down on the gratuitous excess the film shows hints of, including moments like Godzilla’s opening kill, Kong having an appointment with the dentist (no, really), several moments of ape-on-ape violence, a suplex over one of the pyramids of Giza, and Kong’s upgrade in the form of a giant power gauntlet. If we're already this far into the realm of disbelief, why not keep going? The Showa era is a treasure trove of golden highlights, with Godzilla’s infamous tail slide, atomic breath flight, and victory dance (as well as Kong forcing Goji to eat his veggies) all being ripe for adaptation into a multi-million dollar VFX showcase, and who better to see it through than a former horror director?
While The New Empire may not be exactly treading new ground, it does succeed at something that few modern blockbusters do - being fun. GxK delivers on a monster mashup of epic proportions, with a few little surprises up its sleeve and just enough creativity to inspire hope for the franchise ahead. Bring on Toho’s rogues gallery, I want to see Destroyah, Gigan, SpaceGodzilla, Biollante and more get their special effects makeovers. Show us more of Legendary’s original Titans, and give them their own personalities and backstories. Give me more kaiju!!
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Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is screening in cinemas from Thursday 28th March. For tickets and more info, click here.