Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Forget a well-crafted story, Adam Wingard's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" feels more like a hyperactive kid's imagination on overdrive. Imagine an eight-year-old hopped up on candy, smashing action figures together and roaring with glee. That's the energy of this movie.

While Wingard's previous Godzilla film embraced the campy fun of the old-school monster movies, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" goes all-out, delivering a wild, cartoonish adventure that's like a visual toybox. It might not be the smartest film, but it's guaranteed to be a blast.

The movie's big showdown features a chaotic zero-gravity battle between multiple monsters, some with energy blasts and one with an unexpected weapon. While such a spectacle might have been unbelievable in the past, it's clear the studio went all out here with a whopping $135 million budget. This is in stark contrast to Toho's "Godzilla Minus One" which had a much smaller price tag of $12 million.

Big budget movies lately have been all about special effects and established franchises, demanding the audience pay close attention and participate in online discussions. "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" flips the script. Who cares about complicated backstories or building the world? This movie just wants you to have pure, dumb fun watching Kong beat the snot out of other giant apes with a tiny ape club.

The MonsterVerse movies from Warner Bros. Haven't quite hit the mark. Since 2014, they've tried (and failed) to be serious and adult. "Godzilla" (by Gareth Edwards) focused on dark human drama instead of epic monster battles - a mistake. "Kong: Skull Island" by Jordan Vogt-Roberts tried to be like "Apocalypse Now," but missed the mark. "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" (by Michael Dougherty) aimed for fun but ended up dull and hard to see with all the smoke. Who needs realistic physics in a movie with Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan? Give us the monster mayhem!

Our giant ape hero is looking worse for wear. He's sporting a "dad bod" and a gray beard, constantly harassed by creepy monsters, and worst of all, suffering from a nasty toothache. Thankfully, Dr. Ilene Andrews and her daughter Jia are there to help. They even brought in a charming monster vet named Trapper to address Kong's dental woes. These two human characters are a highlight of the film, managing to deliver even the most ridiculous lines with complete seriousness.

Staff:

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Screenplay by: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater

Story by: Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard, and Simon Barrett

Based on: Godzilla and Mothra by Toho Co., Ltd.

Produced by: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Brian Rogers, Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, and Eric McLeod

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen

Cinematography: Ben Seresin

Edited by: Josh Schaeffer

Music by: Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio

Production company: Legendary Pictures

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures (Worldwide) and Toho (Japan)

Release date: March 29, 2024

Running time: 115 minutes