Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the fifth film in the Monsterverse that’s been produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures since 2014’s Godzilla. A lot has changed over the past decade, with that first Godzilla film focusing heavily on the human element and often making it feel as though the titular character, Godzilla, was put on the backburner to accommodate. It’s still a fun movie with some great moments, and when Godzilla does get his big moments to shine in the third act they really hit hard; however, sometimes you just want to watch a kaiju destroy a city without drama getting in the way.
I don’t want to call it a mistake, so to say that that mistake wasn’t made again would be too harsh; however, moving forward the monsterverse made sure to balance the human characters with plenty of kaiju action, and that remains true with The New Empire. Returning to the director’s chair is Adam Wingard, who directed the monsterverse’s fourth installment in the 2021 box office smash Godzilla vs. Kong. In that film he brought in characters from the previous Godzilla film, such as Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell, and Madison’s father Mark, played by Kyle Chandler. This helped bridge the films and keep continuity in the franchise, and he’s done the same thing here by bringing back characters he helped create in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Godzilla vs. Kong ended with Kong returning to Hollow Earth, a place where he could assert his dominance, call home, and potentially find other titans like him. It also allowed for his truce with Godzilla to be maintained, as Godzilla is the alpha titan who keeps a tight leash on any monsters roaming around on the earth’s surface. Three years have passed since the events of the last film, and Monarch has continued to monitor and learn about Hollow Earth, with the Kong observation post still running smoothly right in the thick of it in Hollow Earth.
As the mythos continues to expand the creators of these films aim to find new ways to mix things up, and in The New Empire a sinkhole within Hollow Earth reveals a sublevel that was blocked off long ago. Kong goes to explore and it reveals yet another massive, Titan-filled eco-system that opens up limitless opportunities for future expansions in this Monsterverse. For now though, this serves as the realm of the film’s antagonist, Skar King. He’s a massive and vicious titan that looks to have descended from a mix of orangutans and apes and he wants nothing more than to invade the world above and take it as his own. The problem is that he’s been locked away and has no access to the portals that would lead them there.
While Kong investigates this subterranean level of Hollow Earth, his old friend Jia (Kaylee Hottle) begins to go into dream states, having visions of something she doesn’t quite understand. Her mother, Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) remains near the top of the food chain when it comes to Monarch’s Kong outpost and seeks out help from another returning character in Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry). Andrews hopes Hayes can use his sleuthing skills to help her understand more about Jia’s visions, and Hayes agrees if she’ll take him along to Hollow Earth. Throw wildcard veterinarian (and old college flame of Andrews), Trapper (Dan Stevens) into the mix and we’ve got ourselves an expedition down to Hollow Earth to see what may be causing all the ruckus.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Wait, isn’t this movie called Godzilla x Kong? Where’s Godzilla in all of this?” Well, Godzilla is kind of a lone wolf. While they did a great job of creating a human side story in his movie with Madison and Mark Russell and brought them back so that he had a cheer squad for when the two titans squared off in Godzilla vs. Kong, The New Empire focuses a lot more on Kong’s quest to find others like him and a place he can truly call home. Godzilla has a fast and furious battle in Rome almost right out of the gate against a random Titan, and then he rests up, as Godzilla does. When the sinkhole reveals the subterranean level to Hollow Earth and opens up Skar King’s realm, well, that doesn’t sit well with Godzilla, and he begins his own side mission of building up his nuclear levels for the fight that’s ahead.
When Godzilla: King of the Monsters only did decent box-office numbers back in 2019 I was worried that may spell the end for the Monsterverse. We’ve long lived in a time where it’s easy to write franchises off if the box-office fails to ignite and while King of the Monsters did big numbers, they definitely weren’t the Titan-sized returns that the studios were likely hoping for. Luckily, they stuck with it and we received two more incredibly fun installments with another on the way.
The New Empire is a highly entertaining blockbuster experience, with loads of explosive battles between Titans both on the surface and down in Hollow Earth. Having a solid amount of the movie take place in Hollow Earth was a smart call, as it helps differentiate the latest movie from its predecessors. The New Empire also feels the fastest of the franchise so far, even though it’s the same length as Godzilla vs. Kong and Kong: Skull Island. Being the fifth film in the series it just feels as though a lot has previously been established, so this allows The New Empire to just focus on the action and allows it to keep things moving without the burden of needing to set up a large foundation for the story.
That’s not to say that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doesn’t add to the constantly evolving mythology that the Monsterverse has created over the past decade, as it does do so, even though it may leave more questions than answers as to how when all is said and done. As a fan of kaiju and someone hoping that we have at least another decade of these particular Godzilla and Kong films to come, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a highly entertaining spectacle. It delivers on the action, it delivers on Titan battles, it delivers when it comes to special effects, and it delivers in expanding the Monsterverse. Long live the kings.
Overall Movie Score: 4/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
If you’ve been collecting the Monsterverse titles in 4K then you know exactly what to expect from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and that’s top tier audio and visual quality. The 2160p/HDR10 transfer shines beautifully, and is Dolby Vision compatible for those wondering. This is a much brighter film than its predecessors, with a lot of neons and vibrant colours being used, both on Godzilla and in Hollow Earth. Come to think of it, I believe there’s only one battle that takes place in a darker local, and even that’s highlighted by lava and fire. The details are astonishing, Kong and Godzilla both look sensational, as do their opponents throughout the film, and the locations are spectacular. Overall, this is a gorgeous looking movie and that comes through beautifully in your living room thanks to a wonderful transfer.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a fantastic Dolby Atmos mix that will shake your viewing quarters like the Titans are battling it out right beside you (okay, that’s not true as it’d be destroyed if that was the case – but it sounds awesome nonetheless!) There are loads of ambient sounds and noises while the characters are traversing through Hollow Earth, and who can ever tire of hearing Godzilla roar at the top of his lungs? As a whole the audio is a perfect compliment to the top shelf visuals, so if you’re looking for the best viewing experience for this film look no further than this 4K delivery.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary – This is a packed commentary track, with Wingard, VFX supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, editor Josh Schaeffer and production designer Tom Hammock. It’s fun to hear the fun that they all had making the film, as well as smaller notes throughout the film from various sources.
Behind-the-scenes – We’ve basically got a 10-piece featurette combo here, with most pieces coming in at just under 6-minutes. This is a scenario where they probably would’ve been better off just making one big 40-minute feature with chapter segments; however, I’m sure breaking it down makes it easier to swallow for some. Usually they’ll have a “Play All” option for those who just want to watch it in one go, but alas, lots of clicking here for those who want to do that in one sitting.
Godzilla x Kong: Day of Reckoning – This is a 6-minute featurette that goes back to 2014 and kind of intertwines previous interviews from leading cast members about how cool Godzilla and Kong are, and how great it is to bring them to life again. It’s fun, and it’s fluff, so don’t be looking for much extra info here.
Evolution of the Titans – Godzilla Evolved is a five-and-a-half-minute featurette that focuses on Godzilla and how he’s changed over the course of the franchise, more so visually than as a character since he’s still just a take-no-shit kaiju looking to make the world a better place.
Next up we’ve got From Lonely God to King – This is an almost 6-minute feature that looks at Kong’s journey in the films he’s been apart of. He’s got a larger emotional arc than Godzilla, and is basically the kaiju that we’re supposed to relate with out of the group. Clearly those who do don’t commute to work every day because, man, do I understand Godzilla’s mindset more and more every day. Just kidding. Kinda.
Into the Hollow Earth – The star location of this film gets a pair of similarly in length featurettes. First up we’ve got Visualizing Hollow Earth, coming in at just under 6-minutes. This one focuses on the visuals of Hollow Earth, how they came up with some of the ideas and concepts, bringing it to life and so forth.
The second is Monsters of Hollow Earth, which is just a bit shorter in length, and focuses on – you guessed it – the new monsters being introduced that are exclusive to Hollow Earth. Always fun to learn about monsters, so definitely worth a viewing.
The Battles Royale – Here we get 16-minutes of battle talk broken up into three fights! First we’ve got A Titanic Fight Among the Pyramids, which focuses on Kong taking on Godzilla once again. Awesome fight, and fun to hear more about. Next up we’ve got The Zero Gravity Battle, which is the warm-up before the main event, which sees the Titans floating around Hollow Earth while battling it out. Lastly we’ve got The Titans Trash Rio, which is the climactic battle of ice and radiation in a sunny locale which is a great visual juxtaposition.
The Intrepid Director – We get two, quick 4-minute featurettes here, which focus on Adam Wingard and his love of the franchise and working on the films. First up we’ve got Big Kid, and then a Set Tour of what it’s like bringing these Titans to life. Quick, yet fun. They definitely leave you wanting more with these.
The Imagination Department – This is a 4-minute featurette that focuses on the characters, concept arts and sculptures when it comes to bringing these creatures to life.
The Monarch Island Base: Portal to Another World – This is a five-and-a-half-minute look at the production design and set of Monarch’s new base for the film.
The Evolution of Jia: From Orphan to Warrior – This is a 6-minute featurette that focuses on one of the coolest characters created for the franchise, Jia. She gets her big moment to shine this time out, even though it’s probably the one thing that could’ve used a better explanation, or at least some more time on. Either way, still great to see her have a bigger moment than just signing with Kong.
Bernie’s World: Being the Triple Locked Door – Lastly, we get a brief tour of Bernie’s apartment if you ever wondered what was to be found in there.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Directed by: Adam Wingard. Written by: Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett. Starring: Godzilla, Kong, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Dan Stevens, Alex Ferns. Running time: 114 Minutes. Rating: PG. Released on 4K Blu-ray: June 11, 2024.
About Brendan Campbell
