Godzilla X Kong: The New Standard for Kaiju Films?
Josh B.
There’s no denying it: there’s never been a better time to be a Godzilla fan. With an Academy Award winning Japanese film in Godzilla Minus One, prestige television series like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and their forthcoming spinoffs, fans like me are completely flooded with top-quality Kaiju content. And on top of everything, we have a brand-new Hollywood blockbuster – Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. But, just how exactly does this new contender measure up to its lofty competition? Let’s discuss.
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (Or GXK, for short) is the direct sequel to 2021’s Godzilla VS. Kong, and takes place in the near future of 2027. Kong has taken up residence in the Hollow Earth, a world beneath our own, while Godzilla claims dominion over the surface. However, when a threat from deep beneath the Hollow Earth emerges, Kong must seek out the aid of his one-time-enemy to stop it before the world is forever changed.
GXK, and by extension the MonsterVerse as a whole, has now embraced the wild, over-the-top tone of the 1970s Godzilla films, complete with futuristic gadgets, fantastical settings and incredibly fun monster battles. This era, known to fans as the Showa Era of Godzilla films, is what made me fall in love with the series to begin with, and so you can imagine just how much I adore the tone of this film.
The human element is something not to be ignored here, despite what other critics may have you believe. Brian Tyree Henry makes a wonderful return as the Kaiju conspiracy theorist Bernie, and I actually liked his character more here than I did in his initial outing in Godzilla VS. Kong. He felt more natural in his performance, and his motivation as a man who’s yet to be vindicated for his beliefs made him relatable. Kaylee Hottle is once more the standout, with the actress caught between two worlds after finding that there is a tribe of her people living in the Hollow Earth, while wanting to stay with her adoptive mother, Dr. Ilene Andrews (played by Rebecca Hall). Her inner conflict is what drives the human drama of this film, which would otherwise be pretty barebones on things for people to do.
By far, the strongest element of Godzilla X Kong is the monsters themselves. Kong in particular has a truly terrific journey that he goes on, discovering a whole colony of Great Apes in the Hollow Earth after living his entire life alone on Skull Island. However, what should be a heartwarming reunion turns into a nightmare as it turns out Kong’s race is held in the iron grip of a dictatorial giant orangutan called the Skar King. There are huge chunks of the film dedicated to Kong simply interacting with the other apes, done entirely without dialogue or even subtitles. It reminded me of the new Planet of the Apes trilogy in the best way – and honestly made me believe a MonsterVerse movie done entirely without humans could work.
Great Apes Colony - From GVK
SUKO
Another great part of GXK is Suko, or “Mini-Kong” as he is referred to in the film. Suko meets Kong early on, and while you’d expect Suko to be the cute, cuddly character to get kids to like him, he’s a much more complex character. Having dealt for years with abuse at the hands of his father, Skar King, he’s initially violent, conniving, and resentful. Yet, as he and Kong get to know one another, they develop a strong, healthy bond. It was truly refreshing to see the “Baby” character done in a more innovative way.
The Eyes of Shimo
Skar King, the film’s villain, is a fantastic addition to the rogue’s gallery of Godzilla villains. Skar is manipulative, cruel, and intelligent. He’s enslaved the male apes to do his bidding, while the females care for his children out of fear. He rules with an iron fist and with the help of an ancient ice titan named Shimo, who he controls with pain. Skar King feels like one of the most unique Kaiju villains to date, as we’ve never seen such a hierarchy displayed in one of these movies before. Most, if not all of Godzilla’s villains are simply other Kaiju that want nothing more than to destroy the world or claim Godzilla’s territory as their own. Skar King is a far more intelligent creature, with his own designs not just for the surface world, but for any Kaiju who stands in his way. The closest thing the Godzilla franchise has had to Skar King is probably Gabara, a monster who bullied Godzilla’s son Minilla in 1969’s All Monsters Attack. But Skar King is far, far worse than a simple bully – he’s a warlord, and that makes him dangerous.
I truly do love Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, but it isn’t a perfect film. My major gripe with it is the simple fact that this feels more like a Kong movie than a Godzilla film, or an even team-up adventure. Godzilla has the least amount of screentime here than in any other MonsterVerse film, and you really do feel his absence, especially in the middle of the movie. He gets plenty of time to shine in the third act, but it’s just a shame to me that the headlining monster feels more like a featured player here. I do understand that the director (Adam Wingard) had a story to tell with Kong, and that a giant ape is more relatable than a giant dinosaur, but I hope we’ll get to see more of the Big G in his next outing in the MonsterVerse.
Overall, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is a fun, action-packed experience from start to finish. It’s a great popcorn flick, and it never really tries to be anything more than that. At the end of the day, sometimes that’s exactly what you want from a movie. I give Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire a solid 4.5 out of 5.
