Like its predecessor, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is not Citizen Kane but also like its predecessor, it could be a contender for the Citizen Kane of monster movies. More so than its predecessor. Lessons have clearly been learnt since Godzilla Vs Kong as all the minor faults in that film are eradicated in The New Empire, resulting in a leaner and funnier film. The only problem is its title.
It’s got Godzilla in it.
Jia (Kaylee Hottle) and her adoptive mother Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) follow Kong deeper into the Hollow Earth as the great ape ventures into uncharted territory. He discovers a tribe of giant apes that are led by an orangutan-like creature called the Scar King. Kong tries to prevent the Scar King from reaching the surface to wreak havoc while Godzilla, in preparation for the Scar King’s arrival, undergoes a physical metamorphosis that will make him more powerful than ever.
The Humans
Right off the bat, The New Empire makes a great first move by casting the best characters from Godzilla Vs Kong as the leads. Since the defeat of Mechagodzilla, we see that Jia is attending an academy but she isn’t fitting in or making friends. Being the last of the Iwi, the only people she can really relate to are Ilene and Kong. We get an insight into how Kong saved Jia while Skull Island was sinking, something the last film barely touched upon. It’s nice to see that gap filled.
Concerned about Jia’s loneliness, Ilene contemplates how her daughter is going to live in the modern world. Things get interesting when, as well as the Skar King and his army, Jia and Ilene discover a lost tribe of Iwi in the Hollow Earth.
This puts Ilene in a difficult position because on the one hand, she’d be happy to see Jia in a place where she fits in and is understood. But on the other, she can’t stand to let her daughter go. This is decent drama and feels like a natural progression for the characters from where we left them.
Brian Tyree Henry returns as Bernie, the other best character from Godzilla Vs Kong. He joins Jia and Ilene on their expedition where he is in his element as he sees what he’s only spoken about on his podcast. The comic relief he provides is great, consistently funny and never bordering on annoying.
Dan Stevens plays Trapper, a ‘vet’ for Titans. I’ll be honest, I was worried he was just going to be a stand-in for Alexander Skarsgård’s character from the last film. Fortunately, Trapper is a distinct character with his own unique function. He also becomes a source of comic relief as he interacts with Bernie, which is once again consistently funny and not hard to watch.
The Monsters
Kong goes places in The New Empire that he not only hasn’t in the Monsterverse but in history. He finally gets an arch nemesis in the Scar King; the Sherlock to his Moriarty, the Joker to his Batman.
We know that Kong has birthed children in previous incarnations, whether it’s in Son of Kong or King Kong Lives, but we’ve never seen him raise one. While mapping the uncharted region of the Hollow Earth, he encounters a juvenile ape from the Scar King’s tribe. I don’t recall him being named in the film but all the marketing materials call him Suko. The scenes of him and Kong developing their bond are some of the best in the whole film. They’re funny and even tense at times but good cinema with their non-verbal storytelling.
When he’s fighting monsters, Godzilla’s great. As expected. Beyond that, his inclusion is very deserving of scrutiny. With a single rewrite The New Empire could’ve easily been a Kong solo film.
Godzilla’s arc is purely physical. At the beginning, he’s not able to fight the Scar King. By the end he is. That’s it. Godzilla underwent more change in King of the Monsters. Even in the last film he served as a secondary antagonist, here he’s just an extra soldier for the final battle.
There is a good sequel in this film and it should’ve been called Kong: The New Empire.
Or Kong: The New Kingdom, a better title in my opinion (call me Warner Brothers).
Does that let it down? For Godzilla fans it certainly does. I wouldn’t recommend it to them but knowing they’ll watch anything with the G-man in it, I’ll just say be warned.
In all other areas, The New Empire is a great follow-up to Godzilla Vs Kong. It’s a pity it doesn’t give one of its titular creatures much to do. Not the best in the series but not exactly the worst, The New Empire is another well-made romp that still has me hungry for more.
I give Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire a furry, scaly 8 out of 10.
Duffhood 