HOLLYWOOD—I had a ball watching this movie in the theater which is something I don’t say often and I’m referring to “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.” There are humans in this movie, there are characters, but those characters come nowhere close to the titans that dominate this flick which are Godzilla and Kong. You do have to suspend reality watching this movie because things unfold that don’t actually make sense. You have Earth and then you have Hollow Earth which is like the depths of Earth where various creatures live like Kong, Godzilla and a host of others.
The visual effects of the creatures are awesome. I mean I was left speechless watching some of the sequences in this movie. More on that later because we want to chat about the narrative which finds Kong on an exploratory mission after he meets a Suko, a juvenile ape of his species that spikes Kong’s interest. He battles other apes that are part of Suko’s home, and he discovers a realm of his species that he never imagined. Kong is not the only one of his species and he soon learns they are not fans of his, especially the Scar King.
Scar is a viable villain and goes toe-to-toe with Kong and gaining the edge as a result of his ability to control an ancient foe of Godzilla, Shimo, who has powers similar to Godzilla, but it is ice. Yeah, ice and it’s a big disadvantage against Kong himself. The bond between Kong and Suko is so heartwarming and as a viewer you are immersed into the narrative because of those characters.
Back to our human counterparts, the tale is led by Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) who does a solid job in her role who knows more about Kong and the Hollow Earth than anyone else. She is aided on her journey by her adoptive daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle) who was the heart of the previous “Godzilla v. Kong” flick that I found so intriguing. She was the heart of the movie. Dan Stevens gives a few laughs as Trapper, but Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie was forgettable and annoyed me in the flick. His antics were not funny; they just didn’t work this go around.
It was fun seeing Jia realize she IS NOT the last remaining person of the Iwi tribe, and we see that bond develop as a focal point that kicks the narrative into full gear. The first half of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” takes a bit of time to get its footing and that is a result of the writers trying to develop these human characters, that the viewer truly doesn’t care that much about. Once we get over that element, and the creatures become the focal point the action which is consistent throughout the ENTIRE MOVIE really amplifies way higher.
The fight sequence involving Godzilla, Shimo, Kong and the Scar King is epic. There is a sequence where the characters are fighting while jumping over and through rocks that is done in slow motion that left me in awe and that is a direct result of Adam Wingard. This movie is not about to leave you with some deep thought, it simply a popcorn flick that finds a way to keep you fully entertained for two hours and I loved every minute of it.
New flash: never been a fan of Godzilla and that first flick was so dreadful I feel asleep in the movie theater. Kong on the other hand has always been exciting and when you have these two titans united to battle a common enemy it works better than them fighting against one another. Kids and adults alike will enjoy “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.” Did I understand the title? Not one bit, but it truly doesn’t matter here.
