I’ve gotta be honest - I can’t quite place where we ended up in the King Kong, Godzilla universe. While I’ve heard that the Apple TV show Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is brilliant, I haven’t had time to catch up on it yet, to see where it all sits, and the last Godzilla Kong film I have the vague memory of Milly Bobby Brown being in it. But it really doesn’t matter if you’ve seen and can remember all the details of the previous installments or are coming to this film fresh with no background knowledge whatsoever. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is a swashbuckling adventure film, stuffed full with beautifully rendered creatures, but unfortunately it lacks a little bit of heart. 

 

The epic battle continues!  The cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

 

While previous installments of the recent Godzilla and Kong films have followed in the oversized footprints of the classic giant monster films - oversized animals scrapping one another - Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a different kind of beast. This feels more like an epic adventure film, with a strange new world and even stranger and bizarre creatures.

 

This is one of the strengths of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire - the world building is outstandingly realized and beautiful with an aesthetic that is reminiscent of 50’s sci-fi adventure films. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to deeply care for gigantic, CGI rendered creatures, even though there are some touching moments throughout. But the bombastic, earth shattering action sequences make this outing more than worth the price of admission. 

 

While Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is a swashbuckling adventure film, stuffed full with beautifully rendered creatures, but unfortunately it lacks a little bit of heart.