Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (English) Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Adam Wingard

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Synopsis:
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE is the story of two titans facing another challenge. After the events of GODZILLA VS. KONG [2021], Kong has settled at Hollow Earth and is desperately trying to find his family. Since he’s unable to do so, he feels low. Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) has set up a station at Hollow Earth to monitor Kong’s movements. She works from Monarch’s base at Barbados where they have dug another opening to travel to Hollow Earth. Irene enrols Jia (Kaylee Hottle) in a local school but she finds it difficult to adjust. She senses something which she pours into her drawings. Meanwhile, the seismograph patterns from Hollow Earth match the drawings of Jia. Realizing the idea of comparing the two is crazy, Irene doesn’t tell anyone about it. But she does meet Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) since she knows that he’s the only one who would accept her theory. Suddenly, an emergency arises and she has to rush to Barbados. Bernie also joins her. Kong, while exploring Hollow Earth, ends up at the Subterranean Realm, which is an area uncharted by Monarch. Here, he gets the shock of his life as he meets fellow members of his species. Meanwhile, Godzilla has once again got activated. He’s deriving power from different sources and is getting stronger, leaving the world leaders and Monarch to wonder why he is doing so. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Story Review:
Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s story is a bit complicated but on the plus side, it’s not run-of-the-mill. Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater’s screenplay is very engaging. One does get restless till a certain point as it takes a while to understand where the story is heading. But once things get clear, it turns out to be a fun entertainer. The dialogues are simple and funny though the humour of the last part is missing.

Adam Wingard’s direction is first-rate. Though the storyline is complex, his execution is straightforward. He doesn’t rush into things and ensures that there’s enough meat at every minute from start to finish. The story ventures into unexpected territories (quite literally). Ultimately, all these subplots come together beautifully. Of course, the USP of the film is to see the battle between Godzilla and Kong. That takes a while but once that happens, it takes the impact many notches higher. It is sure to induce claps and whistles in theatres across the world. Some of the other scenes that work are Bernie’s experience on the flight to Hollow Earth, Kong meeting the ‘Mini Kong’, Kong meeting his nemesis in the Subterranean Realm, Jia meeting the Iwi tribe members etc.

On the flipside, the audience might feel restless since Godzilla and Kong come face to face only after a certain part, unlike in GODZILLA VS. KONG where they had an encounter early in the first half. Though the subplots merge very well with the principal story, it takes a while for that to happen. This can also hamper the impact since the audience will be left wondering what exactly is happening and whether they’ll get their money’s worth. A few aspects will go above the heads of a section of those viewers, who are going to catch this flick just for the action and mass moments.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Performances:
Rebecca Hall has a different look at this time and her performance is spot-on. Kaylee Hottle steals the show. Her role is much more defined this time. Brian Tyree Henry, as expected, is very entertaining and contributes to the film’s laughter quotient. Dan Stevens (Trapper) lends able support. Fala Chen (Iwi Queen) is lovely. Alex Ferns (Mikael) is okay.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie music and other technical aspects:
Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio’s music doesn’t get registered in most scenes as it gets dominated by the noise and the roar of the Titans. Ben Seresin’s cinematography is stylish and the grand action scenes are well captured. Tom Hammock’s production design is grand. Emily Seresin’s costumes are realistic. The action is a bit gory. VFX matches global standards. Josh Schaeffer’s editing is satisfactory.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Movie Conclusion:
On the whole, GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE has several exciting and whistle-worthy moments for the masses as well as classes. At the box office, it is set for a huge opening and has the potential to even cross the Rs. 100 crore mark.