Following the financial and streaming success of “Godzilla vs. Kong,” Warner Bros. (WB for short) and Legendary Pictures green-lit a sequel with the two titular characters teaming up to fight an evil version of King Kong. Meanwhile, human characters played by Rebecca Hall & Brian Tyree Henry reprise their roles as Monarch scientists monitoring Kaiju activity.
“Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire” is finally out. Unlike Toho’s critically acclaimed “Godzilla Minus One,” the former earned mixed reviews from critics. Luckily, its making money at the box office.
This review contains no crucial SPOILERS. Feel free to read my non-spoiler article.
Huge & Tiny Qualities
Huge: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry & Dan Stevens all did a solid job for their respective performances. The latter plays a medic named, Trapper. He helps Kong recover from a nasty wound. Basically, Steve Irwin if he rehabilitates a kaiju.
Adam Wingard did a decent job directing. Don’t forget he also directed the last movie.
Andy Serkis & Toby Kebbell provide uncredited motion capture for the two giants. They previously played them in their solo movies. The 2014 reboot and “Kong: Skull Island.”
Terry Rossio (The Mask of Zorro 1998, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean series) co-wrote the script Simon Barrett & Jeremy Slater.
Action Sequences keep getting bigger and better. Last time, Godzilla & Kong fought each other. Now they’re given upgrades. Kong gets an armored arm and Godzilla’s fins and atomic breath are pink.
Junkie XL (Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool, Zack Snyder’s Justice League) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Visual Effects are Class A.
Humor has a few jokes that made me chuckle. Way funnier than the singing army from “The Marvels.”
Cinematography didn’t succumb to Shaky Cam.
Pacing didn’t feel like a drab. I was hooked since the beginning.
My favorite part is when Kong puts his glove on. A song from one of my favorite bands was the icing on the cake. It earns Bonus Points.
We learn some info about the titular characters’ historical roots.
Human characters were interesting. I liked Trapper and Brian’s character, Bernie Hayes.
Kong meets a little gorilla. Their chemistry’s similar to Kratos & Atreus from “God of War” 2018 and its sequel, “God of War: Ragnarök.” Except Kong doesn’t say “BOY” over and over. The little guy isn’t obnoxious. He’s a capable fighter.
I know what you’re thinking. “Why’s Godzilla’s atomic breath not blue? Well, Toho changed Godzilla’s atomic breath to purple in “Shin Godzilla.” The New Empire introduces a pink variant. I don’t think it’s a problem. I believe the pink blast pays tribute to Goku Black’s Super Saiyan Rose form. As well as firing a pink Kamehameha blast. Goku Black’s an evil version of Goku from “Dragon Ball Super.”
Unlike previous classic Godzilla films, an original Kaiju named, Skar King is an original character like the MUTO from Godzilla’s 2014 reboot. He’s an evil version of Kong. Wields a bone whip with sharp edges. Kinda like Kurama’s rose whip from “YuYu Hakusho.”
Speaking of anime, Kong’s armored arm pays homage to Chad’s fullbring from “Bleach.” Makes sense WB owns the rights to adapt an American live-action Bleach film. Three subtle anime references in a row? Sweet!
A familiar face makes a return. I refuse to spill the beans. You’ll have to see for yourself.
Tiny: Without giving anything away, the titular characters lack screen time together. This is supposed to be a team-up movie with former enemies turned allies working together to save the world. It’s like Jackie Chan without Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour 4.” What’s the point of promoting a team-up movie if you’re not gonna show us movie goers the real deal?
The Final Verdict: A-
Regardless of mixed reviews, I really enjoyed Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire. It was awesome. I understand a lot of critics didn’t like it. Godzilla isn’t supposed to be a Tennessee Williams play. Just a fun popcorn flick with the King of Monsters roaming the streets duking it out with a giant monster. The New Empire may not be on the same level as Godzilla: Minus One, but it’s almost up there. Ignore the naysayers and see the movie yourself. Trust me, you’re gonna have a blast.
I wanna see more kaiju and mecha in the MonsterVerse. Add Ultraman & Gamera into the playground, you get a bigger audience. If any film producer at WB is reading this article, please make it happen.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 