At the very least, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empiredelivers on itsbiggest promise.
You get to seelots of giant creaturesfighting other giant creatures.
And so the bulk of Godzilla x Kong is about unraveling this mystery.
The boys are back.Image: Warner Bros.
What is spooking these two titans and what does it mean?
Something else is happening too.
Alongside the main mystery, Wingard and his team attempt to present these familiar creatures in unfamiliar ways.
Kong ventures through Hollow Earth.Image: Warner Bros.
There are moments between fights where we see them in simpler, everyday situations.
Kong takes a shower.
Godzilla takes multiple naps.
Image: Warner Bros.
Kong meets a character named Suko, with whom he develops a paternal relationship.
Seemingly, the idea is to humanize the characters while also giving Godzilla x Kong its own MonsterVerse perspective.
Its well-intentioned, but ultimately not all that additive.
This is Stevens in every scene.Image: Warner Bros.
In the grand tradition of the MonsterVerse movies, human characters are more or less an afterthought here too.
And so, talented actors like Rebecca Hall and Bryan Tyree Henry get mostly lost in the mix.
One person who does get the assignment though is Dan Stevens.
Beyond him, everyone else just feels like set dressing.
Plus, everything builds in a way thats almost too methodical for this genre.
Now, I shouldnt admit this, but I will.
If Godzilla x Kong had just stuck the landing, I wouldve been happy.
On paper, multiple Godzilla movies released in such close proximity wouldnt be a problem.
Especially if theyre both tonally frivolous and fun.
But Godzilla Minus One gave us excitement as well as emotion and poignancy.
Why did Minus One work so well and this one doesnt?
Ideally, there would be no connection between the two.
Theyre different movies, different filmmakers, different everything save for one giant, green character.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is not a bad movie.
Its not painful to watch.
There are good ideas in it along with beautiful visuals.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now in theaters.
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