The term cinematic universe or shared continuity revolves around the concept and execution of taking multiple IPs or characters and tossing them into a sandbox of creative ingenuity to see if they will sink or float. It’s safe to confess that Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Monsterverse” has been an up-and-down rollercoaster ride struggling to find its footing and identity.
Director Adam Wingard’s latest grudge-match main event “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” relies on simple insanity and the glorious tone of seeing a Kaiju free-for-all, which incites a deep nostalgic aroma that left me feeling satiated from the thrill of Saturday morning cartoons again taking center stage on the biggest screen possible while coming off oddly familiar as it is weighed down with clunky editing and mashed storytelling.
The film follows a straightforward plot that warrants elements of praise centered around Godzilla and King Kong’s respective arcs and a tiresome human character side plot. The best portions of the film are when we see the constraints and divergent lifestyles of Godzilla and Kong.
One remains on the surface, acting as the “Final Boss,” only summoned when one of the other titans steps out of line. In contrast, the other is quieter, residing in Hollow Earth, longing to find more of his kind, which feels like an ode and extension to the audience as commentary on finding your identity and discovering your purpose and worth.
Treading back to how the King of the Monsters is portrayed in the film, I would say Gojira doesn’t have a significant role, but his presence is impactful and eventful. The screenplay does a great job of showing us where Godzilla resides and how often he fights, but what ties the execution together is the creativity, such as the impressive video game-like visuals that are masterfully proportioned, as some shots are from the ground.
Other times, the camera will be in portrait mode, showing the strength and size of these giants, which will incite many to erupt in audience joy and rush to find the closest video game controller, as only one would envision the patent life bars would manifest on screen emulating the inner excitement that always leaves a grin on one’s face.
Kong’s role is more fleshed out — as it’s clear that the film is from his perspective — which works in its favor. We see him interact with almost all of the human cast. He takes on the villain, the Skar King, a skinny, reddish ape, the latest villain of the week type, that leads to some great drama and spectacular action rewarding the film’s runtime of 115 minutes, which does feel a tad kitchen sink at times.
Another addition to this universe is a reddish miniature ape dubbed “Kong Jr.” by many fans, but his actual name is Suko. He is incredibly adorable, and I felt he was included in the film to give younger audience members a loveable accessory to attach to while marketing and selling merchandise. However, upon a second rewatch, I think Suko’s role does more than that as he comes off as the embodiment of the stolen childhood that Kong never experienced, as he always felt he was the last of his kind, rendering him vulnerable and extremely angry and grizzled by the time we see in “Kong: Skull Island” (2017), meaning that his arc is coming full circle developing Kong into the King we all know and love.
This brings me to the point of how the Godzilla franchise has been utilized in many different aspects, from the Academy Award-winning “Godzilla: Minus One,” which is a visual achievement knowing that the film was created from a minuscule 15 million dollar budget, now forever documented as a masterpiece that bears the narrative of survival and the pursuit of human adversity in the sheer terror of knowing nature must not be trifled, and the challenges our hubris awakens as the doomsday clock ticks closer to midnight.
Let it be known that “Minus One” has no connection or relation to the “Monsterverse.” Still, it does raise the question of films and stories built around Godzilla’s effect having an eerie atmosphere, where the character is a surreal force of nature juxtaposed to other incarnations that are giant raging mascots harken to the days of the IP’s inception with the Toho franchise films, which essentially allows the audience and writers to have their cake and eat it too.
Now, I don’t have any issue with either rendition. I feel the struggle I found watching “New Empire” is balancing tones and motivations. Do I admit that I enjoyed seeing Hollow Earth fleshed out and given a sense of touch and territory? Yes, but I need to add that “New Empire” thrives when it slows down and allows the audience to see various types of titans and Kaiju, the ecosystems, from the grasslands to the claustrophobic jungles to the lava-infested prison where the Great Apes are banished. Instead of tight sets that feel copied and pasted from the year 2008, building to the principle that the film does a great job of squeezing out every ounce of its $135 million budget, but feels dated at moments.
Another challenge these films need help with is including a human side plot. Recent films either absorb the screenplay with tiresome exposition, goofy joy, or stretched-out threads that never resolve. It’s pretty simple, as sometimes people want to see giant monsters duke it out and suplex each other into the great pyramids reminiscent of the professional wrestling landscape, not quiver in fear of the end of the world. Note that this is only the tip of the iceberg with how creative and out-of-the-box the action gets throughout the film.
It was redeemable to include the human side plot even though it felt like a blender of multiple concurrent and familiar stories were jumbled. But to an extent seeing Dan Stevens, who was a bonafide scene stealer as a Titan doctor, who brought the comedy at times when it was required to break up the fun and end-of-the-world cliche evident, is well worth the price of admission. When you see Stevens arrive, you are in for a treat. His appearance is very close to jumping to the shark treatment.
Returning to the fray were also Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry from prior films, who naturally advanced the plot and provided comedic as the constraint exposition to showcase that everything has a reason, is quietly undertoned in the background, reminding the viewer what’s going on. I admit the audience feels a sense of immersion due to elements such as the simple score, which provides excellent tension and creative sound design to the experience. Hearing the classic Godzilla theme or the roar of Kong erupted my theater into a sweet cacophony of euphoria.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is the equivalent of that perfect bowl of cereal that many thought was once stale but retains a sweet flavor all these years later. It’s an ideal escape from the oversaturation of films constantly churning from the corporate treadmill.
I highly recommend this film if you’re looking for a great popcorn flick to usher in a perfect end-of-the-night scenario.
