Is It REALLY That BAD? - Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire REVIEW (Spoiler-Free)

the monsterverse continues with its fifth theatrical ounting following Godzilla Kong Skull Island Godzilla king of the monsters and Godzilla versus Kong we have Godzilla Kong the new Empire Adam Wingard returns to direct which marks the first time a monsterverse film has been helmed by the same creative mind as the last which means tonally and thematically we should expect it to follow through with what was set up in the previous film which could be seen as a good or bad thing depending on your perspective hype has been building for the last 2 years since its announcement we've made news updates breakdowns law videos theories all leading to this but has it been worth it to which I say if you were sold on the idea of Godzilla and Kong teaming up to fight other giant monsters then you get exactly what you came for first I'd like to mention this review is spoiler free so for those that have yet to watch it don't worry we've got you covered we won't be discussing stuff that the trailers didn't reveal the new installment of the monsterverse pits the mighty Kong and the Fearsome Godzilla against a colossal deadly threat hidden within our world that threatens the existence of their species and our very own as well as diving deep into the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond delving straight into the origins of the hollow Earth this film will explore the ancient Titan battle that brought man and monster together forever so how was it well let's get out of the way this is very much a Kong movie he is the main character he's in it probably more than any other character and he's the one that goes through the most change it's a Kong centered story and that aspect is easily the most engaging part of the film he's more mature now than he was in the previous film he's learning his place in The Wider world but you get the feeling that he Longs for more and is constantly on alert to any potential others of his kind it's the classic fairy tale story of a princess wanting more except our princess is a big Hairy Ape so when we see him encountering other members of his species like suko or the scar King it really feels like a big moment for the character something that's been built up since Skull Island and it pays off massively Wingard has taken very careful steps to make sure the nonverbal storytelling is as effective as possible the monsters don't talk to one another it's not that simple but with their body language and actions they perform it gets across exactly what the Titans are thinking it gets to the point where we don't see them as monsters but as fully developed characters and that's something that hasn't really been achieved in Monster films before so it makes following Kong really engaging about half the film is spent with the monsters so we really get to spend a lot of time getting into their heads so in that regard Kong in the new Empire is the best he's ever been but what about the headline act Godzilla well he unfortunately kind of feels like an afterthought which makes sense considering the film was originally developed as son of Kong every now and again the film would cut back to whatever he was doing just to remind us he's definitely in the film he's as imposing as ever though rampaging through cities and causing widespread destruction even if accidental every moment he's on screen is joy and I like the little bits of attention to detail like he will occasionally snap and Roar at a helicopter for flying too close and I just love his new evolved form however the film doesn't really do much with the new Evolution he's just about as powerful as he was at the start of the film and apparently he's not any bigger so why did they change the design oh yeah to sell toys doesn't bother me too much because I do really like this design and have bought the toys but Godzilla overall in this film comes across as relatively unimportant and just a plot device used to help Kong fight the bad guy at the end speaking of bad guy the antagonist of the film the scar King is insane literally and figuratively he's such a pleasure to watch because he's just so crazy you can tell he's evil and just loves being it he comes across as that maniacal ruler I was really hoping he would be someone that leads through fear he's also a pretty complex villain in the sense he's not the strongest Titan in the universe or the largest but he's got wit speed and numbers at his side as well as the giant Frost Titan shimo they tried to hide this Titan in the trailers but not well enough and her reveal scene is one of my favorite moments in the monsterverse there's a lot more to this character than just being some big evil Titan so I won't discuss much but what I will say for both shimo and the scar King is they weren't actually in the film for that long in fact they don't even show up until halfway into the film which was pretty disappointing since when they were on screen they were fantastic there are just so many monsters throughout the film both new and recognizable and all leave a lasting impact but what about the CGI since that first trailer I've seen a lot of discourse over whether they're good or bad and to be honest it's pretty mixed some shots look great whilst others look Half Baked all the hollow Earth stuff is amazing weter really did an incredible job here but with the surface world it's a bit wonky and it stepped down from Godzilla versus Kong although to be fair to the film we've never had this much monster action in a monsterverse film before it's practically an animated film so they're going to have to make certain Cuts in order to get more shots done so it's a sacrifice that I'm okay with personally as long as it's engaging and doesn't take me out of it I'm fine with it Godzilla's no stranger to wonky effects obviously the Monsters play a huge role in the film but what about the parts spent with the humans thankfully that's also pretty good there's not a single boring character in the film even Side characters like Michael played by Alex ferns stand out as this rough mercenary that works for Monarch that everyone kind of treats like the his pain in the ass my favorite has to be Trapper he's just such a joy to watch Dan Stevens eats this roll up and his character has this fun little Bromance with Bernie who returns from Godzilla versus Kong but the role I was most looking forward to was Gia and her acting Talent has only improved in the last 3 years since Godzilla versus Kong but it unfortunately felt like she was underutilized don't get me wrong she is ingal to the plot and like Kong is a beating heart that gives the film a soul but she doesn't really have many scenes with Kong which were the highlights of the previous film I was hoping to see their relationship grow but if anything the film has distanced them which is a bit sad but I'm still very happy with the human cast all around it never feels like there's too many people I'm never bored by any of the characters we respect E Andrews for how she's caring for Gia and she's taken an even greater maternal role this time around and Tra contrast that by being this free-spirited hippie archetype and saying this now we need a TV show based on Trapper just helping Titans there's no characters mourning over their child or brother or father it's just some people going on an adventure which makes for a refreshing change of pace there is a lot of jokes and a lot of them did make me laugh which might annoy some people wanting a more serious Kaiju film so what about the story itself is it really just an excuse for dumb monster action like so many people have said well yes and no the story is very straightforward and gives plenty of opportunity for us to engage with epic Titan Mayhem and there are a lot of contrivances and some pretty shoddy writing but there is an element of depth to both Kong and Gia that help give the story an emotional root there's themes of Oppression here and the loss some might feel when taken from their culture they help turn the film into something more than just a some monster movie like Meg 2 or Rampage but considering the film's working title was Origins it doesn't really feel like I came out of the film knowing more about the history of the Titans than I did before there's a lot of surface level Exposition that regurgitates stuff we either already knew or speculated on long ago and some of it even contradicts what was already established I was really hoping they'd go in depth but unfortunately not but in regards to the editing the film is very fast-paced and I mean it's insanely fast I left the cinema overwhelmed and unsure what to make of it purely because so much happened and with that short 1 hour 55 minute run time they either had to sacrifice some scenes or oversimplify the story and I have a feeling it's both they don't really give the film any breathing room to just sit and allow us to soak in the atmosphere so whilst there's a lot more scenes of monsters in action the sequences are sure shorter and more chaotic the final fight is shockingly short and because it's so fast-paced nothing really stands out it's not like king of the monsters where everyone remembers gora's hypergravity beam attack or 2014 with the atomic breath scene in the new Empire everything kind of just mushes together as this chaotic finale and it isn't quite as satisfying as it could be now finally let's talk about that music junky XL is back which is both a good thing and a bad thing it's good because it means for the first time music cues will follow through from the previous film which will help make the films feel more connected the bad news is his previous score left a lot to be desired there were some bangers in Godzilla versus Kong but it was mostly just all right so in the new Empire the score is yeah it's also all right it again boils down to a lot of bombastic electronic instruments which yeah will sound great on IMAX but don't really make me feel anything it's a lot more upbeat this time around almost superhero sounding which I guess is to complement the Godzilla and Kong team up Godzilla Kong the new Empire is such a Fantastical Adventure from start to finish it will always keep you on your toes with stunning new locations fun characters and great monster action but it's not just about these scenes of chaotic destruction the non-verbal storytelling really transcends what you back from the genre and deliver something never before seen an experience where we get to stand alongside 300t tall Titans and experienced their way of life but it is flawed the Lightning Fast Pace make it hard to really appreciate what's happening the writing can be very contrived and overly simple and the final fight isn't as impactful as it could be and in the end I couldn't help but feel scaring shimo and Gia and Godzilla were underutilized which is a shame because when they were on screen they shine bright it is a massively enjoyable and Charming film that will only get better on rewatches as I find the little details that I didn't spot on my initial viewing I'm going to give Godzilla Kong the new Empire eight Dougs out of 10 I had a big grin on my face throughout and I have a feeling you will too films like this are really what the theater was made for bear in mind everyone's opinion on the film might change over time with more rewatches I'm sure I'm going to love it even more when I see it in IMAX which is really the way this film should be watched but what did you think about the new empire did you like it let us know in the comment section down below remember no spoilers if you want more Godzilla Kong content subscribe and stomp the notification button to become a resident of dangerville today and be sure to give this video a big old Kongs siiz thumbs up I've been aliser and we'll see you residents in the next one [Music] a

Channel: DangerVille

Views: 280,478

Keywords: godzilla, dinosaurs, kong, monsters, vs, jurassic park, jurassic world, dinosaur movies, monster movies, kaiju, T Rex, king kong, monsterverse, toho, lore, godzilla news, godzilla vs kong, new monster movies, monster lore, skull island, godzilla x kong, the new empire, breakdown, analysis, theory, monster fights, monster battles, godzilla x kong the new empire, godzilla minus one, godzilla minus one trailer, monarch legacy of monsters trailer, review, gxk review, spoiler free, in depth

Id: Z1-gfpUG1P0

Length: 12min 49sec (769 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 28 2024