Movie Review: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) directed by Adam Wingard

Kong is searching for other great apes in the Hollow Earth, a realm below the Earth's surface where a lot of primitive and prehistoric things live. His melancholy wanderings yield little more than an infected tooth. He returns to the surface where Trapper (Dan Stephens) gets him a replacement tooth courtesy of Monarch, an agency monitoring Kong's activities along with those of all the Titans on the Earth's surface. The main Titan is Godzilla, who wanders around fighting other Titans, typically stopping them from hurting humans (though there is plenty of destruction in his battles). Kong and Godzilla have been living peaceably thanks to living in separate parts of the world. Kong returns below the surface after his dental care and resumes his search for other apes. He becomes successful when he discovers an even deeper layer called the Subterranean World. The apes there live under the oppression of Scar King, a red ape with a bone whip and an enslaved Titan whose breath freezes things. Scar King wants to return to the surface of the Earth but has been kept in check by the Iwi people, a civilization whose only surface members used to live on Skull Island (where Kong was discovered back in the 1960s). The only survivor from Skull Island is Jia (Kaylee Hottle) who has been adopted by Monarch mid-level manager Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). Their investigation into Kong's activities leads them to the Iwi civilization, creating some dramatic tensions for the humans. The conflicts between the monsters ramps up too.

The plot is quite outlandish. As if the Hollow Earth was not enough, there's an even deeper level! And a deeper mythology to go with it! The monsters behave more or less intelligently depending on the needs of advancing the story. The whole situation is a bit hard to take seriously, though probably no one expects to take it seriously. Some of the fight scenes are entertaining, though my pet peeve of the "obviously meant to be seen in 3D" bits of action are a little annoying when I am not watching it in 3D. The special effects are good if not always convincing. The ending was fairly standard without much surprise or satisfaction.

Mildly recommended--this is more of a special effects extravaganza with some good fight scenes between the monsters. I was entertained but not wowed. The story needs a lot of work.