And because I read Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong the night before, I get the sense fans are being groomed for what’s to come. In the Monsterverse, superheroes do not exist. Having people in power armour does, and when considering Mecha Godzilla was introduced the prior film, I suspect putting a human in battle armour ala Pacific Rim can make anyone look super powered like Lex in his giant robot! If my theory is true, I’ll keep watching despite how repetitive the ideas are getting in setting up the future for this franchise.
After considering the comic and film were developed without the creative teams talking to each other to avoid reusing certain narrative elements, I have to wonder if someone forgot to check on quality control. That’s unless there’s an agenda to say it’s okay to not only have the heroes do very little but also kill off a few monsters in one universe and let them live in another.
As for MONARCH keeping tabs on that, they’re useless as usual. They got some neat tech to graft onto the ape and when the music that goes along with it is very Guardians of the Galaxy style, I think the franchise has lost its mojo. I loved this Monsterverse up to when Kong fought Godzilla, but to recognize them as tag team partners is too much. Thankfully, the mutant lizard doesn’t see the relationship that way.
The better narrative was when Doctor Serizawa kept things mysterious. But when that civilization was finally revealed, the huge info dump was just that. I have questions. One of them concerns whether MONARCH will send scientists in to learn how antigravity works, and build some tech to prepare for what’s next. Since rock can be easily be moved around like Tetris blocks, will the Giza pyramids be repaired?
In The New Empire, all that revelation falls flat when Trapper (Dan Stevens) says to Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), who’s going to believe you? Despite getting footage of a tribe moving rocks like they are paper mache, my question is will any of this science get used for the next film?
When there’s a new terror in town, this battle scared simian’s desire to rule everything is very Conquest of the Planet of the Apes-ish. He’s like Drago from How to Train Your Dragon 2 and similarly, has a giant beast under his control to maintain his order. Much like the animated movie, there’s a frosty Bewilderbeast who can freeze the world, and it’s known as Shimo.
Had there been some unexpected element not teased in all the early marketing and action figure releases, I’d probably like Godzilla x Kong The New Empire more. I knew Mothra would return since there was a hint, and as for that gauntlet Kong is wearing, its inclusion was a matter of convenience. That story explaining why it’s stored in MONARCH’s Hollow Earth facility didn’t feel all that believable.
Although this latest is more about giving viewers that wow factor when the titans fight it out, I still want a human element to reinforce why this movie matters. After Godzilla Minus One, there’s a new benchmark every future Kaiju type film must measure up to. And this film doesn’t even achieve that with the subplot with Jia (Kaylee Hottle) and her adoptive mom, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). The young teen doesn’t feel at home in this surface world. And when there’s a mysterious radio signal that only she can sense, it’s like there’s a prophecy calling her home.
And as for where she makes her permanent residence, hopefully everyone else agrees. That’s because MONARCH won’t be letting her settle into a normal life, like Madison Russell, who is nowhere to be found. Since she’s the only one able to connect with Kong, she’ll be around. I’m sure Doctors Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling are somewhere too. They are this franchise’s answer to the twins who can communicate with Mothra. All of them may return, but only time will tell if this series may offer a story like Destroy All Monsters!
I’d love to see Jet Jaguar should the franchise continue, and it all depends on what kaiju Warner/Legendary Pictures has the rights to. The perfect surprise would be Gamera; and perhaps the most left field is bringing Ultraman, since they are the cosmic police. That would mean some massive alien threat is coming, and to have that would be a fan’s ultimate dream come true!
3½ Stars out of 5