Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsSo, who is the King of Monsters?
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024
"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is a 2024 American monster film based on the Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater cowritten screenplay adaptation of the Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Adam Wingard cowritten narrative, filmed in Gibraltar, Gold Coast, Hawaii, Rio de Janeiro and Village Roadshow Studios, directed by Adam Wingard; a sequel to 2021 Godzilla vs. Kong, the 13th in the King Kong franchise, and the 38th in the Godzilla franchise. The film stars Rebecca Hall as Dr. Ilene Andrews, a scientist and anthropological linguist at Monarch; Brian Tyree Henry as Bernie Hayes, a conspiracy theorist and former Apex employee; Dan Stevens as Trapper, a veterinarian at Monarch; Kaylee Hottle as Jia, last known survivor of the Iwi tribe and Ilene's adopted daughter; Alex Ferns as Mikael, a pilot at Monarch; and Fala Chen as Iwi Queen. Hall, Henry, and Hottle reprise their roles from the previous Godzilla vs. Kong 2021 film. In this film, Kong encounters more of his species in the Hollow Earth and must unite again with Godzilla to stop the tyrannical Skar King and the powerful, frost-breathing Shimo from invading the Earth's surface. Released on March 29, 2024, running 113 minutes.
After the destruction of Hong Kong in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong, the Monarch organization manages to acquire some parts of Mechagodzilla and start constructing the B.E.A.S.T. (Bio Enhanced Anatomech Seismic Thunder) Glove, a gauntlet created by Monarch under the codename "Project Powerhouse" to aid Kong in future conflicts. However, funding for the project eventually stopped, and Outpost 1 within Hollow Earth became the facility to store the B.E.A.S.T. Glove. Opportunity presents the necessity for its first use by Kong in this adventure. This is reminiscent of the Thanos Infinity Gauntlet, the powerful Dwarven-made Uru glove that was designed to channel the power of all six Infinity Stones in the electronic fist from the Marvel Legends Series.
Monarch was founded in the late 1940s ~ 1954 as a secret Japanese-American quasi-governmental coalition in order to hunt and study massive unidentified terrestrial organisms (MUTOs). The 21st century Monarch leader Ishiro Serizawa's father, Eiji, is described as the "founding father" of the organization.
It was disillusioning to see Kong aging with graying fur, getting a false tooth, suffering frostbite, and needing a gauntlet to defeat the simian Titan, Skar King. This should not be. The script and screenwriters do not know the godlike superspecies Kong of folklore, the Mighty King Kong - King of Monsters. Godzilla showed no signs of age. So, who is King of Monsters? Both seemed weak in the face of lesser creatures that paled in comparison to the combatant creatures that came before them. This must be a farce.
I have only a few Godzilla movies but every Kong movie. This 2024 movie is my least favorite; still a worthy addition to my collection.