Gloriously nerdy, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire gives us a super-charged Godzilla, a robotic fist for King Kong, and more creatures than you could ever imagine, as this fifth installment in the MonsterVerse saga heads to Hollow Earth. If you’re partial to such things, you’ll have a blast, especially under the guidance of returning director Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong), who has an eye for giving the fantastic a dash of charisma and wit. (Case in point: Godzilla’s new habit of taking a nap while curled up in Rome’s Colosseum.) Rebecca Hall is back as Ilene Andrews, the scientist leading an expedition to investigate a signal coming from Hollow Earth, a signal that is disturbing Kong in his new kingdom while also tempting Godzilla to investigate from the surface above. While the two title beasts do clash—blessedly, in a showdown that takes place under the bright Egyptian sun, rather than CGI-obfuscating rain, and includes a great moment where Kong drags an annoyed Godzilla through the pyramids by his tail—eventually they team up against a new threat. (Spoilers ahead.) That would be the Skar King, a Titan simian lording over an oppressed community of primates and apes deep within Hollow Earth. Lanky but fierce, he offers a clever contrast to Kong as a scheming despot rather than a brute force. In Godzilla x Kong, it’s all about the imaginatively envisioned confrontations between behemoths like these (thankfully there’s little human drama except for a dull middle stretch). Kong brings the personality, Godzilla brings the power, and we get to have the fun.
(3/28/2024)
