Film Review

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) — big and monstrous, but not in a good way

Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, partner in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull Island’s mysteries.

Three years after their cataclysmic encounter, King Kong dwells inside Hollow Earth, while Godzilla reigns supreme over the Earth. The two iconic kaiju are peacefully separated, with no reason to intrude upon each other’s territory. However, when a primeval force threatens to rise to the surface and bring an apocalypse to mankind, it will take the combined might of the two monsters to stop it.

Adam Wingard’s latest outing fails to become truly exhilarating due to a surfeit of characters with insufficient screen time allocated to each. A general unwillingness to poke fun at itself ensures the film is never as funny or enjoyable as it ought to be. Perhaps I’m treating the subject matter too seriously, but I’d argue the director has already done that: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire spends far too long trying to establish…