Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – Film Review

Director Adam Wingard
Writers Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater
Stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens

The last edition of this franchise was Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). This time out, we get Godzilla x Kong. It’s slightly difficult to know what the ‘x’ stands for.  Is it multiplied by? If Godzilla x Kong = 30, and Kong + Mothra = 13…. The other option is that x stands for kiss, which would make this a ‘love against all odds’ story! They came from different sides of the tracks but nothing could keep the apart! Sadly, I’m still not quite sure what the ‘x’ stands for but it does mean a lot of CGI battles between giant Lizards and Monkeys!

We meet a lot of characters you may or may not remember from previous versions of the franchise, including Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle). There is also conspiracy theory/ video blogger Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and a vet for the super sized animals called Trapper (Dan Stevens). In a flagrant abuse of Health & Safety rules, Ilene takes her team to Hollow Earth to find the reason for a series of strange signals they’ve received.

The main character in this film is Kong,  who in a wordless performance tells us so much with his sad eyes! Godziilla has a right to be annoyed a he’s a bit part player, with a few one shot battles against minor monsters while Kong hogs the limelight.

Take one cup of pseudo-science, a sprinkle of cultural appropriation and a few large slices of CGI and you have the plot! The story has more holes than a famous Dutch cheese, but it’s not really that important.  The main points of interest are the endless battles, some of which are really quite enjoyable! There are some great sequences that carry the plot along and you’ll find yourself giggling at the madness of it all.  If you’re looking for some dumb fun during half term, this film will suit all ages and won’t be too challenging to your cerebral cortex. Sometimes it’s nice to watch monsters trash cities and not worry about the bigger issues…