- Date of Release: 29 March 2024
- Genre: Action, Adventure, SciFi
- Language: English
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Introduction
It must be really a task to manage a huge franchise – be it the Mumbai Indians or the Monsterverse! There was a time when individual films used to be made with a good storyline particularly because they did not come with a baggage of having to better a previous film tackling a similar theme. But the entire scenario did change after the makers from across the globe decided to caery forward the legacy of their film by simply continuing the story. One of the prime examples of a universe gone wrong is the MCU which did show promise until its third phase but had then very little to show in terms of the success in the subsequent new phases. The same can also be extended to the Fast and the Furious universe where the franchise has really lowered the bar of entertainment. As far as the Monsterverse was concerned, it was never really one of my most favourite franchise doing the rounds. But credit where due, its last installment of Godzilla vs Kong had some breathtaking visuals that indeed made for a goid watch despite a lob-sided story. And so, I was decently looking forward to the new installment of the Monsterverse which was Godzilla X Kong – The New Empire. Does it manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The fifth installment of the monsterverse, Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire follows the story of the two beasts who must unite once again in defeating another colossal nemesis whose presence threatens the very extinction of the world that they live in. The story here is very ordinary and has very little merit to look forward to. It is decently engaging but has zero novelty factor, almost taking a similar premise from the last film and continuing this conflict. The screenplay standing at a shade under 2 hours did feel a tad too long while unfolding at a predictable level and at the same wavelength without really raising the stakes in the drama.
The drama here begins with the reintroduction of the two beasts, with each of the two monsters getting their own action set pieces to flex their worth in the story. This, while the set of humans discover a signal that helps them trace a hidden community in the hollow earth. Straight up, the representation of humans in this drama felt like cardboard characters whereas they were the ones who needed to have emotions and emote. But the writing here doesn’t exactly provide any scope for emotions while unfolding at a supremely predictable note, with parallel events unfolding either related to the two monsters or the humans. The conflict in itself wasn’t focused on enough to have any amount of attachment to the drama.
The proceedings are lifeless with the only solace being a few action set-pieces which after a point start getting tedious and repetitive too. One of the main distractions for me was the antagonist beast who was a weaker proposition pitted against either of the two beasts individually. As a result, the threat looming large never seems beyond the protagonist beasts and in turn leads to the predictable outcome in the drama. It seemed pretty evident to me that this was a quick cashgrab to cash in on the popularity of the twin beasts – Godzilla and Kong, both of whom have had some stellar outings previously. The stakes in the drama are so low that the entire film became ultra tiring after a point as I patiently waited for the film to end. The climax was again nothing extra-ordinary thereby summing up the writing that was predictable and plain average here.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are pretty routine and there was nothing really to shout about them. The BGM was pulsating and it did heighten the action sequences at various junctures in the screenplay. The cinematography is pretty good particularly in scenes of combat which is complimented by some good action set-pieces although they do get tiring after a point. The VFX is pretty good here. The editing is decent but I did notice some lags in the screenplay along the way too but I would attribute that to routine writing given that there wouldn’t be a film in the first place if the wafer thin plot is further ironed out. Director Adam Wingard does a below par job by keeping things way to simple and safe along the way. At no point did I feel a sense of excitement and that had also to do with the staging of the drama which was rather routine. The direction was mid here!
Performances
The performances are plain average here, again nothing much to shout about. Fala Chen as Iwi is decent, Brian Tyree Henry as Hayes goes overboard in his quest for comedy. Kaylee Hottle as Jia and Rebecca Hall as Ilene are decent and Dan Stevens as Trapper is pretty good. But none of the performances elevate the drama at any juncture, as the overall picture continued to remain as flat as a pancake.
Conclusion
Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire is quite an ordinary entrant in the monsterverse that never really has anything new to offer. With its recycled writing and mid performances, this one ends up being an average affair. Available in a theatre near you.