Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (2024)

The written companion

Draft companion · Awaiting editorial review

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: Big Creatures, Mixed Returns

Matt gives the MonsterVerse a fair amount of homework before this screening: he watches the preceding films during the week, even though giant-monster movies are not usually his thing. Godzilla vs. Kong becomes his favorite of the group. The New Empire has that fresh comparison to contend with.

He does find things to enjoy. The visuals impress him, Brian Tyree Henry is a highlight, and he likes seeing Kong take the foreground. The final act provides the large-scale fun he hoped for, even if he does not think its fights match the previous crossover.

His difficulties come earlier. The first two acts take too long to gather momentum for him, and the writing, jokes, and villain leave him less invested than the spectacle needs him to be. He also misses familiar cast members from the preceding entries. Taken together, those issues make this his least favorite of the five films he has just watched.

Matt stops short of calling the experience a total loss. He had a reasonably good time and expects committed MonsterVerse fans may get more from it. His response is a distinction between appreciating what a movie offers and feeling that it offers much for you personally.

Is Kong's larger role enough to make this entry work for you, or did you miss a stronger Godzilla presence? How much story do you need between the big fights?

Watch Matt's New Empire reaction ↗

Based on auto-generated captions from Matt's solo review. This companion includes his broad comments about the balance between the title characters.