Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) Review

So, I recently went on a long trip so on the plane I had plenty of time to watch some films with the first one being Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire as I missed the chance to watch it when it came out in the cinema, now here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees Kong trying to survive and find his place, when a new being comes into his life he must seek Godzilla to take down his enemies. 

Main Character

Do not let the title of the film confuse you as this is more a Kong film then a Godzilla film. Kong is handled really well here, it was awesome to see him in action and I actually cared about his character wanting to see him succeed. But Godzilla is barely in this film, he is so poorly used and it was frustrating that this character gets nothing to do, but I guess that is due to Godzilla having way more screen time then Kong in this franchise. 

Supporting Characters

Luckily this film has less focus on the human characters but they are still here. Rebecca Ferguson is back as Ilene Andrews and she is functional here, her character isn't particularly interesting but Ferguson is a good enough actor to make it pretty much work. 

Brian Tyree Henry also reprises his role as Bernie Hayes and I actually found him pretty annoying here, he is so over the top and ridiculous that it took me out of certain scenes. It just feels like he is trying to do his best Ryan Reynolds impression and it doesn't work. 

This is funny because Dan Stevens plays Trapper and he is also annoying. I love Stevens, but he is also ridiculous here and it is really jarring to watch as he really isn't funny despite the film thinking that he really is. 

Story

I liked Kong's story, seeing him going through the natural world was pretty cool and how the other members of this world react to him which leads him on a journey to fully become a hero. But again Godzilla doesn't really have a story and feels like he is dragged into the plot because he is in the title of the film. It is a bit of a cliché ending and it doesn't do that much for the franchise or for me. 

Script

The scripts in these Monsterverse films have never been the strong suit and that follows here. The writing is poor, the humour is way too forced and the jokes just didn't make me laugh and I never cared enough about the drama because of the way it was conveyed on screen. 

Style

The film looks fantastic, if you like your Monster action scenes then you will be happy with these as they are over the top and exciting as you would want from a film of this style. The film is also paced well enough and shows more of Kong then has been in certain previous films. 

Overall

Overall, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is an average film. It is fun watching the Monsters fight but this film offers very little new and it just feels like an easy and lazy film that hits the beats that you would expect and I think this is a film you watch in the background and don't really hunt out. 

Rating - 5/10