Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – movie review

By Alexandra Heilbron on March 28, 2024 | Leave a Comment

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire begins with Kong living on Skull Island under the watchful eye of researchers and doctors, who are able to help if he needs medical care.

Meanwhile, Godzilla is in Europe, helping rid the world of terrifying titans who threaten humanity. Not as attached to humans as Kong, his help often coincides with him stomping through buildings and bridges, crumbling them as he goes.

There’s a human element as well – Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) is still on board, with her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last of her tribe. Jia communicates through sign language and has a bond with Kong. She can tell when he’s in trouble. When one of his incisors is infected, Ilene and Jia travel back to help, along with charming and quirky veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens), who replaces the tooth.

There’s a threat in Hollow Earth that Kong is trying to face alone, but the sheer number of antagonists may be too much when he finds a group of giant apes led by a cruel dictator ape who has a titan in chains, forcing it to do his bidding in a place known as the Subterranean Realm. Kong befriends a tiny young ape and gets him away from the tyrannical ape in charge, but Kong is hurt in the battle and Trapper needs to figure out how to help him.

If Downton Abbey fans still recognize Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley from the beloved series, they’ll be surprised. His performance is so different that it gives you a totally new view of the versatile actor. He plays a charming and eccentric vet who is so excited by his work that he breaks into dance while prepping to work his “magic” on Kong’s tooth.

The special effects are extraordinary. The actors were likely doing much of their work with green screens, but the scenery is spectacular, as are the animals, from the largest mammals to the smallest insects. It’s really beyond the norm of special effects we’ve experienced in prior films, and should be remembered during awards time.

The story is engaging and action-packed, the actors are fully invested, and combine that with the special effects and you’ve got a blockbuster that shouldn’t be missed on the big screen. ~Alexandra Heilbron

4 out of 5 stars.

If you have seen Godzilla x Kong: the New Empire and would like to rate/review it yourself, click here.

 

---

---

1. There are no comments yet, why not be the first?

---