‘Godzilla x Kong- The New Empire’: Fantastic CGI, undeniably fun

• Release Date: 29/03/2024
• Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle
• Director: Adam Wingard

Gods And Kings Collide in This Epic Kaiju Mayhem That Is Characteristically Shallow Yet Undeniably Fun!

“Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire” is the fifth instalment in Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse, following “Godzilla” (2014), “Kong: Skull Island” (2017), “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019), and “Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021). “Godzilla” was criticized to a certain extent for not featuring enough monster violence and emphasizing mostly the human elements of the story. This was rectified in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”, where the monster mayhem was so in-your-face that there were a handful who felt it was overdone. “Kong: Skull Island,” on the contrary, was a much better-balanced Kaiju film with the humans being of some significance and charisma after were even entrusted to extract genuine emotions.

 “Godzilla vs. Kong” marked the end of the amount of interest I had for the human characters in the monster films. This film had enough human characters but very little substance in them and their part in the story. This was also the film that introduced a healthy dose of comedy, through the characters of Brian Tyree Henry, Millie Bobby Brown and Julian Dennison. Henry happens to be an important part of the cast in the latest film too.

For me, comedy never worked in monster films. Even in the 1998 Roland Emmerich “Godzilla,” the comedy was kept to a bare minimum and was used only as a means of keeping the proceedings ticking with some light-hearted moments in between since the premise, setting, and mood of the film were so overwhelmingly morose and dark. There was no comedy in the 2014 “Godzilla,” and it was one of the best things about the film if you ask me. Sadly, all that seriousness was on the decline, and with this film, Godzilla and Kong have permanently stopped being monsters and have turned into masala superheroes much in the line of South Indian film stars. The story also gives similar vibes and is designed in such a way that both Kong and Godzilla are more representations of folklore heroes than they are monsters who are not to be trifled with.

The Story:

Kong is enjoying his life in the Hollow Earth and has been trying to unearth the uncharted portions of the place. The film begins with him fighting off a horde of wolf-like monsters, asserting his authority and prowess over them all. This fight ends with a portion of the earth falling apart, exposing Kong to a section of the Hollow Earth that was previously hidden. As he makes his way to this new area, he comes face to face with the nefarious antagonist monster, Skar King, a gigantic orangutan-like Kaiju, and an ancient Titan named Shimo, who is under his control. Skar King aims to ascend to the surface and unleash havoc upon the people there. Kong’s goals are to liberate the apes who are trapped under Skar King’s rule and to put an end to his terror. However, Kong realizes that he is not strong enough to accomplish this alone and desperately needs Godzilla’s assistance. As Kong and Skar King battle it out in the Hollow Earth, Godzilla is also triggered and makes his way towards them for one final epic battle. Additionally, there is a backstory involving the Iwi girl from Godzilla vs. Kong, but that’s not the focal point of the story.

Fantastic CGI And World-Building That Pushes the Limits of How Great Photorealistic Visuals Can Be:

Lately, Hollywood has been disappointing me with some weaker presentations in terms of CGI. This was particularly evident due to the toll that COVID-19 took on these projects and their funding. Many of these projects were rushed or didn’t receive enough time and money to be polished to the extent that Hollywood aficionados like me are accustomed to. However, that is not the case with “Godzilla x Kong.” The CGI work here is outstanding. Every animated character is laced with its own set of characteristics, mannerisms, and even emotions. The apes are at the forefront of the film, and at least three of them emote strongly throughout. Even without dialogue, they convey enough through their mannerisms and expressions, making many of the interactions between completely CGI characters in a CGI environment exceptionally warm, immersive, and emotionally resonating. I just wish that the writing and storytelling were as great for these portions, and we would have had a stunning masterpiece in our hands. More on that later.

The character design of Kong and the smaller version of him that has a surprisingly important part to play in the film were terrific. Kong is getting older, and it shows. The smaller version of him is brimming with energy and has his own agenda that he brings to the table with interesting results. I also liked how they envisioned and designed Skar King. However, I would have liked him to be a little more menacing and harder to kill. Godzilla’s design has remained the same throughout the films with some minor tweaks. We do see a few adjustments here too, and they worked fine for me.

It’s not just the characters that impressed me, but also the world-building. Everything about the world, whether it is Earth or the Hollow Earth, is done with such attention to detail and conviction that you will feel the world to be practically alive, adding to the suspension of disbelief and making the proceedings a lot more overwhelming. The various elements of the story, while being explained through dialogues, are also revealed in visuals, done with strong visual representation in terms of how the CGI is executed. This also adds to the authenticity of the storytelling making it a lot more impactful.

Enormous And Magnificent Setpieces That Are Mesmerising to Watch:

The setpieces in the film, as expected, are mesmerizing to watch. The creativity of the director and the visual artists are in full flow as they design some of the greatest visuals of well-known cities getting pummelled under the lethal and physical altercations between godly titans—a spectacle to behold. The visuals are beautifully complemented by atmospheric sounds, background score, and editing that not only accentuate and punctuate the visuals to ensure maximum impact but also allow you to enjoy the spectacle for what it is. One thing that impressed me throughout the film was how great Adam Wingard and his team were in ascertaining and underlining the size of the Titans and how inconsequential and puny humans were in front of them. This was done in a lot of different ways but was always as effective as was necessary to be impactful. Be it the shaking of the ground, the slowed-down movement of the monsters, and the impact of the blows that they land on one another, the visual and auditory presentation of the scale and magnitude of the Titans was always spot-on and instrumental in ensuring that the spectacle we were watching was as physically shattering as it was visually stunning.

The Worst Human Characters of The Entire Series:

The roster of human characters in “Godzilla x Kong” boasts some of the worst human characters I have seen in the entire series, and they might also be the worst human characters I have seen in any monster film previously. There are just no feelings or emotions attached to the characters. They are so generic, one-dimensional, and purposeless that by the end of the film if they were all wiped out, I would not care. There is absolutely no role for the humans in the greater conflict, and if they were not there, the story would still not be much different. What the humans do here is simply tell the audience what exactly is happening in a particular moment, since the apes cannot talk. I have a feeling that in future versions of the films, the apes might just start talking, and then there would be no need for the humans at all. Each and every one of the characters is entrusted to do a set of things, probably out of a checklist, so religiously that you can practically predict what they are going to say or do in the next scene. The worst thing is that there is absolutely no thrill related to them as they are never in any serious danger. There is just one human character shown dying in the entire film. Can you believe that?

No Build-Up to The Major Action Setpieces:

Action sequences work best when they have emotional weight behind them, when the characters involved in them have resonated with you and their safety and existence is threatened, and most importantly when there is a proper build-up to the action. “Godzilla x Kong” fails miserably on all three counts. The human characters are never defined or approached in a manner that shows the makers’ intent to make them anything more than explainers for the elements in the film that the monsters can’t spell out themselves. They are never at risk or given any character development or emotional payload to work with. Hence, the bulk of the task of elevating the action fell on the build-up, which was again non-existent. I could see from a mile away how particular action sequences would unfold, how and when major monsters would be unveiled, what would happen next, and even how the final fight would unfold. This seriously marred my fun of the experience, and no matter how much I appreciated and enjoyed the monumental visual work and the vision behind the elaborate action sequences, I could feel the lack of energy and inspiration that is so necessary to make action and mayhem work.

Final Words:

A lot of elements worked well in the film, particularly the fact that almost all major actions unfold under bright light, demonstrating the makers’ intent to create an adventure open to scrutiny from every angle. However, despite the monumental efforts put into crafting the film’s visuals and action scenes, the lack of character development and build-up detracts from the overall experience. The absence of emotional depth and anticipation leaves a significant void. Without a strong emotional connection to the characters and a sense of anticipation for the action, the film falls short of delivering a truly immersive and fulfilling cinematic experience. Instead, it ends up being a brilliant but passable entertainer, watched primarily for its visual and technical finesse, only to be forgotten once you leave the theatre. It becomes a matchup of titans that neither inspires nor terrifies, which is the true flaw in an otherwise immensely enjoyable spectacle.

Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)

The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.

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