(Photo Credit: Alon Amir)
1/2
(“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” trailer courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” begins like gangbusters.
Then, the movie drags in the middle as the back story of how humans and large beasts intertwined unfolds.
Then, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ends epically.
That unevenness hurts the movie a bit.
But “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is a cool movie that wins with visuals and a touchy human-interest story but does little when it comes to uniqueness for an industry marred by redundancy.
Whether in movies or real life, scientists still do not know as much about the planet, and its origin, as one would think they would.
In fact, many people do not know what life is like outside their area of residency, much less what it is like on other parts of the Earth.
But what if what people saw on the surface of the planet was just one shallow component when it comes to the vastness of Earth?
What if the under the surface level of the Earth there existed different levels of the Earth, both inhabited and uninhabited?
What if what people thought about the evolution and/or extinction of certain animals and civilizations was completely false?
Realizing people’s lack of knowledge and changing the script might even go a long way in how people acted to protect the planet, protect the people and protect the beasts of the world.
Maybe that knowledge could lead to a peaceful co-existence that has never really existed in history, and not in movies starring Godzilla or King Kong.
In “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the two most important characters in the movie have more in common than one would think possible.
Sure, one is gigantic, and one is small.
But as Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys once said, size ain’t ish.
Kong is a fearsome creation.
But he has feelings and a heart like all living beings.
He’s alone in his world because the rest of his kind have died off.
On the other hand, Jia (Kayla Hottle) is young and small.
But there is something unique and special about her even if her mother Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) has not yet realized her true gifts and purpose.
Like Kong, Jia has gotten cut off from her people because the people of her tribe have become extinct.
She is the only one from her tribe that is left.
And that makes it virtually impossible to live the life of a normal child.
Jia cannot focus on her schoolwork because she hears things that confuses her.
Despite the confusion, Jia knows that what she hears means something even if she too cannot fully understand the purpose.
In “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” Jia has lucked up a little in life because her mother, a scientist, works in a profession that interests her because of her interest and connection to Kong.
However, will her mother allow her to join her and colleagues Trapper (Dan Stevens), Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and Mikael (Alex Ferns) as they travel to Hollow Earth to investigate the noises and visions that Jia has seen and to discover what they mean for man, Kong and Godzilla?
Imdb.com describes “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” as follows: “The new installment in the Monsterverse puts the mighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal deadly threat hidden within our world that threatens the existence of their species and our very own, as well as diving deep into the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond. Delving straight into the origins of Hollow Earth, this film will explore the ancient Titan battle that brought man and monster together forever.”
While two characters (girl and monster) deservedly get the most attention in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” some of the other characters are not to be ignored either.
Trapper is not what one would expect from a veterinarian/dentist.
He is quirky.
He’s a little wild.
But he does not seem like a regular animal lover.
However, when he fixes an infected tooth in Kong’s mouth, his profession of choice begins to make more sense.
A dentist or doctor for a monster is not a regular doctor or dentist.
And Trapper is definitely not an ordinary dude.
On the other hand, Bernie comes off as the stereotypical nerdy and awkward science geek that no one takes seriously because they probably do not understand the obsession with other realms and worlds.
Furthermore, people in his area of expertise do not take him seriously either because they think his predictions about Hollow Earth are wrong.
His character will resonate even more nowadays because many people today believe that if something is not on social media or some kind of streaming platform, it did not happen.
Bernie’s podcast even loses thousands, more like hundreds, of subscribers because of his past predictions.
As a result, when Bernie gets his chance to visit Hollow Earth, he is determined to get everything on camera just in case he gets a potential documentary film deal.
Next to the likable characters, the visuals in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire are excellent and really pop on an IMAX screen.
But unfortunately, the moments that the film drags, will hurt it in the eyes of some Monsterverse fans.
Thankfully, the cool visuals and likable characters kind of makes up for the movie’s flaws.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
