For almost as long as Godzilla has existed in fiction, there have been essentially two versions of the giant reptile. The first is “Godzilla as force of nature and reflection of human folly,” most recently seen in the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. The second is “Godzilla as defender of the Earth.” That’s the space occupied by the sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong—Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The resulting film is one I found incredibly satisfying for what it aims to be, which is a crossover film that treats its monsters as the actual stars.
Godzilla x Kong takes place a few years after lizard and ape’s victory over Mechagodzilla in the previous film. King Kong now resides in Hollow Earth, looking for any signs of other giant apes. Godzilla remains on the surface, fighting titanic threats that are trying to encroach on their territory. When possible evidence of Kong’s species turns out to be tied to a potential threat to both parts of Earth, both he and Godzilla set into motion to do something about it.
The big thing about this film is that it presents its iconic monsters as legitimate central characters. Godzilla x Kong not only tells a story centered around the monsters, it highlights how different they are in terms of their relationship with humanity. King Kong would rather avoid harming humans. Godzilla doesn’t actively try to kill humans, but if they need to swim through a busy bridge and take out a few dozen occupied vehicles in the process, oh well. The two behemoths are not terribly fond of each other, but sometimes there are bigger fish to fry.
The human stories, meanwhile, are decent enough without overshadowing Godzilla or Kong.
This movie’s monstrous antagonist (because you know there has to be one) is interesting in a lot of ways, firstly because they’re 1) an all-new character, and 2) Kong-centric. It’s all too easy for films featuring Godzilla to tap into their extensive rogue’s gallery—they could reasonably never make anything original and still never run out of adversaries. In contrast, King Kong doesn’t really have archenemies because that’s never really been a thing in the character’s stories. Secondly, this monster is less about brute force or overpowering his foes, and is more of a conniving despot who uses pain and fear as tools for control. It’s a lot more than what I expected from Godzilla x Kong, and reminds me of some of the best pro wrestling heels.
I decided to look at online reactions to the villain, and I was surprised to see a good number of people were disappointed. This was a realization that when it comes to MonsterVerse baddies, a decent chunk of fans want a Brock Lesnar (an unstoppable wrecking machine) instead of a Ric Flair (an underhanded schemer who exploits others).
Overall, I got everything I wanted from this movie, and then some. If you want something movingly artistic with amazing actors, Godzilla Minus One is right there. If you want a story about gargantuan beasts pummeling one another while still carrying lots of personality, Godzilla x Kong hits the spot like few things can. I’d actually love to see the two get released in theaters as a double feature, so audiences can experience both sides of the big green G and come away enlightened.