EntertainmentMoviesSci-Fi MoviesGodzilla x Kong: The New EmpireKong has always been better than Godzilla – and the new MonsterVerse movie Godzilla x Kong perfectly highlights whyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesSci-Fi MoviesGodzilla x Kong: The New EmpireKong has always been better than Godzilla – and the new MonsterVerse movie Godzilla x Kong perfectly highlights whyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Warning! This feature contains mild spoilers for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Hollywood’s ever-expanding MonsterVerse is a curious beast, and one that varies wildly in quality and tone from movie to movie. One thing is clear to me, though, and that’s that each installment is infinitely better when Kong takes center stage – or is heavily involved, at least – and fortunately, the series' latest movieGodzilla x Kongis much more the latter’s story than it is the former’s.
Listen, I get it. Godzilla – a skyscraper-sized lizard with atomic breath – iscoolerthan a 400ft ape with seemingly no special powers on paper, but the scaly kaiju just isn’t relatable or likeable, even. Throughout cinematic history, he’s typically been depicted as an antagonistic character that brings about chaos and death, be it carelessly or consciously. In Godzilla x Kong, he operates on a pretty basic level, essentially sleeping whenever he’s not charging up or neutralizing potential world-destroying threats. He doesn’t protect the people out of the goodness of his heart, so much as he does to satiate his need to be the planet’s apex predator, which is an interesting parallel to Kong’s very endearing desire for companionship and connection.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
Aside from story beats, Kong is just visually more expressive, too, thanks to modern technology and his more human-like face. He frowns, he gasps, he rolls his eyes, he smirks, and more, imbuing him with a lot more personality than Godzilla.
“The most important lesson I got [on Godzilla vs. Kong] was [that] we could really rely on the VFX to allow us to put you in the monsters' point of view, and let the monsters tell their story, and we could really lean into long sequences with no dialogue and no narration… in a way that I don’t think you see very often in blockbuster films,“Wingard previously told GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast.
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When it comes to battle, powerless Kong is sometimes seen as an underdog, though to me, that’s actually another of his strengths. Because he can’t just stomp on his foes or shoot them with obliterating beams of energy, he has to get creative with his attacks, making all of his fights slightly different. In Godzilla x Kong, we even see him use Suko as a weapon to bash off other apes and lay all sorts of traps for his adversaries, which isobviouslyinsanely fun to watch. (It seems worth noting, however, that the playing field is somewhat levelled in Godzilla x Kong, as Kong gets given an augmented arm towards the end of the film, which opens up all sorts of possibilities for him in the future).
Kong can also communicate with the human characters, or Jia (Kaylee Hottle) at least, which crucially bridges the gap between the monster action and what’s going on on the ground with the likes of Ilene (Rebecca Hall), Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), and co. All of this really works for these lighter, sillier, Western interpretations of Japanese creation Godzilla, who has more serious connotations, having initially been an allegory for nuclear threat when he first appeared in the ’50s. (Kong was introduced in the early ’30s, which is just another reason why people need to put more respect on his name).
Given that the recently released chapter has already made almost $200 million worldwide, having only been out in theaters for five days, it seems safe to assume that another MonsterVerse movie is on the cards at Warner Bros. At this point, I don’t really care what the “plot” is, if it’s got Kong in it, I will be seated.
For more on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, check out the below…
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”