I really had a good time with “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the MonsterVerse tale about kaijus, or giant monsters of Japanese fantasy battling each other. It made me feel like a kid again.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a monster mash without pesky humans and their – in this case — trifle dramas. It seems a little convoluted to throw a character with a disability (Kaylee Hottle as Jia) into the mix.
King Kong is the patriarch of sorts, going ape over a youngster in his clan and protecting him. There are bullies, even in the giant monkey universe, it appears. Godzilla, a furious foe in the last installment, “Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021), is a helpful friend this time.
They team up against the aforementioned bully ape. He grunts a good game because he thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips. He takes pleasure in inflicting pain.
There’s no need to explain the monsters’ past in this one. They are just sort of there, in Hollow Earth, which replaces the now-defunct Skull Island.
It was destroyed by nature in the previous movie. Rebecca Hall returns as Ilene Andrews to care for young Kaylee, whose parents were in the demise of Skull Island.
Trapper, played by Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley in the TV streamer “Downton Abbey”), portrays a helicopter pilot who figures prominently in the plot. He flies the humans into Hollow Earth. The humans involved include Brian Tyree Henry, who was also in “Godzilla vs. Kong” as Bernie Hayes, a podcaster all about conspiracy theories.
The visuals are all top-notch in this sci-fi battle royale. The filmmakers, like Adam Wingard, who called the shots on “Godzilla vs. Kong” and is in the director’s chair here, knows how to make the most out of these rumbles in the jungle.
As long as they keep making quality monster adventures like this, I, like the audience, will keep returning for this great and enjoyable fare.
Grade: B+
