“Godzilla X. Kong: The New Empire” was directed by Adam Wingard, is a sequel to 2021’s “Godzilla Vs. Kong”, which was also directed by Wingard. It is the 38th film in the “Godzilla” franchise, the 13th film in the “King Kong” franchise and the 5th film in the “MonsterVerse”. The film sees Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle & Bryan Tyree Henry return to their respective roles while being joined by Dan Stevens, Alex Ferns & Fala Chen. Legendary Pictures saw surprising success of 2021’s “Godzilla Vs. Kong” and quickly went into production on a sequel however, the production was delayed due Toho Studios, the Japanese film studio who own the rights to “Godzilla”, releasing their 2023 film, “Godzilla Minus One” so Legendary pushed the film back to 2024.
Following the events of the previous film, King Kong rules “Hollow Earth” while Godzilla rules the surface world. During an expedition on Hollow Earth, Monarch researcher, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Hall) detect a strange signal from an unknown source that is also got Godzilla’s attention & causing destructive outburst. With the help of their veterinarian, Trapper (Stevens) & the conspiracy theorist, Bernie Hayes (Henry), join Dr. Andrews & King Kong to find the source of the signal that is causing Godzilla’s outburst. Their voyage led them to an ancient civilization that is ruled by a ruthless ape by the name of Skar King. King Kong, still wielding the power axe from the previous film, is put in the ultimate combat challenge from Skar King who not only proves to be a formidable opponent but also has an ace up his sleeve in the form of Shimo, the ice dragon. Kong is clearly outnumbered & overmatched and must now turn an old adversary in order to prevent Skar King & Shimo from destroying Hollow Earth & the rest of the world.
Due to the release & success of “Godzilla Minus One”, this film had a lot riding on it and in my opinion they did deliver. It was a fun & entertaining film, just like the last one. Then again, the hype surrounding the previous film really played a factor in that success. This film on the other had to not only live up to but also the release of “Godzilla Minus One”. This movie had great action sequences, wonderful creature designs & solid performances. The story is a bit bland, but it isn’t distracting or doesn’t take away anything from the movie overall. Rebecca Hall & Bryan Tyree Henry are solid, much like the previous film & Dan Stevens is a great addition being both sincere & charming. Overall, this was fun and entertaining film that was defintely worth the price of admission and really shows its worth on the big screen. Legendary has done a fantastic job putting together a unique cinematic universe that can go a long if done correctly.
Despite the success of “Godzilla Minus One”, this film did make over half a billion dollars at the box office making it the 4th highest grossing of the year thus far as well as the highest grossing film in both the “Godzilla” & “King Kong” franchises. This success also made this film the highest grossing film in Legendary’s “MonsterVerse”, surpassing the previous 2021 film. Upon release of this film, Legendary had already announce plans for another sequel. Adam Wingard was slated to return as well but eventually dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. It was later announced that Grant Sputore, the director of 2019’s “I Am Mother”, would direct the sequel which was confirmed to hit theaters on March 26, 2027.