Godzilla x Kong marks the 10th anniversary of the monster verse launched in 2014. However, there seems to be nothing left of the initial ambitions.
Director Gareth Edwards established a new Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island then a new Monkey King to kick off the freshly baked monster universe almost 10 years ago. According to our YouTube presenter Yves, Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters justified its existence through its epoch-making cinema images alone. Godzilla vs. Kong followed as a logical conclusion. However, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now – not only due to its title – a calculation that no longer works out.
What the bottom line is with Godzilla x Kong, Yves explains here:
The tragic Monkey King, who is kidnapped and exhibited by humans, has long since become an action figure in the Monsterverse. The allegorical giant lizard has evolved from a traumatic symbol to a toy. And in the finale of Godzilla vs Kong, both were allowed to adapt the children’s room productions of many fans for the big screen in a brutal showdown. The second clash could hardly be bettered in any meaningful way
Godzilla x Kong overshoots the mark
In order to give the monster spectacle even more space, the disruptive human factor becomes a minor matter. There is no character development anyway. The focus is clearly set. However, the ambitions that the series once had finally vanish into thin air. The post-credit scene from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, for example, seems to have simply been forgotten in the last 5 years. In Godzilla x Kong, by the way, there is now no credits scene at all. So it’s not worth sitting still.
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Other opinion: Godzilla x Kong has a weird secret weapon
The focus is entirely on the spectacle. However, the almost two-hour kaiju tussle has a short half-life. Anyone longing for a serious Godzilla film to compensate for the oversized monster wrestling should probably go for Godzilla Minus One