Last night I went to a Thursday preview of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and, as is the case with the other movies in the MonsterVerse (Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong), the monsters are compelling and so much fun to watch and the humans exist only to provide convoluted exposition. Kong has taken up residence in Hollow Earth but, because he is lonely, he ventures deeper and deeper into uncharted territory looking for other apes. He finds a tribe, including a young ape named Suko and their brutal leader Skar King who controls the powerful ice titan Shimo. The scientists working at a Monarch outpost, including Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), pick up an unexplained signal which is especially distressing to Jia (Kaylee Hottle) and triggers Godzilla to go on the move. Andrews, Jia, a daredevil veterinarian named Trapper (Dan Stevens), and the conspiracy theory podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) travel to Hollow Earth and discover that the last remaining members of the Iwi tribe, from which Jia is descended, sent the signal requesting help against Shimo. Kong fights Skar King and Shimo but is outmatched and wounded (prompting Trapper to give him a mechanized arm) so Jia awakens Mothra who convinces Godzilla to join forces with Kong. An epic battle ensues. The first two acts are kind of a slog to get through with a few fun moments, such as Henry providing comic relief and the touching relationship between Kong and his mini-me Suko, but the third act is amazing with exhilarating battle sequences both inside Hollow Earth and on Earth (the Iwi have technology that controls gravity because of course they do). All of the visuals are absolutely incredible, especially the Iwi's civilization in Hollow Earth, Godzilla's dorsal plates when they light up, and Mothra's wings. This is probably the most ridiculous and least interesting installment in the MonsterVerse but I would by lying if I said I didn't enjoy it! I recommend it to fans of the franchise.
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