When it comes to established characters in long-running film franchises, the giant monsters King Kong and Godzilla remain two of the most flexible, with no set-rules on what can be presented in their films. On the rare occasion, they can be mature and thoughtful with their films and deliver something that goes one step above cheap B-Movie entertainment. However, more often than not, their films like to embrace fun and disposable entertainment.
For me, there’s no right or wrong method for either tone or style, as long as there’s variety. Following after the surprisingly grounded and emotional “Godzilla: Minous One” from 2023 … and by extent, the best giant monster themed movie since the original classics … I felt the franchise earned the right to bounce back with an all-out spectacle driven romp. Such is the case with the 2024 crossover picture “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” … a film that doesn’t aim for anything higher than straightforward escapist entertainment, with monster brawls and fantastical wonderment front in center. It almost does its job too well, but let’s tackle this crossover creature feature one monster step at a time.
Following after the events of the 2021 crossover “Godzilla vs Kong”, we see that the giant lizard has made his bed living among humans and only gets up when a random new monster pops out from the ground. The mighty ape Kong meanwhile lords over “Hollow Earth”, which is a subterranean world of giant creatures discovered during the previous adventure. He’s seemingly stronger than ever, but lonely, and eager to share his domain with others.
Things get set in motion with the sudden arrival of a new “Mini-Kong”, who leads the big guy on a journey through the uncharted areas of his realm to find more of his kind. Simultaneously, we reunite with the young deaf girl Jia, who bonded with Kong in the previous film, and is the last known descendant of the extinct Iwi tribe. As she adjusts to living among people, she begins to have dreams of her late heritage, and their mysterious connection to Hollow Earth. Thus, she too is beckoned on a journey through the mysterious world of monsters, in hopes of reuniting with her long-lost culture. Both Kong’s and Jia’s ventures collide with the discovery of a new threat, another giant ape called the Skar King, who’s eager to dethrone Kong, and establish his dominance over both worlds. As such, it’s time for Kong and Godzilla to put their rivalry aside and join forces to face this new opponent.
To get right to the point, no-one should go into a movie like this expecting high art … it’s a silly monster movie, and it never once aims to be anything more than that. The good news is that there’s a lot of personality to this picture, which for me places it one step above disposable, destructive entertainment.
I love the setting of Hollow Earth, which is bright, colorful, wonderous, and gives the film an anything goes sense of fantasy. The designs are great, they’re numerous original creatures on display, and the film is constantly presenting something new, which keeps the energy and excitement high as we go on the journey. At times, the film admittedly threatens to go too far with its fantastical content, especially when we discover portals that can conveniently transport our giant monsters anywhere on the planet. As the film goes on, it constantly asks its viewers to stretch any sense of plausibility in favor of spectacle and enjoyment, which is the make or break deal this film presents. I’ll admit that the film almost lost me with some of its outlandish moments and leaps in logic … but pulled me back in with enough details that I admired.
This movie gives its giant monsters a number of lengthy “dialogue-free” moments in which they speak through their jesters and mannerisms, which is great. King Kong once again is very charismatic in his screen presence, and feels alive, despite being a digital creature effect. We also see him do things different from the previous Kong films, like hunting wild creatures and setting up traps. Also, while Kong did have a son in the very early films, they never shared scenes together before … this is the first time we see Kong bond with his child, or surrogate son in this case, and it’s a welcomed addition. The new villain called Skar King is likewise a welcome new addition, with an enjoyably wicked personality that he conveys through his mannerisms and expressions. Allan Henry did the motion capture performances for both giant apes, and dose an admirable job making them feel like completely different entities.
Godzilla once again is our top build monster yet has even less screen time then before and less function in the narrative, as his only goal is to gain more power through any powerplant in his path … and gain some colorful new makeovers as a result. The good news is that Godzilla also has personality all his own, and I love how he casually takes ownership over the Roaman coliseum as his own private resting ground. The new creatures on display come in a fine variety of giant bugs, sea serpents, and a new ice dragon called Shimo. With the endless roster of re-used monsters from both franchises, I’m glad this film focused on more original creatures, with the ice Titan Shimo being a striking creature in his own right. Mothra is the only other hold-over creature from the franchise but is given a nice new makeover.
The brawls between the monsters come in a nice variety, and each sequence helps keep the entertainment going strong without overstaying their welcome. The third act admittedly could use a little more space between set-pieces, as we jump from a battle at the pyramids in Egypt, to an even bigger battle in a zero-gravity section of Hollow Earth, to a final battle in the big city setting of Rio de Janeiro, and there’s very little breathing time in-between. Still, it makes for fun spectacle and mercifully doesn’t go on for too long. All that said, the decent side of me has to question how much I should be enjoying this final battle, as it’s focused entirely on the fun factor of the brawling monsters, and never once addresses the presumably massive casualty count in the city.
The last thing I need to address is the human cast, which is noticeably tighter this time around, and just ok enough that they don’t drag down the pacing or get too annoying with their hummer.
Rabecca Hall and Brian Tryree Henry are back in their leading roles from the previous film, and this time they’re joined by Dan Stevens as a quirky veterinarian for giant monsters, which is silly in concept but charming in execution. However, the MVP of the human cast once again is Kaylee Hottle as the young deaf girl Jia, who effortlessly provides the thoughtful and touching human elements required to balance out all the bombastic monster spectacle. The actress herself really was deaf, but her performance was just as passionate and emotional as any great talent. Her role in the film was even nominated at the Saturn Awards for Best Performance by a younger actor. Sadly, this marked her final acting role in a movie before her tragic and unexpected death back in July of 2026 at the age of 18. It’s a tragic loss, especially at her young age, but I hope she’ll be remembered as a credible young talent and as an inspiration for people with disabilities.
On that somber note … I find this a perfectly enjoyable picture, with just enough merit in the details. It’s no masterpiece, and primarily for fans of the genre or casual viewers seeking surface level entertainment. That said, the film delivered exactly what it needed to.
It’s another satisfying, and entertaining round of giant monsters fighting, as well as exploring a mystical world full of marvels, along with an expanded mythology, and subtle personality touches in the monsters that make them feel like characters first and special effects second. If anything else, I’d recommend this film and its previous instalment just for the late Kaylee Hottle and to experience the amount of heart and soul she provided to a series populated with creatures and eye candy. In the end, I'm one of those fans who can go into either a King Kong or Godzilla movie with set expectations, and when they’re met, there's no disappointment, even though there's no big surprises either.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 2024 crossover “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”
… continue to enjoy the movies you love … and of course …
Rest in
Peace Kaylee Hottle (2008 - 2026)
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