Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the fifth movie in the Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse, and it's in theaters now.
Just a few months after Godzilla Minus One hit theaters and Apple TV Plus original Monarch: Legacy of Monsters took a deep dive into the MonsterVerse's scientific organization, The New Empire sees two of Monarch's primary objects of studying crossing paths all over again.
The last time we saw them both, Kong and Godzilla ended up forging a truce to defeat Mechagodzilla at the end of Godzilla vs Kong. Then, they went their separate ways Kong's now got the run of Hollow Earth, whilst Godzilla remained on the planet's surface to defend the human race from more kaiju threats.
But in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the pair are drawn back together to take on a terrifying new foe, one who threatens to destroy both Kong's new home... and ours. Here's everything you need to know about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire release date
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is in theaters globally right now. The movie premiered on Friday, March 29. This was sooner than originally expected, as the movie was moved forward from an April release.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire reviews
Initial reactions to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire were fairly positive, though the movie's debuted to a mixed critical reception. At the time of our latest update, the movie had a 55% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, from a total of 123 reviews. The audience score is significantly higher, though; that's currently sitting at 93%.
In What To Watch's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire review, we gave the movie a four-star rating, labeling it 'pure, popcorn fun'. The story's not going to impress anyone (neither are the human characters), but if you're just after a giant-sized slugfest, you're in for a proper treat.
The Guardian's Benjamin Lee rated it 3/5, calling the movie a 'breezy, forgettable monster sequel'.
IGN's D. Hood gave the film a 6/10 rating, calling it 'a textbook visual thrill ride punctuated by brief moments of forced emotion and little else'.
What's the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire plot?
As we've mentioned, Godzilla x Kong centers on the two titanic monsters teaming up to take on a fearsome new foe that threatens civilization as we know it, whilst also delving even further into the Titans' origins.
The movie's official synopsis reads:
"The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures' cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs Kong with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence — and our own. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever."
If your favorite part about the Monstercerse is the giant battles, Godzilla x Kong will be right up your alley. Speaking to IGN ahead of relese, returning director Adam Wingard revealed this new installment was determined to get up close and personal with its colossal creatures.
"So much of the film is entirely animated CG shots", Wingard said. "So much of it is just pure imagination. We have some sequences going up to about eight minutes long, where it's just the monsters doing their thing, and so the movie really allows the monsters to tell their own narrative in a visual, nonverbal way."
Gozilla x Kong: The New Empire cast
The Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire cast list includes Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle. They reprise their roles (Dr. Ilene Andrews, Bernie Hayes, and Jia, respectively).
In addition, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Gaslit) and Fala Chen (Irma Vep, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) have both joined the Monsterverse for The New Empire.
Millie Bobby Brown is unfortunately missing from the cast. She was last seen in the Netflix dark fantasy movie Damsel, and director Adam Wingard has now revealed why she wasn't part of the cast. Simply put, her character, Madison, didn't fit into the type of story he wanted to tell in Godzilla x Kong, though he did say that 'there could be a place for her in the future'.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Wingard said: "It just felt like we wrapped up her King of the Monsters arc in the last movie. When it came to designing the story for this film, my motto the entire time was simplicity is key.
"We really wanted to bring down the amount of characters in the movie so we could have a more intimate journey with them. That's why our group is relatively small on both the monster side and the human side, so that you really get more time to be with them. We wanted to take a more intimate dive, and these were the characters that just made the most sense when telling Kong's story in Hollow Earth that's the catalyst to everything".
Is there a Godzilla x Kong trailer?
Warner Bros. Pictures released the first trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in December 2023. This teaser sees us journeying below the surface of the Earth with Rebecca Hall's Dr. Ilene Andrews to continue keeping tabs on the other world they found down there in Godzilla vs. Kong. Problem is, a colossal new threat has started to emerge, that will require Kong and Godzilla to band together to fend them off. Check the trailer out here:
A new trailer arrived on Valentine's Day 2024. In it, we see more of the threat that was posed in the initial teaser released late last year. The signal that Dr. Andrews, Kong and Godzilla have all picked up on from the Hollow Earth is actually a call for war. As you'd expect, that means more action-packed fights. Oh, and there's an epic moment involving Kong's brand-new toy thrown in at the very end, too.
Adam Wingard movies
Godzilla vs Kong director Adam Wingard returns to once again the monster mayhem in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. But Wingard has a slate of credits to his name outside of the Monsterverse. Take a look at his full feature movie resume right here:
- Home Sick (2007)
- Pop Skull (2007)
- A Horrible Way to Die (2010)
- Autoerotic (2011)
- What Fun We're Having (2011)
- You're Next (2011)
- 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero (2011)
- V/H/S (2012)
- The ABCs of Death (2012)
- V/H/S/2 (2013)
- The Guest (2014)
- Blair Witch (2016)
- Death Note (2017)
- Godzilla vs Kong (2021)
