Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire=Awesome Fluff of Fun

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I'm one of those who dished out money to see Godzilla Minus One in D box and loved the experience. The movie was moving and gave me as a Godzilla fan everything I wanted in a film. I have to say 2023-2024 has been a great time for Godzilla fans. We had the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters in between and then March was Godzilla x Kong. I was not a fan of Godzilla vs Kong. I liked the fights, but I thought that the storyline was very goofy. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had seen it in a theater. So I went into GxK thinking "I just hope the monster fights are fun". I already expected the story to be inconsequential and it was just about monsters fighting each other.

What I was pleasantly surprised by was how much I enjoyed Kong's aspect of the story. The mistrust between him and little Kong at first. Then Little Kong begins to like and wants to save Kong. I liked how we spent time with Kong in the beginning as he tried to adjust to Hollow Earth. We get a sense that he is lonely and wishes he had others like him for companionship. For me, this is the definitive version of Kong that I have seen. You want to root for him and you want him to find others to befriend in Hollow Earth. 

Let's talk about the villain of this piece called Skar King. I don't know if it was due to budget, but I would have liked to see a flashback of when Godzilla and Skar King fought. Being told by Rebecca Hall's character the whole story just didn't do it for me. Skar King was also the least expressive and not a fully realized character. They could have rendered him with more dimensions. I also wish we had more of Shimu. Like how did she become imprisoned by Skar King? She seemed like a fascinating creature that I wish we got to spend more time with. <spoiler> In the end, she is with Kong and they go back to Hollow Earth. I would like more adventures with these characters together. </spoiler> Warner Brothers/Legendary, please make that happen.

That brings me to the interpretation of Godzilla in this film. I felt like he has always been a background player in all of these films starting in 2014. I did find that King of the Monsters had the closest accurate depiction of Godzilla to date. It's because we as Americans don't view atomic energy the same way as the Japanese. We've never had a nuclear bomb dropped on us. Haven't had a nuclear plan go in full meltdown mode, so it is hard for us to understand that aspect of Godzilla. He is also at a disadvantage being dinosaur/reptilian-like because we don't recognize human qualities in that kind of face. It's easier for us to see that with Kong as primates are close to our species. I think he also has the Ms. Marvel problem of being the most powerful monster of all monsters. It's hard to find that thing that will slow down or hinder him from beating the crap out of the others. If they continue doing Godzilla films I would like another director to come in. We need something fun, but can also add more dramatic themes.

Overall, I have to say I enjoyed myself watching this movie. Is it Godzilla Minus One? No. Does it need to be? No. My favorite scene was watching Godzilla suplex Kong to the ground. It's fun to see WWE-type wrestling moves incorporated into this film. I think what also won me over was the addition of a surprise character. I heard rumors and also that there was footage showing this character. <spoiler> It's wonderful to see Mothra again and have her playing the voice of reason between Godzilla and Kong. I would love a spin-off with Mothra and Jia. </spoiler> Probably the best, hands down addition to this movie was Dan Stevens. He was so hilarious and over the top as a kaiju vet, that I relished every scene he was in. If they do more, please include his character. He's fantastic!

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