Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2025)
Plot Overview
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire picks up a few years after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, where the two titans clashed before teaming up against Mechagodzilla. The world has settled into a fragile coexistence with its monstrous inhabitants. Kong has made Hollow Earth—a subterranean realm teeming with ancient wonders—his new domain, while Godzilla roams the surface, maintaining order among other Titans. The story begins with Kong exploring deeper into Hollow Earth, seeking others of his kind, driven by evident loneliness. Meanwhile, Godzilla is seen in brief bursts of action—slaying Titanus Scylla in Rome and napping in the Colosseum—his role initially secondary but ominous.
The human plot centers on Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), a Monarch scientist and Kong expert, who monitors the Titans alongside her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last survivor of Skull Island’s Iwi tribe. Jia, who communicates through sign language, begins experiencing visions tied to a mysterious signal emanating from Hollow Earth. This anomaly also stirs Godzilla, prompting him to absorb massive amounts of radiation across the globe, from France to Gibraltar, hinting at an impending threat. Ilene teams up with returning conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and a new eccentric veterinarian, Trapper (Dan Stevens), to investigate the signal by venturing into Hollow Earth.
In Hollow Earth, Kong discovers a hidden civilization of giant apes, led by the tyrannical Skar King, a lanky, sadistic primate who enslaves his kind and wields a whip fashioned from a Titan’s spine. Skar King controls Shimo, a frost-breathing Titan resembling a quadrupedal Godzilla, using her to maintain dominance. Kong’s journey becomes personal as he befriends Suko, a smaller ape dubbed “Baby Kong” by fans, who initially betrays him but later becomes an ally. The human team uncovers an ancient Iwi outpost, revealing Jia’s connection to a prophecy that could awaken Mothra, the benevolent Titan, to aid in the coming battle.
The narrative builds to a climactic showdown as Skar King and Shimo emerge from Hollow Earth, aiming to conquer the surface. Godzilla, sensing the threat, teams up with Kong in a battle that spans from Hollow Earth to Rio de Janeiro, leveling landmarks in true Monsterverse fashion. The script, penned by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater, leans heavily on spectacle over coherence, with the human subplot often feeling like a vehicle to justify the monster clashes. While it introduces new lore—deepening the Titans’ origins and the Iwi’s role—it sacrifices depth for breadth, juggling too many threads without fully resolving them. The film ends on a triumphant note, with Kong establishing a new family in Hollow Earth and Godzilla returning to his slumber, but not before setting up potential for future conflicts.
Character Dynamics and Performances
The Titans steal the show in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, with Kong taking center stage as the emotional heart. His loneliness is palpable—scenes of him gazing mournfully at the horizon or bonding with Suko add a surprising tenderness to his hulking frame. Godzilla, though less prominent, exudes raw power, his appearances brief but impactful—like a force of nature awakening only when necessary. The dynamic between the two shifts from rivalry to reluctant alliance, their wordless partnership carrying more weight than any human interaction. Skar King, while a visually striking villain with his scarred hide and cruel demeanor, lacks depth beyond being a despotic foil, though his control over Shimo adds a chilling edge to his menace.
On the human side, performances are a mixed bag. Rebecca Hall’s Ilene Andrews is the emotional anchor, her maternal bond with Jia providing the film’s thin human core. Hall does her best with limited material, conveying quiet resolve, but the script reduces her to exposition rather than a fully realized character. Kaylee Hottle’s Jia gets more screentime than in the previous film, her sign-language communication and visions adding a mystical layer. Hottle’s expressive performance shines in moments of silent connection with Kong, though the “chosen one” prophecy feels forced, undercutting her agency.
Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie Hayes injects humor as the paranoid podcaster turned reluctant hero, his quips landing more often than not—particularly his neurotic reactions to Hollow Earth’s dangers. Dan Stevens’ Trapper, a flamboyant vet with a questionable Australian accent, is the standout addition, bringing a chaotic energy that livens up the human scenes. Stevens seems to relish the absurdity, whether he’s performing dental surgery on Kong or cracking jokes mid-battle. The ensemble’s chemistry is uneven—Hall and Hottle share a tender rapport, while Henry and Stevens play off each other like a mismatched buddy duo—but the humans often feel like set dressing for the Titans’ story.
The film struggles to balance its sprawling cast, with characters like Ilene’s colleague Mikael (Alex Ferns) and new Iwi figures (Fala Chen in a brief role) feeling underdeveloped. The emotional stakes hinge on Kong and Jia’s parallel journeys of finding belonging, but the script prioritizes spectacle over deeper character exploration, leaving the human-Titan dynamics as the most compelling relationships by default.
Direction and Visual Style
Adam Wingard’s direction in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doubles down on the unapologetic absurdity that made Godzilla vs. Kong a guilty pleasure, but with mixed results. Wingard leans into a neon-soaked, ‘80s-inspired aesthetic—synth-heavy scores, glowing Titan powers, and a retro vibe that evokes Saturday morning cartoons. The Hollow Earth sequences are a visual feast, with inverted gravity, crystalline pyramids, and volcanic pits bathed in electric blues and fiery oranges. Wingard’s love for the kaiju genre shines through in every frame—he stages the monster battles with a visceral glee, ensuring each punch and roar reverberates.
The action sequences are the film’s strongest suit, blending practical effects with CGI to create tactile, chaotic brawls. A standout fight in Hollow Earth flips gravity on its head, with Kong and Skar King tumbling through portals mid-combat—a dizzying spectacle that demands IMAX viewing. Godzilla’s moments are fewer but ferocious—his pink-glowing spines (a temporary power-up) add a neon flair as he tears through foes in Egypt and Rome. The final battle in Rio, with Mothra’s glowing wings illuminating the night sky, delivers the kind of city-leveling chaos fans crave, though it occasionally sacrifices clarity for sheer scale.
Yet Wingard’s ambition sometimes outstrips execution. The human scenes drag, burdened by clunky exposition and awkward pacing—Bernie’s tech rants or Ilene’s endless explanations feel like speedbumps between Titan clashes. The CGI, while impressive, occasionally veers into cartoony territory; Skar King’s exaggerated design and Shimo’s icy blasts lack the texture of Godzilla’s scaly menace. Wingard’s reliance on rapid cuts during smaller skirmishes can obscure the choreography, though the larger set pieces compensate with raw energy.
The score by Junkie XL and Antonio Di Iorio amplifies the bombast, with pounding drums and electric riffs echoing the film’s retro inspirations—think John Carpenter meets Toho classics. It’s not subtle, but it fits the tone, even if it lacks the melodic memorability of past Monsterverse themes. Visually, Wingard pushes boundaries—Hollow Earth feels like a living, alien world—but the film’s sensory overload can overwhelm, leaving little room for quieter moments to breathe.
Overall Impact and Reception
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a film that knows its audience—kaiju fans craving spectacle over substance—and delivers in spades, even if it stumbles along the way. Its strengths lie in its unabashed commitment to monster mayhem; Kong’s journey of belonging and Godzilla’s primal ferocity are primal pleasures that don’t overthink their appeal. Wingard’s direction, while uneven, injects enough personality to keep the film from feeling like a generic blockbuster, and the visual effects set a high bar for the genre, even if they occasionally tip into excess.
The film’s weaknesses are glaring, though. The human subplot feels perfunctory, with characters reduced to plot devices rather than fleshed-out individuals. The script’s reliance on prophecy and chosen-one tropes feels dated, undermining the emotional stakes. Skar King and Shimo, while visually imposing, lack the narrative weight to rival Mechagodzilla or King Ghidorah from past entries. And at 115 minutes, the film sometimes drags in its quieter moments, unable to match the breathless pace of its predecessor.
Reception has been mixed but leans positive among fans. It holds a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics, who criticize its thin plot and overreliance on CGI spectacle, but audiences have embraced it, giving it an A- CinemaScore and a 90% audience score. Financially, it’s a hit—grossing $571.9 million worldwide against a $135 million budget, making it the highest-grossing Monsterverse film to date. Fans on social platforms have praised its action and Kong’s arc, though some lament Godzilla’s reduced role and the lack of deeper themes compared to entries like Godzilla: Minus One.
Ultimately, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire isn’t high art—it’s a loud, messy love letter to kaiju cinema, prioritizing spectacle over story. For all its flaws, it delivers where it counts: in the sheer thrill of watching Titans clash on a massive scale. It’s a film best enjoyed with popcorn in hand and expectations dialed to “big dumb fun.” As a Monsterverse chapter, it keeps the franchise alive and kicking, setting up future battles while reminding us why these monsters have endured for decades—they don’t need to make sense to make our hearts race.
