Reel Reviews: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire By: Jarrett Watkins

Reel Reviews: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

By: Jarrett Watkins

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the fifth installment in the Monster-verse series, and it is exactly what you would expect from these kinds of films. This was an enjoyable, entertaining, and quick movie which is a nice change of pace to what has been put out over the last year. I have loved the long epics such as Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, but it seems like everything you watch nowadays is two and a half hours or more. Godzilla x Kong is just short of two hours and feels like it had you in and out of the theatre in no time.

Before I get into what I like and dislike about the film I want to talk about Greenville’s new movie theatre Golden Ticket Cinemas Greenville Grande. It is where the old Regal complex was on Greenville Boulevard next to the Texas Roadhouse.

This theatre is everything you want out of a movie going experience. Its Elite Theatre is great. It has a 4K Laser Projector and the biggest screen that Greenville, NC has to offer. The recliners are great with tray tables, so you don’t have to hold everything in your lap. The recliners are just as comfortable as the La-Z-Boy in my house and are heated as well, which is nice because it always gets cold in the theatre.

Lastly the concessions are like nothing I’ve seen, they have a self-serving popcorn machine, so instead of waiting on some teenager who hates their job you can fill your own bucket and put in as much butter as you want.

The movie itself was okay. I obviously didn’t go in with grand expectations because it’s about a giant gorilla teaming up with a nuclear lizard to fight a large orangutan. The special effects were amazing for all of Kongs parts, but Godzilla once again looked like they had done a half-way job on his appearance. The greatest part of the whole movie was Kong's facial expressions. For a film that had to rely solely on blue screens, CGI, and all that jazz, the story telling done through Kong’s expressions was great.

The action was awesome in this movie. The whole time you are just watching monsters do WWE moves on each other. Godzilla literally counters a spear from Kong into an overhead suplex, which made me audibly laugh in the theatre.

Skar King was a great antagonist, but his fight with Godzilla and Kong seemed rushed. There was definitely more they could’ve done, but with neither of the main characters nor the villain being able to speak there was little to do. Also, the humans in these movies are not good. I’m not going to say they’re terrible, but it’s the same shock and awe in every movie. This is the fifth movie of the franchise and people are still perplexed that Godzilla is tearing up their city.

If you just want a nice, fun, mind-numbing experience this is all you need. You will laugh. You will cry. You will groan. This movie has it all and is probably my favorite of the franchise.

Grade: B-, I definitely liked this more than other people, but it entertained me, and that's all I can ask for.