The characters ofKing KongandGodzillahave much more complex backstories than their current interactions would suggest. 1933’sKing Kongwas a groundbreaking achievement in stop-motion visual effects that presented a dire warning about the dangers of messing with nature. Similarly, 1954’sGodzillaserved as a powerful reminder of the consequences of using nuclear weapons, and felt particularly relevant in Japan during the decade following the end of World War II.
Any semblance of these dramatic roots has been completely expunged by Legendary’sMonsterVerse, a shared continuity that brings together Kong, Godzilla, Mothra, Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla and many other kaiju creatures. TheMonsterVerse gets sillierwith each subsequent installment, withGodzilla x Kong: The New Empireincluding a line of dialogue that actually pokes fun at the director.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Kong and the fearsome Godzilla face off against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own.
‘Godzilla x Kong' Goes to Hollow Earth
Although the films in the MonsterVerse have received rather mixed critical responses within its first few installments, 2021’sGodzilla vs. Kongbecame a surprise box office hit.Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireis a much bolder, action-packed, and self-aware installment in the MonsterVerse saga.While the film continues to have the franchise’s same failings when it comes to thehuman characters, directorAdam Wingardwas certainly not afraid to show the massive creatures battling it out for control of Earth’s future.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empirespends a majority of its runtime in the “Hollow Earth.”First referenced in 2019’sGodzilla: King of the Monsters,the Hollow Earth is a lush underworld environmentwhere many of the mythic kaiju creatures’ origins can be traced to. InGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a new threat emerges that forces humanity to bring Kong down to the center of the Hollow Earth. The scientist, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) brings her adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hotlee), to help communicate with the great ape; also accompanying them is the Titan veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens) and the conspiracy theory podcaster Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry).
While Andrews, Trapper, and Jia have all come to expect the strange process of recruiting monsters to defend humanity, the submerging adventure sparks a more adverse reaction from Bernie. Uncomfortable with the dramatic descent into Hollow Earth,Bernie says “I feel like I’m water” when making the plunge.While it’s a humorous line, it’s also indicative of how fast and loose the MonsterVerse films play with actual science.Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireknows that the audience is really there to see themassive monster fights. In order to avoid the trappings of exposition, Wingard needed to give the simplest explanation for Hollow Earth that was possible.
Adam Wingard’s Drug Use Inspired ‘Godzilla x Kong'
Bernie’s reaction to entering Hollow Earth is played for laughs, as it’s a line that is commonly used in reference to an extreme reaction to psychedelic drugs. Its inclusion in the script was by no means a coincidence, though.Wingard based the film’s look and feelon his own experiences with psychedelics.Godzilla vs. Kongtreated the Hollow Earth with a certain amount of reverence, as it was essential in settingup the larger continuity of the MonsterVerse. Although Wingard said that “it’s dead serious the last time when you’re flying in there,” he felt that the new descension scene into the Hollow Earth inGodzilla x Kong: The New Empireneeded to be “shot for shot from the last movie” but have “a completely different feel."
The references to psychedelics are also representative of the new visual style that Wingard adopts forGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire. While the previous entries in the MonsterVerse were largely confined to a tactical version of Earth that the audience could relate to,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireembraces the trippier aspects of the surrealist science fictionsubgenre. Aesthetically, parallels can be drawn between the film and masterpieces of “soft sci-fi,” includingJourney to the Center of the Earth, Forbidden Planet,andThe Day the Earth Stood Still.
Bernie’s passing references are also indicative of a major tonal shift in the MonsterVerse. WhileGareth Edwards’sGodzillaattempted to ground the universe in an aspect of realism,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireis essentially a live-action cartoon that is very cheeky. The quips from characters like Bernie and Trapper indicate that the film is completely aware of its own ridiculous premise.
Is Bernie One of the MonsterVerse’s Best Characters?
One of the greatest failings of the MonsterVerse is the underutilization of great actors, as few human characters emerge with any strong personalities. Although it pales in comparison to his brilliant work onAtlantaand Academy Award-nominated role inCauseway, Henry gives one of the best performances in any MonsterVerse film.The perspective of an outsider who does not have any serious government connections is integral, as it makes the film more relatable. Henry is also the type of comically adept actor who can manage to deliver completely ridiculous expository lines of dialogue with a straight face.
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The future of the MonsterVerse is unclear, asGodzilla x Kong: The New Empiredid not contain any post-credit scenesthat teased future installments. However, the film’s relatively dominant financial performance would strongly suggest that another sequel is on the way.Should the MonsterVerse return to the Hollow Earth concept, it would be essential for Henry to reprise his role to give more funny lines.His humorous perspective is one that the universe needs in order to maintain its self-awareness.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireis in theaters now.
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