Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Blu-ray Movie Review

No, not the pyramids!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 6, 2024

I finally got to watch a really good monster movie just the other day, one that pairs relatable human characters with a solid story and copious amounts of beastly destruction. I'm talking, course, about Godzilla Minus One, the much talked-about import that casually made back ten times its modest ~$12M budget, walked away with an Oscar for Best Visual Effects back in March, and quietly debuted on Netflix just last weekend. What we got on this side of the pond instead was Adam Wingard's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a substantially different but still fairly enjoyable extension to Legendary Picture's ever-growing "Monsterverse". Flippant intros aside, there's room in the world for both.

Godzilla x Kong also proves that there's room in the world for both its title characters which, at the end of their last shared film, found the two separated by miles and miles of earth thanks to Monarch, now able to monitor Kong in his new Hollow Earth home from an observation post. After a brutal intro that proves at least one of the three credited writers watches Primal, our big hairy hero finally ventures back to the surface because of... a really bad toothache. Meanwhile, ol' Godzilla still acts as humanity's scaly protector from an increasing onslaught of invading Titans and has even made Rome's Colosseum his personal napping spot but, after picking up a mysterious signal from down below, ventures to nearby France for a quick radiation snack to power up for the threat that lies ahead.

Their separate journeys converge much, much later; after Kong travels back to Hollow Earth into uncharted territory, meets a few fellow apes including one later dubbed "Mini Kong", upgrades his right hand, and squares off against their dastardly leader Skar King, who's got an ancient ice-powered Titan named Shimo under his control. This all builds to a thrilling third-act battle far beneath the Earth -- both with and without the help of gravity -- and eventually spills over to the surface, when the mixed tag match ends up totaling three separate cities and most of their surrounding major landmarks. Case in point: if you're here for the monsters, Godzilla x Kong delivers in spades.

On the human front, however, GxK once again fails to deliver. Although it technically wouldn't be an American-made monster film without boring people to distract from the action, the returning characters are as uninteresting as ever. You probably won't care about Godzilla expert Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and her new haircut, goofy podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and his subscribers, or extreme vet Trapper (Dan Stevens). And you definitely won't care about Jia (Kaylee Hottle), Dr. Andrews' daughter and maybe the last remaining member of the ancient Iwi tribe, who has a resting pout face and ends up being "the chosen one" or whatever. (Oh, and Mothra. You won't care about Mothra either, because she just barfs silk.) Sure, they intervene at a few crucial points, but these human characters once again mostly serve as deliverers of exposition, shocked expressions, and jokes that barely land.

It's all good, though, because the literal and figurative weight of its monster appearances keep GxK afloat during its running time which, like the last installment, has the good sense to wrap things up well before the 120-minute mark. It might even be more entertaining than the last couple of Monsterverse films for that very reason, as it seems to more comfortably embrace its goofy side while keeping the action tight and hard-hitting. WB offers the film in separate Blu-ray and 4K editions, both of which offer good to great A/V merits and a host of lightweight extras.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As usual, see my review of the separate 4K edition for a general overview of the film's visual style, which is predictably stuffed to the gills with CGI and high-contrast colors to keep your eyes entertained (if not overloaded) every step of the way. There are, of course, a few stray compromises that must be made with Warner Bros.' 1080p/SDR transfer, which capably downscales its 4K/HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) source material but intermittently suffers from a few all but unavoidable compression artifacts along the way. They're kept under control a little more than expected, partially due to the film's shorter running time, but include sporadic moments of banding and posterization that creep into the busiest compositions and especially fight scenes. Overall, though, there are still plenty of "wow" moments here in tight close-ups and scenes of extreme destruction, and as a whole it features solid fine detail, deep blacks, and very good color representation. On small to mid-sized displays, this Blu-ray will get the job done well enough.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It almost goes without saying, but Godzilla x Kong's Dolby Atmos audio mix is an absolutely thunderous sonic effort that easily ranks among the best discs I've heard this year. Earth-shattering amounts of low and and strong discrete effects are present more often than not, the partially synth-driven score sounds great, while crystal clear audio ensures that you'll hear every human conversation that you probably wish was over already. (Except for Alex Ferns' character, he's cool.) It's an effective balance that, like most big-budget productions, make for a disc that you'll want to crank at high volume for full enjoyment, neighbors or housemates be damned. Highlights are numerous, but basically the entire third act is one fairly long action marathon so that'll get lots of replay value as a demo-worthy sequence.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the film and all extras listed below.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art; a matching slipcover and Digital Copy slip are also included. Extras include a full-length commentary and just over an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

• Audio Commentary - This casual but lively group track features director Adam Wingard, VFX supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, production designer Tom Hammock, and editor Josh Schaeffer, and does things right by obviously focusing on the technical side of things while occasionally offering a few character specifics and big-kid narration of what's on screen. I mean, was anyone really interested in what the writers had to say?

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes - A plethora of bite-sized pieces, some of them divided into two or more segments, that go into light detail about almost every aspect of the production. Most are self-explanatory and surface-level (and a "Play All" feature would've been appreciated), but all are at least lightly entertaining or decent enough for a run-through. Featured participants (some of whom worked on previous Monsterverse films) are director Adam Wingard, actors Vera Farmiga, Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, and Dan Stevens; director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, producer Alex Garcia, production designer Tom Hammock, cinematographer Ben Seresin, and others.

• GxK: Day of Reckoning (5:58) - An all-purpose overview of this film and its role in the franchise.
• Evolution of the Titans - Two short but sweet character-specific featurettes, one that takes a look at Godzilla's new look and another that focuses on Kong's more emotional journey.
• Godzilla Evolved (5:33)
• From Lonely God to King (5:44)
• Into the Hollow Earth - Two separate "shallow dives into a deep hole", one focusing on the visually unique locations featured below the Earth's surface and the other about the monsters within, including some nice concept art and brief comments from the VFX team and other crew members.
• Visualizing Hollow Earth (5:46)
• Monsters of Hollow Earth (5:39)
• The Battles Royale - Three quick but enjoyable looks at VFX-heavy fight scenes that make up Godzilla x Kong's action-packed third act, all of which focus on location planning, shooting in different countries, and subjecting iconic landmarks to hard-hitting destruction while not angering international audiences.
• A Titanic Fight Among the Pyramids (5:30)
• The Zero Gravity Battle (5:03)
• The Titans Trash Rio (5:22)
• The Intrepid Director - Two light-hearted pieces detailing Adam Wingard's role in the production, focusing on his youthful enthusiasm and a quick guided tour of the on-set experience.
• Big Kid (3:43)
• Set Tour (3:44)
• The Imagination Department (3:47) - Another character-based piece, this one looks at various stages of concept art including illustrations and sculptures in Godzilla x Kong's "War Room".
• The Monarch Island Base: Portal to Another World (5:32) - A look at the initial concept, production design, and visual details of Monarch's island base and everything underneath it.
• The Evolution of Jia: From Orphan to Warrior (5:58) - Jia's big moment, if that floats your boat.
• Bernie's World: Behind the Triple Locked Door (3:28) - A quick tour of Bernie's apartment.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Adam Wingard's Godzilla v Kong: The New Empire is mostly big, dumb fun that's predictably dragged down by its flavorless and exposition-dumping human characters. (What else is new in the Monsterverse?) For what it's worth, I've given earlier entries more or less the same star rating but this one feels like it has a bit more replay value... and while that doesn't necessarily make it the best film in the (probably ongoing) franchise, it might be the most entertaining. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray features great lossless audio and decent video quality, but the latter could've been improved by relegating the hour-plus of bonus features to a separate disc. Spring for the 4K edition if you're able.