‘Jaw-Dropping’: First Reactions to Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire Highlight “Legitimate Surprises and Vibrant Visuals” but “No Heart” – Film News

The week in which the clash of the titans will hit cinemas has arrived. Under the direction of Adam Wingard, filmmaker responsible for the previous feature and projects such as The Guest, V/H/S/2 and Death Note, Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire are about to hit the big screen.

After fighting against each other, Godzilla and Kong are now partners and must face a brutal enemy in The New Empire. Directed again by Adam Wingard, the plot will bring back well-known characters, as well as introducing a new protagonist, played by Dan Stevens.

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This time, the monsters will join forces against a colossal deadly threat hidden in the human world, which in addition to threatening their own existence also threatens our species. Delving deep into the mysteries of Skull Island and the origins of Hollow Earth, the film will explore the ancient battle of the Titans that helped forge these extraordinary beings and bind them to humanity forever.

At the beginning of the week, the film’s premiere took place in Los Angeles. With the release of Warner Bros. Discovery, journalists and other guests who had access to the session have already released the first reactions to the new chapter of the MonsterVerse.

The first comments are, for the most part, encouraging, always with the high level of beating in evidence, as stated by critic Aaron Neuwirth. For him, audiences can expect “tons of wild kaiju action, a brutal villain for Kong, a powerful Godzilla, Dan Stevens having a lot of fun, some legitimate surprises and lots of color.”

Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell seems to agree with the comment, as he highlighted the project as “the most fun MonsterVerse film yet, one where it feels like everyone gets the job done.”

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For Andrew J. Salazar of Discussing Film, The New Empire is “incredibly silly and sincere, a love letter to the Shōwa Period”. He further states that the film “fully embraces the tone of a fantasy rock opera, complete with a synth-heavy soundtrack, heavy metal visuals and killer ’80s needles.”

“Godzilla and Kong is a huge spectacle that dazzles with its vibrant Technicolor visuals. The epic battles between the titans are jaw-dropping and accompanied by a story with a gigantic heart. Plus, there’s Dan Stevens flexing a Hawaiian shirt for 2 hours”, highlighted Shannon McGrew, from Nightmarish Conjuring.

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Despite the praise, there are those who also didn’t like what they saw. For Richard Neto of The Hollywood Handle, the film “didn’t hit as hard as the first film. The fight scenes weren’t as exciting. The human plots are even worse and uninteresting. It’s not a terrible film, but a downgrade. The final act was fun.”

Screenwriter Michael Lee also doesn’t seem to have enjoyed the experience that much. He describes the film as “a noisy clash of the titans with almost no human heart to engage us on an emotional level.” Although he doesn’t appear to have enjoyed the experience, he states that “audiences who come just for the fights will be treated to an extremely incredible tag team fight between Godzilla and Kong against Skar King and Shimo.”

Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire opens on March 28.