The 4th of July has always been synonymous with blockbuster cinema. And this year, one of the biggest movies of Independence Day weekend will be broadcast on Max..
That’s it Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empirethe latest edition of Legendary’s “MonsterVerse,” which combined the two literal giants of kaiju cinema into a single cinematic universe. As of this writing, the film, which is a 2021 sequel Godzilla vs. Kongis the third highest-grossing film of 2024 at the US box office, behind only Inside Out 2 It is Dune: Part Two.
In this new chapter of the saga, directed by Adam Wingard, eternal enemies Godzilla It is Kong they must unite to face a new threat to the planet; a rebellious tribe of giant apes from Kong’s home of Hollow Earth, led by the monstrous King Skar. There are human actors as well, including Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dan Stevens, though their roles are mostly to stand by and stare in horror at Godzilla and Kong’s destructive stuff.
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Although it may be a small step away from disappointing Godzilla vs. Kong, The New Empire continued many of the problems from that film. As I wrote in my analysis during Godzilla vs. Kongtheatrical run:
There’s plenty of visual imagination on display; but like almost all of these MonsterVerse films, that’s about as far as the creativity goes. Maybe that wouldn’t matter if Godzilla vs. Kong were wall-to-wall monster fights. Instead, there’s plenty of exposition to wade through, as the human cast treks through jungle sets to peer at CGI crystals and underground caverns while desperately trying to explain why Godzilla or Kong or both need to travel from Hollow Earth back and forth to the surface.
But hey; If you have a Max subscription, you won’t pay $20 for a ticket. If you love the kaiju spectacle and don’t care about anything else, you might want to try it out on streaming.
Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire premieres on Max on July 4th. Another MonsterVerse sequel is already in development, although Wingard is not attached to direct it. (Oh, and if you’re wondering: you should call him “Godzilla Kong.” Apparently the ‘x’ is silent.)
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