Even if Godzilla x Kong continues to break box office records, it's hard for Godzilla fans not to be a little disappointed in his role in the latest chapter of the Monsterverse. The globe-trotting adventure pits Godzilla and Kong against a sinister ape Titan, Skar King, and an all-powerful ice dragon, Shimo. There is plenty of justification for Big G and Kong to work together, but despite the fun, over-the-top monster battles that occur throughout the movie, Godzilla's involvement leaves a lot to be desired.

Related

Godzilla x Kong Sequel: Release Date, Cast & Everything We Know About The Next Monsterverse Movie

The King of the Monsters teamed with the King of the Apes in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and a new Monsterverse sequel is coming soon.

Posts 1

Godzilla Is Barely In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

He has the lowest screen time of any Monsterverse movie yet.

One of the most widespread complaints about Godzilla vs. Kong was that it was, in essence, a Kong movie. It made sense to have Kong be the main character, given that part of the movie's purpose was to introduce the Hollow Earth and delve deeper into Kong's species history. Kong also has a greater ability to emote and can communicate with sign language, providing a near-human perspective while requiring less exposition. It was believed that Godzilla x Kong would restore the balance in screen time between the two monsters after Kong more than doubled Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong.

In fact, the opposite appears to have happened. X @tamilhollywood2 estimated that Godzilla had only 8 minutes and 43 seconds of total screen time, which would be the lowest he's had in any Monsterverse film. While the definition of screen time can vary depending on who you ask, the point is that Godzilla was second fiddle to Kong once again. Despite being the franchise originator and the most famous monster in movie history, Godzilla has taken a back seat to Kong two movies in a row.

The New Empire Is Only Focused On Godzilla's Growing Power

The radioactive lizard travels the globe amassing new energy.

That screen time also didn't play out as many expected based on the trailers. As opposed to Godzilla playing a major role in Kong's conflict with Skar King throughout the movie, he was mostly on his own until he was recruited by Kong and Mothra to bring the fight to Skar King in the Hollow Earth. Once again, the story revolves around Kong and his journey through the Hollow Earth. Before he was called to fight by Kong, Godzilla went on a globe-trotting mission to power up in preparation for the battle with Skar King.

Godzilla was first shown in his capacity as Earth's guardian, stopping and killing the Titan Scylla from destroying Rome. After receiving a distress call from the Iwi tribe in the Hollow Earth, he levels up at a power plant in Europe before heading to the Arctic Ocean to destroy Tiamat, the powerful sea dragon Titan, and claim her highly radioactive home as his own to further level up his own power. That takes up a large chunk of Godzilla's screen time, making his time actually teaming up with Kong disappointingly brief.

Why Godzilla's Small Role In The New Empire Is So Disappointing

He feels like a side character in a Kong movie as opposed to the franchise star.

The trailers and the movie's promotion all but promised an even split between the two mighty monsters, so seeing Godzilla act as almost a sidekick to the movie's main character, Kong, is highly disappointing. Godzilla's diminished role is also disappointing because of his importance to the world of the Monsterverse. The last time Godzilla ever truly felt like the King of the Monsters was the finale of the underrated sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which saw him kill his greatest rival, Ghidorah, and earn the deference that the rest of the planet's Titans showed him at the movie's conclusion.

Since that final scene, Godzilla has felt like a secondary monster to the franchise's true star, Kong. Godzilla may have beaten Kong one-on-one, but he was saved from certain death at the hands of Mechagodzilla by Kong, who ultimately triumphed over the titanium Titan. Godzilla x Kong made essentially the same mistake as its predecessor by affording Godzilla virtually no screen time in which to establish himself as anything more than backup for Kong.

All hope is not lost, however. Godzilla x Kong director Adam Wingard hinted to IGN that while Godzilla x Kong was supposed to be a Kong-centric movie, a sequel would flip the script to focus on Godzilla. He teased:

In the way that Kong is treated in this movie, if this movie is successful, I think that the next movie will be the Godzilla version of what we did with this movie, kind of pushing deeper into his story.

Given the record-breaking early box office returns and favorable fan reviews for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, another chapter in the Monsterverse seems all but certain. If Director Adam Wingard stays on board, it seems like he will focus on Godzilla, and reward the King of the Monsters with the screen time that he's lacked for the last two movies.

Your Rating

close

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Like

Follow

Followed

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

6/10

41

8.4/10

Release Date

March 29, 2024

Runtime

115 Minutes

Director

Adam Wingard

Cast

See All

• 
  Rebecca Hall

  Ilene Andrews
• 
  Brian Tyree Henry

  Bernie Hayes

• 
• 
• 

Where to watch

Close

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

• 
• 
• 

RENT

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

BUY

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire unites iconic monsters Godzilla and Kong in a colossal confrontation. As these ancient titans clash, humans delve into their shared origins and explore the enigmatic secrets of Skull Island.

Writers

Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater

Franchise(s)

Monsterverse

Studio(s)

Legendary Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Powered by

Expand Collapse