\n<\/p>\n
But with that zenith in the rearview mirror, \u201cGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire\u201d has very little road left to cruise, and it shows. The best stretches involve Kong lumbering through the landscape, Godzilla stomping around crushing things, and of course the inevitable final confrontation, which has a few surprises up its proverbial sleeves. Kong in particular seems to have no problem communicating without human language, and those extended scenes are so fun to watch that it\u2019s disappointing to swing back to the humans.<\/p>\n
Certainly, humans can be a fruitful part of these monster movies. The recent Japanese film \u201cGodzilla Minus One,\u201d<\/a> produced for a fraction of the \u201cGodzilla x Kong\u201d budget and recipient of the Oscar<\/a> for best visual effects this year, manages to combine the creature with true pathos and a focus on the human cost of war, guilt and trauma. It\u2019s more in line with the origin of Godzilla, too, as a metaphor for Japanese generational trauma related to the atomic bomb. In 2004, writing for The New York Times<\/a>, Terrence Rafferty succinctly described the monster as embodying \u201ca society\u2019s desire to claim its deepest tragedies for itself, to assimilate them as elements of its historical identity.\u201d<\/p>\n None of that is here. In fact, \u201cGodzilla x Kong\u201d is evidence the original thread has been lost entirely \u2014 a shame, in an era haunted by monsters the movies can only hint at, from climate catastrophe, destructive weaponry and geopolitical strife to power-hungry, brutal authoritarianism. There\u2019s no reflection here at all, not even space to contemplate what might lie beyond the literal. Beyond the main cast, the humans in this movie exist only to get squashed like ants by falling debris and mangled buildings. They are expendable, but it doesn\u2019t matter. The meaning of these films isn\u2019t in metaphor at all. It\u2019s in punching.<\/p>\n Be warned: There\u2019s a lot of guts in \u201cGodzilla x Kong,\u201d guts from mammals and reptiles ripped in half, guts from sea monsters, Technicolor guts, way more than I expected. They feel appropriate, for a monster movie, and aren\u2019t quite gross enough to merit an R rating. But as I pondered the guts, I found myself wondering one thing: When will someone have the bravery \u2014 the guts, you might say \u2014 to make a movie with Kong, and Godzilla, and various other titans and monsters, and no humans at all?<\/p>\n Or maybe there\u2019s a greater question at stake: When will Hollywood have the guts to make a fun blockbuster like this that dares to acknowledge the real menacing monsters?<\/p>\n Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire<\/strong>
Rated PG-13 for destruction, some mild profanities and so, so many guts. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. In theaters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n