LIKES:
Good Pace
Lots of Monsters
More Monsters On Screen Than Other Films
Humans Weren't Annoying This Time
Graphics Are Good
Mini-Kong Is Cute
Action Works So Well
Summary: The latest entry in the installment exists purely for entertainment expectations and it accomplished this for this reviewer in many more positive ways than I expected. It holds a good pace, is fast, and pushes the plot towards what everyone wants in this spectacle, doing little to diverge into complex twists. The humans are about seventy percent of the plot, much less annoying than previous installations were when they took over the story. While it's mainly comedic relief, the humans provide the translation to establish the archetype and help get this chaotic mess of a tale together. Fortunately, there are plenty of monsters to help distract, the New Empire starting to feel like a powered-up version of Jurassic World and give us the anime-level goodness this series is known for. Plenty of familiar faces get some time on the screen, alongside some impressive use of their inclusion that I've been wanting for a very long time. Hollywood's graphical prowess continues to shine well (mostly) in this movie, with sleek patterns, textures, and designs that keep to the characters but help add some realism to their design to help give the live-action purpose. Or, perhaps you are just in it for Mini-Kong, whose adorable addition is one part story, one part pertinence, and all parts comedy as this universe's Grogu steals the show on a lot of aspects, though not too much to rob from the other contenders. And of course, the action is the highlight of the movie and so good for this reviewer. Both lizard and ape get plenty of time to show off their moves in very impressive displays of giant MMA matches. It's exciting, it's fun, and it has surprisingly good choreography that has all the adrenaline-fueled emotions you want in an action film. The New Empire excelled in that spectacle and knew a large part of what it wanted to deliver.
DISLIKES:
Plot is Full of Holes
Needs More Antagonist Build Up
More Godzilla probably needed
Still Cheesy Given The Rushed Storytelling
Some Battles Needed to Be Longer
Summary Now it just needs some finessing, once more needing to get the story in check and add a little more composure to make it as strong as it could be. It's campy and corny, summed up rapidly, and uses a lot of conveniences to fill the gaps and put "logic" behind what is going on. I'd wished it was stronger like some of the earlier films, but it works, until near the end when too many things just quickly fell into place with that luck only Hollywood can harness. My main complaint is that the movie moves a tad too fast, which truncates a lot of things into micro bouts that rob some of the enjoyment for me. Godzilla takes the brunt of this pacing, his parts feeling very limited, only really being continuously present at the end of the film. His battles are the ones that end rapidly, and though he has quite an amazing finish in each one, he just really misses some of the magic that Kong's battles did better. Throw in those plot holes we talked about, add some cheesy levels that get out of hand, and well... the faster pace needed probably another thirty minutes to get the full effects of the movie (and me more fun).
THE VERDICT: While this movie may not be the cinematic marvel that Minus One was, The New Empire certainly gave me hope that someone understands what we want in this movie and how to bring it to life. Certainly, the story is eye-rolling at times, with some of the antics really stupid and or convenient. However, in its place is a movie that holds a lot of the monsters fighting monsters in some of the best choreography to date in this series. It's anime-level goodness that was just a lot of fun, all at an engaging pace that will keep fleeting attention spans happy, so long as you know what you are getting yourself into. Certainly, the pace does hurt it to some degree, primarily in Godzilla's inclusion and chopping up the battles to levels that can be a tad annoying. Overall, though, I was very satisfied with this movie and recommend that you catch this in the theaters to get the most out of this film. It may not be as artistic as some other versions, and the story may still need work, but it is fun and filled with feral fun. My scores for the movie are:
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi: 8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0.
Good Pace
Lots of Monsters
More Monsters On Screen Than Other Films
Humans Weren't Annoying This Time
Graphics Are Good
Mini-Kong Is Cute
Action Works So Well
Summary: The latest entry in the installment exists purely for entertainment expectations and it accomplished this for this reviewer in many more positive ways than I expected. It holds a good pace, is fast, and pushes the plot towards what everyone wants in this spectacle, doing little to diverge into complex twists. The humans are about seventy percent of the plot, much less annoying than previous installations were when they took over the story. While it's mainly comedic relief, the humans provide the translation to establish the archetype and help get this chaotic mess of a tale together. Fortunately, there are plenty of monsters to help distract, the New Empire starting to feel like a powered-up version of Jurassic World and give us the anime-level goodness this series is known for. Plenty of familiar faces get some time on the screen, alongside some impressive use of their inclusion that I've been wanting for a very long time. Hollywood's graphical prowess continues to shine well (mostly) in this movie, with sleek patterns, textures, and designs that keep to the characters but help add some realism to their design to help give the live-action purpose. Or, perhaps you are just in it for Mini-Kong, whose adorable addition is one part story, one part pertinence, and all parts comedy as this universe's Grogu steals the show on a lot of aspects, though not too much to rob from the other contenders. And of course, the action is the highlight of the movie and so good for this reviewer. Both lizard and ape get plenty of time to show off their moves in very impressive displays of giant MMA matches. It's exciting, it's fun, and it has surprisingly good choreography that has all the adrenaline-fueled emotions you want in an action film. The New Empire excelled in that spectacle and knew a large part of what it wanted to deliver.
DISLIKES:
Plot is Full of Holes
Needs More Antagonist Build Up
More Godzilla probably needed
Still Cheesy Given The Rushed Storytelling
Some Battles Needed to Be Longer
Summary Now it just needs some finessing, once more needing to get the story in check and add a little more composure to make it as strong as it could be. It's campy and corny, summed up rapidly, and uses a lot of conveniences to fill the gaps and put "logic" behind what is going on. I'd wished it was stronger like some of the earlier films, but it works, until near the end when too many things just quickly fell into place with that luck only Hollywood can harness. My main complaint is that the movie moves a tad too fast, which truncates a lot of things into micro bouts that rob some of the enjoyment for me. Godzilla takes the brunt of this pacing, his parts feeling very limited, only really being continuously present at the end of the film. His battles are the ones that end rapidly, and though he has quite an amazing finish in each one, he just really misses some of the magic that Kong's battles did better. Throw in those plot holes we talked about, add some cheesy levels that get out of hand, and well... the faster pace needed probably another thirty minutes to get the full effects of the movie (and me more fun).
THE VERDICT: While this movie may not be the cinematic marvel that Minus One was, The New Empire certainly gave me hope that someone understands what we want in this movie and how to bring it to life. Certainly, the story is eye-rolling at times, with some of the antics really stupid and or convenient. However, in its place is a movie that holds a lot of the monsters fighting monsters in some of the best choreography to date in this series. It's anime-level goodness that was just a lot of fun, all at an engaging pace that will keep fleeting attention spans happy, so long as you know what you are getting yourself into. Certainly, the pace does hurt it to some degree, primarily in Godzilla's inclusion and chopping up the battles to levels that can be a tad annoying. Overall, though, I was very satisfied with this movie and recommend that you catch this in the theaters to get the most out of this film. It may not be as artistic as some other versions, and the story may still need work, but it is fun and filled with feral fun. My scores for the movie are:
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi: 8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0.