The fifth film in the MonsterVerse franchise celebrating Japan’s multistory Kaiju mythology roars from theaters onto the ultra-high definition disc format with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 115 minutes, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $39.98).
Director Adam Wingard returns to helm a story that takes place three years after the Titans’ Godzilla and Kong defeated Mechagodzilla.
Specifically, after the battle and destruction of Skull Island, Kong now resides in Hollow Earth, a series of varied landscapes connected by portals far within the planet and home to other Titans.
Monarch, a secret government agency tasked with monitoring the beasts, continues to focus on Godzilla as he protects humanity from malicious creature threats arriving at the surface.
Kong eventually finds a tribe of his own species while also befriending a feisty young ape named Suko, but its leader, the vicious Skar King, has no love for the mighty ape and looks to restore his malevolent place on Earth’s surface.
While viewers marvel at the Titans and their savage lives, they are also subjected to a very thin human side to the story.
Screenwriters inject a quartet of individuals seen in the last film “Godzilla vs. Kong” — Kong researcher Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), extreme veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens), a Titan expert blogger Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and the last remaining human survivor of Skull Island Jia (Kaylee Hottle) — who as a team explore a new part of Hollow Earth looking to find the origin of the latest threat to all of planet.
Of course, ultimately, our famed pair of Titans will eventually team up again, along with a special friend, to save the puny humans from the Skar King and his massive slave, an ice-breathing dragon-like behemoth, Shimo.
Amid some massive fights between the Titans, quieter moments sure to oddly entertain fans include Trapper extracting Kong’s infected tooth as well as upgrading his powers via a heavy-duty, mechanical fist.
And, Godzilla defeating a crab-like beast in the middle of Rome, with zero concern for any collateral damage, then taking a nap in the Coliseum. It was a laugh-out-loud moment.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” offers a decent monster mash sure to please fans of the franchise, but the hardcore devotee to the Kaiju traditions will rather seek the latest authentic effort from the patriarch of the Lizard King, Toho Co., “Godzilla Minus One,” now out on streaming services.
4K in action: Taking advantage of a 4K master format, the 2160p presentation is set ablaze with vivid colors in scenes such as a psychedelic kaleidoscope trip down a portal by the Monarch team that blasts the screen with purples, pinks, reds and blues.
Or, an opening sweep of giant green, neon-glowing crystal spirals coming up from Hollow Earth, and humans wandering around a glowing, massive multihued pyramid carved from a quartz-like material.
The details of the creature designs are impeccable, as usual, with areas to admire including Kong’s textured fur and scarred chest, Godzilla’s scaled skin and his glowing translucent blue-and-pink dorsal spikes, the frosted crystal back fins on Shimo and the delicate wing design of the brightly gold colored Mothra.
Let’s also mention the Titan battles especially Kong Godzilla tearing apart a blue-and-yellow striped snake and Godzilla exploding out of Arctic ice after pummeling a neon-pink glowing sea serpent.
Best extras: Fans get a welcomed dive into the production spearheaded by an optional commentary track with Mr. Wingard, production designer Tom Hammock, visual effects supervisor Alessandro Ongaro and editor Josh Schaeffer.
The team delivers an excellent collaborative effort giving viewers a detailed discussion on creative choices, visual effects, technical requirements, locations, the building of Hollow Earth and other scene specifics while also adding plenty of entertaining stories about shooting the film.
Next, take a look at 14 short featurettes (roughly an hour) touching on key aspects of the franchise and production such as Kong, Godzilla, the director’s passion for the subject matter, key fight scenes, visual effects, Hollow Earth and overall design concepts.
The collection even references previous films with comments throughout from cast and crew, including actors Bryan Cranston, Millie Bobby Brown, Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson; director Jordan Vogt-Roberts; and production designer Tom Hammock.
However, it would have been nice to have a “play all” option rather than spending too much time navigating through the menu and submenu to pick and start the many segments.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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