Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
The film is the fifth entry in Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse franchise.
By Abid Rahman
International Editor, Digital
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was finally revealed to the public Monday night after the Legendary/Warner Bros. film held its premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, and the first reactions have already hit social media.
The epic kaiju film sees the team-up we’ve all been longing to see, as Godzilla and Kong join forces to take down a new threat to the world.
Godzilla vs. Kong filmmaker Adam Wingard is back in the director’s chair for The New Empire, and returning castmembers include Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle. Brit actor Dan Stevens, who worked with Wingard on the thriller The Guest (2014), joins the franchise as a lead in The New Empire. Other newcomers include Fala Chen, Alex Ferns and Rachel House. The script comes from Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater.
The New Empire is the fifth feature in the MonsterVerse franchise and follows Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). There have also been two television entries in the franchise, the anime series Skull Island (2023) released on Netflix and the live-action series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023) released on Apple TV+.
Full critics reviews for The New Empire drop on Thursday. In the meantime, read on for a sampling of the first reactions to the film after the premiere.
#GodzillaXKong is a noisy titan brawl with hardly any human heart to engage us on an emotional level. But audiences coming for the fights alone are getting a supremely awesome tag team match between Godzilla and Kong vs Skar King and Shimo. #GodzillaxKongTheNewEmpire pic.twitter.com/oqEdpiWxEq
#GodzillaXKong hits plenty of sweet spots for me! Tons of wild kaiju action, a brutal villain for Kong, a powered-up Godzilla, Dan Stevens having a blast, some legit surprises, and so many colors. Bring me more MonsterVerse! pic.twitter.com/eaxDkJwmnF
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the most enjoyable MonsterVerse movie yet, the one where it feels everybody understood the assignment. Story is a bit thin, but the titan smashing more than makes up for it. #GodzillaXKong pic.twitter.com/gk8gDeYXhT
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE rules. Dir. Adam Wingard fully embraces the tone of a fantasy rock opera, complete with a synth-heavy score, heavy metal visuals, and killer 80s needledrops.

Incredibly silly and heartfelt at times, it's a sincere love letter to the Shōwa Era. pic.twitter.com/bwRJvJdSpb
#GodzillaXKong is nonstop/fun Kaiju action that fans of monster movies love. Both Godzilla and Kong take centerstage in this latest entry in Legendary’s evolving Monsterverse.

Brian Tyree Henry & Dan Stevens are fun together. But this movie belongs to the giant monsters. pic.twitter.com/daJ3UyIbsW
GODZILLA X KONG is an absurdly fun ride. A teaming of titans with tremendous scale and a fast-paced adventure. This movie knows to deliver pure fun on a huge scale. My advice, just strap in and enjoy the ride. pic.twitter.com/w8WCk2c0C1
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire suffers from an extremely slow start due to lack of dialogue, which is more cheesy than entertaining. When Titans go toe-to-toe, the action is incredible but that's not enough. Looks pretty but unfortunately misses more than it hits. #GodzillaXKong pic.twitter.com/L9qQYTHIzF
#GodzillaXKong is a really great King Kong movie. The human stuff is notably clunky (poor Rebecca Hall saddled with so much dry exposition) but Kong has so many scenes centered on him and I just loved the big guy. And the final fight sequences are pure monster mayhem delight. pic.twitter.com/un2iVtHz8f
#GodzillaXKong was more fun than I expected. I was happy to see Kong get more respect. It was nice to see more monsters and less annoying humans. The battles were cool but corny, and the science got a little too nerdy. Felt like Christopher Nolan & WWE made a monster movie.😅👍🏿 pic.twitter.com/FQqE6FnyAK
#GodzillaXKong: The New Empire is underwhelming. It feels like 90% set-up for a final battle that's solid but can't live up to all that build-up.

There is a fresh approach to the characters, which works, but it never quite gels with the main story. Dan Stevens does rip though. pic.twitter.com/0PDPEB9P8I
#GodzillaXKong is an ATOMIC BLAST! A fantastically weird, psychedelic trip through the Shōwa Era w/all the vibrance of an 80s album cover. This thing is an absurdist romp – crimson apes, frost dragons, a delightfully absurd Dan Stevens. Another FUN entry in the MonsterVerse! pic.twitter.com/Qmzx8Jytug
#GodzillaXKong is a momentous spectacle that dazzles with its vibrant technicolor visuals. The epic battles btwn the titans are jaw-dropping and are accompanied by a story with a gargantuan heart. Plus, there’s Dan Stevens flexing in a Hawaiian shirt for 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/PsBMAdsQjH
#GodzillaxKongTheNewEmpire wasn’t able to hit as hard as the first film. Fight scenes were not as exciting. Human plot lines even worse and uninteresting. Not a terrible movie but a downgrade. Final act was fun though.

Check out @TomMCJL’s review dropping @HollywoodHandle pic.twitter.com/ltWkGpHxxg
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Get the scoops first! Breaking news and interviews on comics, sci-fi, horror and more
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.

source