By Rollo Ross
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Giant monsters Kong and Godzilla are back after 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” but this time, instead of causing devastating destruction by fighting each other, they are teaming up – and causing devastating destruction together.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” sees not only the return of the two titans but also actors Rebecca Hall’s scientist Ilene Andrews and Brian Tyree Henry’s conspiracy theorist Bernie. It introduces “Downton Abbey” and “Beauty and the Beast” actor Dan Stevens as eccentric veterinarian Trapper.
In the sequel, Kong and Godzilla both sense a threat coming from Hollow Earth, where both originate from, and they can only win by teaming up together. They are aided on their mission by Andrews’ adopted daughter Jia, played by Kaylee Hottle, who can also sense the hidden enemy.
“The technology’s there, the confidence is there, it’s time to be able for the first time ever to do a movie that lets the (monsters) tell their own story from their own (point of view),” director Adam Wingard told Reuters.
“I was just very excited to be able to do all these sequences where they’re visually driven and we go sometimes eight minutes without a line of dialogue and you’re just there with the monsters.”
“That’s the dream movie I’d always wanted to see as a kid and that’s what this is all about, fulfilling that lifelong sort of goal,” added Wingard, who also directed “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
The cast had to give highly energetic performances to keep up with the lead monsters and were often helped by LED screens showing what they were reacting to. Tyree Henry’s Bernie is the most freaked out.
“Count how many times I say ‘oh my god’, like how many times it’s screamed, how many times it’s whispered because that is literally the state of panic I found my character in for most of this movie,” the actor said.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” begins its global cinema rollout from Wednesday.
(Reporting by Rollo Ross; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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