Tag Archives: Monarch

Apr 7 2024

Rise Of The MonsterVerse

While cinematic universes based on superheroes have fallen out of favor and other attempts at creating different kinds of cinematic universes have faltered, the MonsterVerse has actually thrived lately. Just look at the unexpected success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which when released last week earned much more in the box office than originally projected. Given the success of the latest MonsterVerse film, another sequel is warranted but to date there are not any concrete plans for more films or TV shows. Expect that to change shortly.

The success of the MonsterVerse surprised many people because a lot of attention in the past was given to the superhero film franchises which were more successful. However, as we all know, the superhero film franchises have struggled lately, which created a void for other film franchises to fill, hence the rise of the MonsterVerse. For some time, it was thought that creating a film franchise not related to superheroes was impossible, but the MonsterVerse proved the naysayers wrong.

Originally, the first film in the MonsterVerse, the 2014 American reboot Godzilla was not intended to launch a cinematic universe. Yet, a few years later the birth of the MonsterVerse was confirmed with 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, which was set in the 1970s while Godzilla was set in modern times. But both films featured the secretive Monarch organization which studied the titans or kaijus that were appearing in the world. Cementing Kong: Skull Island as the second film of the franchise was its post-credits scene which teased Godzilla and other giant kaijus from the Toho Studios Godzilla films.

The next entry in the MonsterVerse was Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019, which was a true kaiju epic featuring favorite Toho kaijus like Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah along with new and interesting titans. Sure, critics hated the film and it only performed so-so in the box office, but Godzilla: King of the Monsters struck a nerve with fans who where enthralled with the worldbuilding and the explosive monster scenes.

The next logical MonsterVerse film had to be one where King Kong fought Godzilla, which excited many fans. Godzilla v Kong was released on streaming at the same time as it was released in theaters in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it made a lot more money than people expected and was well received. It was the culmination that many eagerly anticipated ever since Godzilla was teased in Kong: Skull Island.

Due to the success of Godzilla v Kong, the MonsterVerse expanded into streaming with two TV shows: the animated Skull Island and the live-action MonsterVerse prequel/sequel to Godzilla, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Both TV projects received positive reactions and helped with the worldbuilding of the MonsterVerse as events from the TV shows were referenced in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Of course, this brings valid complaints about having to watch previous films or TV shows in order to fully understand what is going on. But does the plot really matter? Sure, the scripts of the films are an issue, especially with the more recent entries and there will come a time when fans will tire of the monsters fighting and want to see some more meat in the scripts. But this is possible as seen with Godzilla, which was a more grounded and mature film. Fans back then griped about the somber tone of Godzilla and the lack of monster action, but it turns out they were not ready for such a film and clamored for the big kaiju battles that dominate the films now. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was also a more level-headed project that explored the background of Monarch and took time to get us to care about the characters. Perhaps the next MonsterVerse film should find a way to showcase these characters, even though part of the TV show is set in the past.

So, why did the MonsterVerse succeed as a franchise where others failed? Part of it has to do with the fact that even though the films and TV show feature spectacular special effects, their budgets are modest compared to the superhero blockbusters. This makes it easier for them to be profitable even if the box office returns are not as outstanding. It’s actually remarkable given that the battles and scenes with titans are the highlights of these films. Also, unlike some other film franchises, the MonsterVerse took time to properly set up its world. Legendary Pictures, the film studio behind the MonsterVerse, did not at first set out to create a film franchise and even when it did, the set up was natural. This method also created demand, after Godzilla: King of the Monsters many fans demanded to see Godzilla go up against his rival, Kong. A King Kong versus Godzilla film was not rushed out but carefully teased. This was not the case with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. To Legendary Pictures’ credit, they are giving fans what they want which is basically big kaiju fights and scenes with topnotch special effects.

As great as things are for the MonsterVerse, the film franchise will have to evolve in order to survive. Better scripts and more human character developments are essential, as well as more imaginative worldbuilding that unlocks the potential with the titans. What can be done with the titans and Monarch has barely been tapped and hopefully the MonsterVerse will be explored further with future TV and film projects.

Mar 29 2024

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Is Pure Goofy Fun!

Well, no one can say Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire can be compared to Godzilla Minus One, but it was still fun.

The latest film installment in the Monsterverse cinematic universe reunites everyone’s favorite kaijus Godzilla and King Kong, who last faced each other in Godzilla vs. Kong. That film left the two titans living in two different worlds: Kong in an underground realm called Hollow Earth while Godzilla remained on the surface and as the undisputed king of the monsters. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire takes place a few years later where Godzilla starts stomping around the world, destroying cities while battling other kaijus, and absorbing radiation to charge himself up. This catches the attention of the Monarch Organization, which monitors the behemoth kaijus throughout the world that have made their presences known in the Monsterverse.

Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) is a linguist at Monarch with an adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who is the sole remaining member of her tribe that lived on Skull Island. Jia has been having visions that serve as a warning and Ilene recruits a podcaster, Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), to decipher Jia’s visions, He figures out that the visions are a distress signal from Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, down below on Hollow Earth, Kong is trying to find other giant apes like him and eventually discovers a tribe of such apes, but they are hostile and ruled by a giant, red-furred tyrant called the Skar King.

After King Kong comes up to the surface world to get his tooth infection taken care of by a free-spirited veterinarian called Trapper (Dan Stevens)—yes, that actually happened, Ilene, Jia, Bernie and Trapper voyage to Hollow Earth to find the source of the distress call. Once there, the four run into the last remaining members of Jia’s tribe who are telepaths and they learn that long ago, the Skar King and his ape tribe tried to conquer the surface world, fought Godzilla and were trapped in Hollow Earth.

During his encounter with the giant ape tribe, Kong is bested by the Skar King and is forced to flee with his new-found friend, Suko, a young, red-furred giant ape that is patterned after Grogu or Baby Groot. The human quartet from the surface world run into Kong who was badly injured during his fight with the Skar King and his forces. As Trapper treats Kong, the rest have to find a way to get Godzilla back to Hollow Earth to help Kong fight the Skar King, who plans to escape to the surface to conquer it.

Yes, this admittedly sounds goofy, and it is. But Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is so damn entertaining and it’s simply a fun watch that is fast paced and exciting. Basically, this is the quintessential film for you to turn off your brain, not question the film’s logic and just go with it. By the end of the film, anyone will be rooting for our heroes during the climatic battle with the Skar King and his minions. That battle was actually pretty epic and the film is a throwback to the more juvenile Godzilla films from the ‘60s and ‘70s that we all enjoyed as kids. The script is obviously the weakest part of the film, but everything else was well done. Who cares about collateral damage as famous landmarks and cites are destroyed as these giants tussle? How many people were killed as King Kong and Godzilla faced off in Cairo? Never mind that the Pyramids of Giza were destroyed! Or that the film copies elements from popular films and TV shows like The Avengers or The Mandalorian. Leave those concerns home and keep munching your popcorn as the film makes you feel like a little kid again. This is the kind of film to not think too deeply about and have a laugh-filled blast.

The actors give it their all with their limited character development, while King Kong is the clear star of the film.  His dialogue-free scenes give him a lot of pathos as the lonely giant gorilla tries to find others of his kind and dealing with the fact that when he does so it was not what he expected. Godzilla’s screen time was not as prominent as in other Monsterverse films, but that’s okay. His scenes are awesome to watch, although some of them were silly like when he uses the Roman Coliseum as his resting place to get some shuteye. Yet, he and Kong still inspire much respect whenever they display the full might of their power.

While Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is just goofy, surface-level fun, it is unfortunate that the film came out after the more serious Godzilla Minus One and even Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the TV show set in the Monsterverse and is required viewing for fans of the film franchise. It can be too easy to dismiss these kaiju films especially the ones from the Monsterverse as silly nonsense, but they can achieve a more mature and thoughtful tone, which was seen with the first Monsterverse film, 2014’s Godzilla. Of course, many complained that that film was too serious and didn’t feature enough monster destruction. Fair enough, but it seems as if the recent offerings have swung too hard in the other direction to the point that they cannot be taken seriously. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters struck a fine balance and if more Monsterverse films are made they should emulate the mood of the TV show. The filmmakers should aim for something higher instead of playing it safe and reveling in epic kaiju battles. But enough of that griping, just go see Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and have some fun.