Summary
The Monsterverse has steadily stomped to being Hollywood’s second most consistent shared universe. Despite a few blips, it has quickly built to a headline bout between the rampaging reptileGodzillaand the prodigious primate Kong. Headlining the last two successful movies, the pair have packed out movie theaters with a great mix of kaiju smack-downs, eye-popping neon visuals, comedy, and high-stakes plots. ButGodzillaand Kong have been around for the best part of a century, and the American blockbusters still have plenty of history to tap into surrounding the two charismatic monsters.
That’s particularly true of Godzilla. Monsterverse masterminds Legendary Pictures gained the rights to the kaiju from Japanese entertainment company Toho Co., Ltd., which introduced the threat in 1954 and has subsequently unleashed in more than 30 films. Toho has released two of their own live-actionGodzillamovies since the Monsterverse began, and those takes, especially 2023’sGodzilla Minus One, have highlighted something that the American series should include sooner rather than later.
Godzilla in the Monsterverse
The Monsterverse kicked off with 2014’sGodzilla. Gareth Edwards’ film was a stylish, dark, and serious take on the emergence of the Titan for a new generation. A decade later, that journey looks very different. Having proved himself the king of the monsters in a sequel,Godzilla versus KongandGodzilla X Kong: The New Empiresaw the reptile form an uneasy alliance with Kong against massive Titan threats.
Throughout the series, the science-led organization Monarch has acted as human liaison to the Titans emerging across the planet. Its mission has also changed over the decade, as it’s increasingly served up charismatic leads forLost World-style cinema-friendly action, such as Dan Stevens’ Trapper inThe New Empire. That’s gone hand-in-hand with the franchise shifting from the real-world implications of the earlier films.
Godzillagave its title character a new continuity, placing him in the upper tier of mighty Titans that used to stalk the planet. Still, it played tribute to the amphibian creature’s first movie appearance. Monarch records that the Titan was awakened by underwater expeditions in 1954 when the firstGodzillafilm was released. The 2014 update, which topically tied an incident at a Japanese nuclear facility to the Titan’s reemergence, also connected atomic tests in the 1950s to early attempts to destroy the creature.But the links to a creature that vividly emerged as a walking metaphor for nuclear threat and shifting global politics have been buried.
While the AmericanGodzillaseries has kept the idea of irradiated power at thecenter of the Titan’s onslaughts, the impact in the broader world boils down to different cities being stomped in each film. InThe New Empireit was Rome, Cairo and Rio de Janeiro. Across the world, it was a good time for 2023’sGodzilla Minus One— Toho and Legendary have a deal not to release Godzilla films in the same year — to return to the monster’s source.
Reiwa-Era Godzilla Has Taken Another Direction
Following the successful launch of Godzilla’s American franchise after the 1998 blockbuster attempt failed to trigger sequels, Toho took their time to develop a different continuity. The first film of the Godzilla Reiwa era wasShin Godzilla(2016). That meticulous and epic genre-blurring film was set in the modern day and provided a new first appearance for Godzilla. The 31st Godzilla film received critical acclaim for emphasizingGodzilla’s evolutionary stages— the full kaiju takes some time to appear — and its balance of action mystery and satire as it tracked the bureaucracy of the political, municipal, and military response to Japan under attack.
Surprisingly, Toho didn’t continue that continuity, choosing to parkShin Godzillaand pursue anime films until a new live-action movie reset continuity for the monster’s 70th anniversary. LikeShin Godzilla,this incarnation portrayed the creature as a menacing force of nature feared by humanity as opposed to an Earth ally that had become the usual during the Shōwa era (1954-1975).ButGodzilla Minus Onereset the clock to the closing days and aftermath of WW2, reinforcing the links between the modern emergence of the creature and those traumatic years of the mid-20th century.
At theheart ofGodzilla Minus Oneis Kōichi Shikishima, played by Ryunosuke Kamiki — a kamikaze pilot suffering from PTSD after encountering Godzilla at the end of the conflict. The film follows the pilot’s attempts to reintegrate into a devastated society, with the dishonor of his position, a kamikaze who returned, compounded by the partner and baby he inadvertently adopts.
Taking a position on a mine-clearing boat with an eclectic crew sets the pilot on a collision course with Godzilla as the monster descends on Tokyo. The themes of honor and redemption are beautifully tied together in the thrilling conclusion ofGodzilla Minus One. Drawing the monster back to the horrors of the war reinforced it as a walking analog for Japan’s deep trauma.It’s a satisfying and thrilling piece that works as a spectacle while tying a very human story to its impressive special effects.
Godzilla Minus Onewas already well-regarded when it was released and gained even more respect when it became thefirst film in the franchise to win an Oscar. The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects was even more impressive for a movie that was thought to have been made for under $15 million.Godzilla X Kong: The New Empirehad a suspected$135 million production budget.
The Monsterverse Needs To Rediscover Its Human Connection
Compared to the Toho franchise, the American franchise has upped the visual effects and reduced the human connection. The movies show cities and ancient landmarks like the Pyramids being trashed but don’t dwell on the consequences. The message, repeatedly, is that the devastation caused by Godzilla and his allies, whether on the Earht’s surface or below, is better than the consequences of his rival Titans winning.
WhileGodzilla Minus Onegave us the emotional story of Shikishima, the Monsterverse has moved from the protective parent and grieving son played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in 2014’sGodzilla. InThe New Empire, Dan Stevens’ charismatic Titan veterinarian Trapper is the latest in a line of Monarch-aligned science and action leads. The main line of emotion is the relationship between orphan Jia, her adopted mother Ilene Andrews, and Kong.
The Monarch recorded continuity of Titans in the Monsterverse elevates them to a god-like status, which means spectacle but also elevates them above any human consequences. The last decade’s run of American films has done exceptionally well,averaging just over $500 millionper film at the global box office. But it can extend that run by bringing things back to Earth and adding more emotional depth linked to social commentary, just asGodzilla Minus Onedid.
The next MonsterverseGodzillafilm is slated to arrive in theaters on June 27, 2025. Although director Adam Wingard won’t return to helm a third scrap featuring amphibian and ape, he has suggested that the next installment couldswitch to follow Godzilla’s perspective:
In the way that Kong is treated in (The New Empire), if this movie is successful, I think that the next movie will be the Godzilla version of what we did with this movie, kind of pushing deeper into his story.
While the latest movie left plenty of potential in Hollow Earth, with a more significant role for Kong,the return of Mothra, a new emphasis on Godzilla, who’s patrolling Earth, could suggest a link to the past. Rumors are that the next link-up between Godzilla and Kong may see them take on the planet that spawned Ghidorah ormeet other alien threatsfrom the Japanese series. But that doesn’t mean humanity has to be left behind or that the film can’t make a point along the way.
King of the Monstersmay not have fired at the box office compared to other Monsterverse movies, but it emphasized that Titans were a natural part of Earth’s ecosystem, balancing damage from humans and alien organisms. Even if the franchise heads to space, the Monsterverse can bring things back to Earth.
There’s no lack of horrors lurking in the Godzilla back catalog to reframe the American franchise. Thekaiju-plant hybrid Biollanteis one threat that could help the films reflect and benefit from contemporary issues. Another is Hedorah, a poisonous alienmonster powered by pollutionthat Godzilla could be destined to meet in the near future.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Cast
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire finds the titular pair of giant monsters facing a new enemy hidden below the Earth’s surface.
