The Monsterverse franchise built King Kong andGodzillainto its twin stars. Most cinematic universes struggle because they put the cart before the horse. They want the money and prestige ofAvengers: Endgamewithout the decade spent building up to it. The Monsterverse wisely established its central figures, but the films differ wildly in quality. Despite the ever-increasing spectacle of new entries, the franchise’s strongest cinematic outing to date is still Jordan Vogt-Roberts’Kong: Skull Island.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireis performing extremely well at the box office. It’s the second-highest grossing film of 2024 so far, behind only Warner Bros. ownDune: Part Two. Its tremendous financial success all but guarantees further installments in the Monsterverse. It seems likely thatGxKalso defined the general direction of every new outing. Fans can expect Godzilla and Kong to face ever-escalating threats in a monster of the week format. The alternative, however, might be more appealing.
Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly, and John Gatins
Rotten Tomatoes Score
75% from 395 reviews
Kong: Skull Islandis the second entry in Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse and the eleventhKing Kongmovie. Gareth Edwards' 2014Godzillastarted the shared Monsterverse franchise with a solid reboot of the King of the Monsters' story. Legendarypitched aKing Kongrebootshortly after their success withGodzilla, quickly shifting studios to work toward the eventual crossover. Godzilla’s return to Hollywood felt appropriate, combining modern American military imagery with the classic Kaiju actions fans love.Kong: Skull Islandtook a different approach. Writer Max Borenstein wanted to avoid the old-fashioned “beauty killed the beast” routine. He imagined a Vietnam War setting, eventually sharing an appreciationforApocalypse Nowwith director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Though Borenstein’s script likely would have been much better, the film underwent several rewrites. The result remains a sharp, meaningful monster movie.
Kong: Skull Islandfollows an expedition to the titular remote location to study and document its prehistoric creatures. Bill Randa, head of a mysterious US government group called Monarch, gathers several dedicated professionals to travel to the enigmatic island. Tracker James Conrad and anti-war photographer Mason Weaver join the crew under US Army Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard. Their journey reaches an immediate snag whena 100-foot-tall apeattacks. Kong demolishes the military detachment, quickly scattering the survivors across the hostile island. It’s a solid setup that allows the most fascinating narrative elements to emerge. It’s a monster drama in which Samuel L. Jackson’s character picks a fight with Kong because he’s looking for a win after Vietnam. Without putting too fine a point on it, this Monsterverse movie is about something.
What can the Monsterverse learn fromKong: Skull Island?
Kong: Skull Islandis the highest-grossingentry in the Monsterverse. That’s slightly shocking, thoughGodzilla x Kong’s theatrical run isn’t over andGodzilla vs. Konghad a pandemic to deal with. It’s the third-highest-rated Monsterverse movie on Rotten Tomatoes, which sounds unimpressive, but its 75% score sits only one point belowGodzilla’s andGodzilla vs. Kong’s 76% tie. The problem with most Monsterverse offerings is an issue derived from its source material. While Ishiro Honda’s 1954 classic is touching, haunting, and horrific, mostGodzillamovies are messy spectacles with nothing behind them.Godzilla(2014) arguably has something to say, but its handling of the message and the human characters in general leaves a lot to be desired.Godzilla vs. Kongeschewedmost of the drama in favor of non-stop monster action, but it didn’t have the guts to fully dispense with its human characters.Kongis the only outing that focused on a non-monster narrative and executed it well.
AfterGodzillaandKong: Skull Island, the Monsterverse has transitioned into its current phase. While the modern entries are endlessly entertaining, they lack any selling point beyond monsters punching each other.Kong: Skull Islandis far from perfect, but it has something meaningful to say. Future Monsterverse movies can repeat that success by delving deeper than surface level.Godzilla vs. Kongis arguablythe perfect modern incarnation of the classic goofy Godzilla appeal, butKongairs closer to the other virtue of the genre. A deeper examination of the monsters, what they mean to the narrative, and humanity’s interaction with them would allow future Monsterverse movies to stand out.
No one is necessarily asking the Monsterverse to put aside its consequence-free monster fun. It could probably sustain another few entries off the back of watchingapes and lizards slugit out with nine-figure budgets.Kong: Skull Islandis still a compelling action movie, but its Vietnam-era wartime drama and moving character motivations helped it feel special. Maybe the next Kaiju-themed party will be about something.
