According to Collider.com, Godzilla stands a towering 119.8m (or 393ft for simple-minded Americans) tall in 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong. Conversely, Kong measures slightly shorter at 102m (335ft).
To fully inhale the scale of these Titans, a movie like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. So naturally, I was honored to attend the special presentation of the new Monsterverse installment at the IMAX headquarters in Playa Vista, CA.
Right from the start, attendees were greeted with an array of toys, figures, and Funko Pops for Toho and Skull Island fans. And with both Kong and Godzilla undergoing character design updates in the film, there’s no better time to add their new looks to your collection. There were two new Godzilla Funko Pops, a new grey-bearded Kong, and the new villain Skar King. Sandwiched between the Funko Pops sat a bunch of toys from Playmate, including various Godzillas, Kongs, Skar Kings, and baby Kong himself, Suko.
Adjacent to the playable collectibles stood a handful of costumes worn by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire cast members. The red Hawaiian shirt and cargo khakis dawned by Dan Steven’s Trapper sat on the opposite side of the patch/button-filled vest representing the wacky conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes, played by Brian Tyree Henry. In the middle, the Hollow Earth Iwi Queen (Fala Chen) looks dazzling next to a ceremonial robe donne by Kaylee Hottle’s Jla.
After a lovely reception, the group was given a tour of “The War Room” – a small hideaway conference room lined with props, concept artwork, storyboards, and much more. We were greeted by The New Empire director Adam Wingard, who walked us through his inspirations, connection to the creatures, and how much his cat Mischief influenced the creative process.
“One of my biggest influences in life is my cat Mischief. Mischief has been a big influence in terms of the way I developed the mannerisms with Godzilla. And in a literal way, as you can see in the film, the shot of Godzilla in the Colosseum was a direct lift from my cat sleeping in her cat bed,” Wingard said.
Moreover, Wingard highlighted how Godzilla: Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki incorporated his cat into the Oscar-winning film.
“A couple weeks ago I had a conversation with Yamazaki, and it turns out that his cat owns a major influence on the way he developed his Godzilla as well. So I don’t know what’s the deal with these cats. Maybe they have mind control over us or something,” Wingard shared.
When discussing the breathtaking concept art, Wingard alludes to why Godzilla gets an upgraded look in this movie.
Wingard said, “I wanted to see a new Godzilla, but I wanted it to be story-driven. So, his evolution became one of the main propulsive plot points in the movie. Our lead creature designer, Jared Krichevsky, created this new look. He created Skar King and Mecha Godzilla in the last movie.”
But it’s not just a Godzilla movie. It’s a Kong story as well. Since Kong’s new home is the story’s core (and the planet), we will also see an expanded look at Hollow Earth. The upside-down world inside our world houses Titans and humans alike.
“Kong’s journey is emotional in these films. In Godzilla vs. Kong, it was all about Kong trying to find his home. In this one, it’s really about Kong finding his people. Yes, he’s going to find others of his kind, but it’s not going to be straightforward. It’s probably not going to be what he was looking for. It’s going to be a little more complicated than that,” Wingard stated.
But what isn’t complicated in the Monsterverse? With two of Earth’s mightiest kaiju tasked with saving the world together, how will they resolve their issues from last time?
“One of my other big influences is They Live. That’s my favorite film of all time. The best sequence in the movie is not the hero versus the villain; it’s the heroes fighting each other because of a misunderstanding. This rematch is more complicated than that, and you’ll see what I mean when you see the way they meet up again,” he said.
Lastly, The Guest director spoke about how filming in Iceland brought the world of Hollow Earth to life.
“What’s cool about Hollow Earth is its this prehistoric place. It’s almost like traveling back in time. There are so many different environments, and in this film, we get to explore a lot of them. We used Iceland as a base for a lot of our real plate photography. No matter how big and crazy and outlandish we got, we always wanted something to ground it. So it was very important that we try to use as much plate photography as a starting point as possible,” Wingard said.
The filmmaker’s commitment to practicality pays off when you see this film in IMAX. With over 45 minutes shot in a 1.90:1 IMAX aspect ratio, the presentation on the massive screen was jaw-dropping.