Godzilla rarely gets the recognition he deserves, both as a hero and as one of fiction’s most flexible characters. But with the recent slew of great, or at least great-looking, Godzilla projects, it’s finally the giant atomic lizard’s time to shine.
We all know Godzilla can play the reluctant hero, and it’s the role he’s been playing for years in Legendary’s movies in American. But the new trailer for the next entry in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, seems to casts the the King of the Monsters in a new role as the tired mentor. This movie appears to be mostly about Kong and his quest for the survival of his species. But when a new threat arises that Kong can’t stop on his own, the trailer’s human narrators know that Godzilla’s coming to save the day, complete with a shiny new pink spine.
It’s an incredibly silly but equally exciting spot to see Godzilla put in, and one that perfectly seems to match the tone of the movie. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire looks like a fantastical, futuristic monster-romp full of gorgeous colors, giant monsters, and cities just waiting to be destroyed. And who knows more about any of that than Godzilla?
But what’s extra exciting about the movie is that it’s going to arrive just a few months after we got to see Godzilla do so many other things. In Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the excellent Apple TV series that serves as a sequel to 2014’s Godzilla and takes place in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla is a long-slumbering protector of Earth. He’s a massive, majestic, godlike wonder from a time long before humans.
Meanwhile, on the big screen, a very different Godzilla is taking over the box office in Godzilla: Minus One. The Japanese Godzilla movie feels like a throwback to the creature’s earliest appearances on screen. He’s gigantic, terrifying, unknowable, and for some reason seems hellbent on the destruction of Tokyo. In other words, it’s Godzilla returning to claim his throne as the one of the coolest and scariest movie monsters.
Pop culture is filled with heroes these days, but not a single one boasts the range that Godzilla has. What other character could pull off leading a buddy movie team up, being a terrifying horror villain, and playing a supporting role for Kurt Russell all in a few months? If there’s any justice in the world, this impressive run will just be the start of a new Godzilla golden age.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is set for release on April 12, 2024.