Titan nirvana.

When a burst of seemingly random radio interference is identified by Monarch — an ignored predictor of previous kaiju confrontations — everyone is on high alert… especially Godzilla, who appears to be powering up for a coming battle somewhere on Earth’s surface. Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last surviving member of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, also appears to be attuned to the warning signal, a source of worry for her guardian Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). Safe from a certain overgrown nuclear lizard, a lonely Kong has been searching The Hollow Earth for remnants of his own kind and finding nothing… until an uncharted subterranean region becomes exposed. Along with “Titan Truth” podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) and Titan vet tech Trapper (Dan Stevens), Ilene and Jia follow the unique signal into The Hollow Earth, but when an ancient threat rises to the occasion, it may take more than Godzilla and Kong putting aside their differences to save us all.

Warner Bros. and Legendary have unleashed their newest Titan-powered spectacle with director Adam Wingard following up on his previous entry Godzilla vs. Kong. The initial teasers for the new film featured a mechanical appendage for Kong and Godzilla swapping his trademark blue atomic power for Barbie pink, fueling online speculation — and what’s all this The New Empire nonsense looking like Iron Maiden is about to drop anther new album? Apple TV+ watchers who’ve absorbed season one of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” may be wondering how any or all of that backstory fits in with this fifth installment of the MonsterVerse franchise. With a significantly lower reported budget than previous installments and moviegoers itching for an excuse to invade their local multiplex instead of staying home with a simultaneous HBOMax release, how big could The New Empire get on the heels of successes Dune Part 2 and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire… and yes, even last year’s Godzilla Minus One?

While this film may only be the next big loud theater entry to more casual moviegoers, detail-obsessed fans of the MonsterVerse are in for a treat. Not only does New Empire look incredible with splashes of color and marked improvements in VFX, it boasts the craziest battles since King of the Monsters. In context, even the weirdest glimpses from the trailers make sense, and the story is amazingly easy to follow considering huge swaths of time between human dialogue sequences. The Titans are front and center this time, from a sleepy downtime Godzilla to an overwhelmed and driven Kong. Viewers can feel the emotion coming from these creatures, including a perfect “I’m too old for this shit” expression when Kong realizes he has to confront Godzilla (again). There are a couple of surprises, too, which won’t be spoiled here, but with so many secrets being divulged out of Monarch’s media control, the ending of this latest entry means there are plenty of directions to go from here… as long as audiences keep showing up.

Last year’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One was a great war movie that just happened to include Godzilla; it isn’t part of the Legendary MonsterVerse and exists independently from it (in spite of all the inspiration drawn from Toho). New Empire is exactly what it claims to be: a fun ride at the movies as a shared experience. The attention to detail for the CGI designs and the practical sets are Easter eggs all their own, from a despondent Kong trying to make a social connection to Bernie Hayes’ scruffy podcast-central home. Whenever a portal from The Hollow Earth opens up near a new un-MUTO-touched city, it’s giggle-worthy hearing the collective groan of the audience knowing what’s about the happen there… and unable to look away. It’s also a nice touch the way Monarch has evolved to go with the flow of their hero Titans rather than stand against them, although they too often seem to be the last in the know considering their chosen role as Earth’s gatekeepers.

The human characters exist for context, exposition, and to lend a helping hand when necessary — which is exactly perfect — while world governments look for excuses to cut funding to the very folks best able to help out — which is spot on. Make no mistake: New Empire is a destructive slugfest spectacle delivering what audiences want and will cheer for: the unearthly beasts previously thought of as fanciful scribbles in uncharted waters. To quote Captain Barbossa, “You’re off the edge of the map, mate. Here, there be monsters.”

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is rated PG-13 for creature violence, action, and figuring the big guys will go out for a beer afterward.

Four skull recommendation out of four