Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire had a lot of great scenes, from hilarious moments featuring Kong and Godzilla to some of the best fights the Monsterverse has ever seen. After Godzilla vs. Kong made it clear that the Monsterverse was ready to embrace its characters’ campier side, The New Empire took things to the next level and delivered two hours of fun kaiju action. Although the human Godzilla x Kong cast was compelling enough, the Titans once again stole the show.
Godzilla x Kong spends more time inside the Hollow Earth compared to previous Monsterverse movies and shows. In other words, the movie introduces a lot of new Titans and gives them time – and space – to shine. Although the latest entry in the Monsterverse timeline focuses more on Kong and his story, Godzilla gets some great moments too. The two heroes go on separate journeys until they team up once again against a greater threat.
15Godzilla x Kong’s Opening Sequence
Kong is unbothered but not so happy.
Kong runs away from the Wart Dogs and later takes them down using the traps he sets up feels like it could have been a scene from Skull Island. By showing Kong’s lonely life in the opening sequence, Godzilla x Kong sets the tone for what the rest of the movie is going to be like. This scene also mirrored the beginning of Godzilla vs. Kong, during which the great ape was being kept a prisoner in Skull Island. On the one hand, seeing Kong live freely was quite wholesome. On the other hand, his loneliness was very sad.
14Kong Uses Suko As A Weapon
Arguably the Monsterverse’s greatest moment.
There is an argument to be made that Kong using Suko as a weapon against other great apes is the best scene in the entire Monsterverse. Godzilla x Kong captured the essence of a very specific era of monster movies, and this moment with Kong and Suko is the perfect example of it. It is a hilarious scene that throws audiences off guard and sets the tone for how fun the rest of Kong’s adventures will be. This moment is also bittersweet since Kong is betrayed and attacked shortly after finding out he is not the last of his species.
13Godzilla Fights Scylla In Rome
A worthy introduction for Godzilla.
Godzilla has had multiple appearances in the Monsterverse already, including two solo movies and the Monarch TV show. Therefore, the bar is high for any scene featuring the King of the Monsters. Still, Godzilla’s introduction in The New Empire could not have been cooler. Not only was the brief fight against Scylla a lot of fun, but this moment also establishes that Godzilla sees Earth as his territory and will stop at nothing to protect it. It ends with Godzilla going back to sleep in the Coliseum, a callback to his original home as depicted in King of the Monsters.
12Kong Fights The Drownviper
Kong takes down a beautiful Titan.
The Drownviper may have been defeated quite easily by Kong, but it is still one of the coolest Titans in the Monsterverse. Although it is difficult to have a sense of scale in the Hollow Earth, the Drownviper’s sheer presence was enough to establish how majestic and powerful this creature is. It also caught Kong off guard, which seemed to have been Suko’s plan the entire time. Considering that Kong struggled a lot in Godzilla x Kong, seeing the guardian of humanity, and seeing the great ape take down other Titans throughout the new movie was more than welcome.
11Kong Goes To The Dentist
Trapper’s entrance is a lot of fun.
Trapper’s introduction in Godzilla x Kong is a great moment that instantly establishes how fun the character will be. Although Trapper steals the show whenever he is on screen, the coolest thing about his introduction is the dental treatment Kong went through. Seeing a Titan go to the dentist is not something audiences would have expected to see when the Monsterverse started in 2014 with Godzilla, but it works perfectly for The New Empire. This scene also gives a much-needed sense of scale for Kong given that all of his scenes before that were in the Hollow Earth.
10Godzilla (Briefly) Fights Tiamat
Godzilla had no time to waste.
Tiamat’s proper Monsterverse debut has been a long time coming since it was first teased in King of the Monsters, and the result was not disappointing. Although Godzilla did not take long to defeat Tiamat, the serpentine Titan looked incredibly cool. Its pink energy made for some great underwater visuals, especially when compared to Godzilla’s blue energy. It is not often that Godzilla gets to fight another Titan underwater in the Monsterverse, which is why this brief battle was so cool. Godzilla vs Tiamat is arguably one of Godzilla’s best Monsterverse moments. It also set up Godzilla’s new powers.
9Kong Fights Skar King For The First Time
Kong finds out he is not alone.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was more of a Kong film than a Godzilla film – and Skar King proves it. By having the self-proclaimed leader of the great ape Titans be the main villain of the movie, The New Empire made things personal for Kong. It is heartbreaking to see Kong find out others like him after living by himself for so long, only to realize they were being enslaved by Skar King. Kong was bigger, but Skar King was faster. It is a great villain introduction that plays with how different Skar King is compared to Kong.
8Shimo’s Introduction In Godzilla x Kong
A major new character makes her debut.
Skar King’s first scene in Godzilla x Kong was soon followed by the introduction of Shimo, an ice titan whose body and powers made her a perfect match for Godzilla. Although some portions of Godzilla x Kong’s The New Empire’s promotional material gave away that Shimo was going to be in the movie, her introduction was overall a mystery. Whereas Skar King was the counterpart to Kong, Shimo was Godzilla’s. It is a visually stunning scene that also reveals Shimo is being held against her will and forced to fight for Skar King. Kong’s axe was of no use against her.
7Godzilla Gets An Upgrade Before The Final Battle
Godzilla’s pink power-up came from Tiamat.
Godzilla’s fight against Tiamat was only the setup for a much cooler scene. Ever since the first trailer for The New Empire was released, audiences have been trying to make sense of Godzilla’s new look and pink atomic breath. As usual with the King of the Monsters in the Monsterverse, Godzilla got an upgrade before the final battle. After taking down Tiamat, Godzilla absorbed the Titan’s energy and evolved. The blue energy from Godzilla:King of the Monsters was cool, but the pink aura has arguably been Godzilla’s best form in the Monsterverse so far. It’s a great new form reveal.
6Kong Gets The B.E.A.S.T. Gauntlet
Kong also gets an upgrade before the third act.
Godzilla was not the only one to get an upgrade in The New Empire. Although Kong was holding his own against multiple Titans in the Hollow Earth throughout the movie, the fan-favorite character was not a match for Skar King and Shimo. Not only that but Kong was now hurt. With his arm injured, Kong was not going to survive for much longer. Fortunately, Monarch conveniently had a giant gauntlet from an abandoned Kong upgrade project lying around in the Hollow Earth. Kong holding an axe was awesome, but Kong putting on a giant gauntlet was somehow even cooler.
5The Original Mothra Returns
The Monsterverse needed more Mothra.
Mothra, the Queen of the Monsters, is one of the most beloved characters in the Monsterverse – both in terms of design, a legacy from previous movies, and the role she played in Godzilla’s story. That said, The New Empire’s Mothra was not the same one from King of the Monsters, who died at the end of the movie. This is the original Mothra, guarded by the Iwi tribe. Everything about Jia and the Iwi tribe up until that point had been building up for the Mothra reveal, and the scene was worth it. Mothra rose in a visually stunning sequence.
4The Godzilla vs. Kong Rematch
Another misunderstanding followed by a fight.
Godzilla x Kong was not a “versus movie,” but it could not have ended without giving Monsterverse fans another Kong vs. Godzilla fight. Considering that Godzilla defeated Kong in the previous movie, it was only fair that Kong had the upper hand this time for most of the combat. Naturally, this was only a brief encounter and not a series of fights like in the previous movie. Still, it was full of fun moments, from Godzilla doing a wrestling move on Kong to Kong hiding from Godzilla’s atomic breath behind the pyramids. This was also the debut of Kong’s metal glove.
3Godzilla & Kong vs. Skar King & Shimo In The Hollow Earth
One of the Monsterverse’s best battles begins.
After Godzilla and Kong teamed up to take down Mechagodzilla in the previous film, there was only one way The New Empire could top its predecessor – a 2v2 fight featuring the two heroes. Godzilla and Kong fighting Shimo and Skar King in the Hollow Earth is an instant classic Monsterverse moment that highlights how far the franchise has gone since Godzilla (2014). It feels like a classic superhero or anime battle in which each hero gets to fight their counterpart before they have to “switch dance partners.” Although the battle would continue on Earth, this was a great warm-up.
2Godzilla x Kong’s Final Fight In Rio De Janeiro
Godzilla x Kong ended on a high note.
Godzilla and Kong battling Skar King and Shimo in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro is something that only the Monsterverse can deliver. As fun as it is to spend time in the Hollow Earth, the best Monsterverse fights happen on the surface. There is a much better sense of scale whenever Godzilla, Kong, and other Titans are fighting close to people or at least buildings, allowing audiences to truly gasp at how massive these creatures are. Skar King’s tooth alone could have destroyed an entire neighborhood. Godzilla x Kong’s final battle could not have been better.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire does not include a post-credits scene.
1Kong “Becomes King” At The End
Kong’s story arc is completed.
Although the term “King Kong” might never be used in the Monsterverse due to license issues, Kong essentially becomes king of his people in the end. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was about Kong learning that he was not alone, but that his people and the rest of the Hollow Earth needed help against Skar King. Once Kong and Godzilla save the day, the former goes back to the Subterranean Healm and reunites with his kind. The final shot of the movie sees Kong holding his axe with Suko and Shimo by his side, a perfect conclusion to the story.
