Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" delivers a near-flawless 4K UHD presentation, showcasing the Monsterverse's signature blend of dazzling neon colors and nuanced dark scenes. The richly saturated visuals take full advantage of Dolby Vision and HDR10 capabilities, offering vibrant hues such as luminous greens and dark reds in the underworld lair, as well as deep blacks that truly stand out. This native 4K transfer, drawn from a 4.5K digital intermediate and consistently maintaining a mid-70s bitrate, ensures that even the most intricate details—from facial features to Kong's fur texture—are exceptionally sharp and clear. However, some instances of CGI blending with practical effects appear slightly soft, which can be attributed more to the original filmmaking process than the transfer quality.

The HDR enhancement bolsters color depth, bright whites, and deep blacks, creating an impressive visual dynamism throughout. Extraordinary effects like Godzilla's atomic breath and bioluminescent materials in Hollow Earth push the visual boundaries, delivering incredibly rich color tones and contrasts. The aspect ratio is maintained at 2.39:1 throughout, providing a consistent cinematic experience. This detailed presentation is supported by Warner's expertly crafted HEVC H.265 encode on a triple-layered (100GB) disc. Fine lines, textures, and facial complexions are remarkably distinct, enhancing the immersive quality of CG battle sequences and quieter human interactions alike. Especially noteworthy are the specular highlights and dynamic range offered by Dolby Vision, adding an extra layer of brilliance to sunlit scenes and vividly lit environments within the film.

In essence, this 4K UHD Blu-ray of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" sets a high standard for visual quality, making full use of modern technology to deliver a spectacular viewing experience. From the lush colors to the deep blacks, every element is crafted to perfection, ensuring that the film looks as grand and immersive as intended on screen.

The audio presentation of the 4K UHD Blu Ray of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is nothing short of spectacular, featuring a killer Dolby Atmos track that maximizes the potential of a home theater setup. Much like its predecessors, the movie delivers an aggressive and immersive surround sound experience, with low-frequency effects that are positively thunderous. Consistent envelopment from directionalized effects ensures that the viewer is surrounded at all times, while overhead channels are utilized masterfully with ambient sounds, rocks falling during gravity-free battles, and flying creatures darting across the screen. Vocals are crystal clear and precisely separated from the chaotic action, maintaining balance throughout the film.

The Dolby Atmos mix is complemented by a broad and spacious soundstage. Giant boulders zooming through the room, debris falling from above, and quieter sequences filled with subtle atmospherics contribute to a splendidly broad and hemispheric soundfield. Dialogue-driven moments and the score maintain clarity and definition even during the loudest, most chaotic scenes. The dynamic range is impressive, highlighting distinct details such as screeching roars and reverberating rubble with extraordinary precision. The LFE extension keeps subwoofers busy with deep, room-energizing bass that plummets into the lower depths at high decibels.

However, there is a minor caveat regarding the upper frequency range. While the bass and mid-range frequencies are robust, detailed, and commanding, the high-end frequencies exhibit some limitation. Elements like cymbals and high-pitched effects occasionally sound somewhat muffled, which becomes noticeable during particular sequences, like the final kaiju battle. Despite this shortfall, the overall audio mix remains engaging and dynamic, making it a reference-quality Dolby Atmos presentation that enhances the sensory impact of Godzilla and Kong's epic showdown.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray edition of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" offers a robust collection of extras that significantly enhance the viewing experience for fans and cinephiles alike. The star of the extras section is the audio commentary by Director Adam Wingard, Visual Effects Supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, Production Designer Tom Hammock, and Editor Josh Schaeffer, which provides insightful technical details about the filmmaking process and creative inspirations behind many scenes. Complementing this are various featurettes that delve into character evolutions, creature design, and the visual effects that bring the epic battles to life. These additional materials, identical to those on the Blu-ray edition, collectively offer over an hour of engaging behind-the-scenes content.

Extras included in this disc:

• GxK: Day of Reckoning: A brief overview of the "Monsterverse."
• Evolution of the Titans: Godzilla Evolved: Changes in Godzilla's appearance.
• Evolution of the Titans: From Lonely God to King: Kong’s character development.
• Into the Hollow Earth: Visualizing Hollow Earth: Visual concepts of Hollow Earth.
• Into the Hollow Earth: Monsters of Hollow Earth: Creature designs in Hollow Earth.
• The Battles Royale: A Titanic Fight Among the Pyramids: Behind-the-scenes look at the Pyramid fight.
• The Battles Royale: The Zero Gravity Battle: Making of the zero-gravity battle.
• The Battles Royale: The Titans Trash Rio: Creation of the Rio de Janeiro battle.
• The Intrepid Director: Adam Wingard: Big Kid: Insights into Wingard’s enthusiasm.
• The Intrepid Director: Adam Wingard: Set Tour: A tour of the sets with Wingard.
• The Imagination Department: Inspirations and concept designs.
• The Monarch Island Base: Portal to Another World: Design and creation of Monarch base.
• The Evolution of Jia: From Orphan to Warrior: Focus on Jia's character role.
• Bernie’s World: Behind the Triple Locked Door: Tour of Bernie’s apartment set.
• Commentary by Director Adam Wingard, Visual Effects Supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, Production Designer Tom Hammock and Editor Josh Schaeffer

This collection provides a substantial dive into the film’s production and the creative minds behind it, making it an essential watch for fans of the genre.

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" offers an intriguing, albeit flawed, entry into the ongoing Monsterverse saga. While it carries a substantial amount of monster action, the film often gets bogged down by an overly complex plot and excessive human subplots that detract from the main attraction. The story pivots around Kong in Hollow Earth discovering a tyrannical Skar King and his ice-breathing titan, Shimo. Meanwhile, on the surface, Godzilla absorbs radiation in a buildup to the climactic showdown. Although the film attempts to blend human drama with titanic brawls, the emphasis on the former sometimes leads to a lack of sustained tension and fewer action sequences until the final act.

Visually, "The New Empire" is a mixed bag. The CGI alternates between impressive and noticeably lacking, particularly in scenes involving less detailed animations like those of the mini ape or Skar King. Despite these shortcomings, the film delivers on spectacle, showcasing large-scale destruction and vibrant aesthetics in its depiction of Hollow Earth and the ensuing battles. Unfortunately, some viewers might find the portrayal of giant monsters less awe-inspiring due to a perceived lack of scale and realism in their movements.

Overall, Adam Wingard's direction navigates an entertaining yet hollow narrative that leans heavily on bombastic action scenes peppered with moments of levity and absurdity. With elements inspired by classic Showa Era Godzilla films, it aims for nostalgic appeal but occasionally tumbles into cartoonish territory. For fans seeking mindless popcorn fun and colossal creature clashes, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" satisfies to some degree, even if it leaves deeper storytelling and character development to other films in the franchise.

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" on 4K UHD Blu-ray is an extravagant spectacle that prioritizes monstrous action over narrative coherence. Adam Wingard's film excels as a blockbuster designed for fans of oversized creatures clashing in visually dazzling settings. Despite its lackluster and often shallow human characters, the film compensates with a series of adrenaline-pumping sequences that offer replay value. The UHD release by Warner Bros. boasts impressive A/V merits, with a remarkable Dolby Vision HDR presentation and a reference-quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack, ensuring an absorbing home theater experience.

Critics have noted the film's outlandish plot and an absence of logical consistency, which might test the suspension of disbelief even among the most ardent fans. However, the pure entertainment value derived from the explosive and vividly realized battles between Godzilla and Kong cannot be denied. Supplementary features on the disc, though lightweight, add value by providing additional context and behind-the-scenes insights. This package caters to those who relish high-octane, visually spectacular cinema, offering a satisfying balance between mindless fun and technological prowess.

In conclusion, while "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" may not be a masterpiece of storytelling or human drama, it achieves its primary goal: delivering a thoroughly enjoyable, visually stunning popcorn movie experience. This latest entry in the Monsterverse may prompt viewers to adjust their expectations, especially those anticipating a deeper narrative. Nevertheless, for enthusiasts of giant monster films, the impeccable audio and video quality render this UHD Blu-ray an essential addition to their collection. Ultimately, it stands as a testament to the film’s ability to entertain despite its inherent silliness, making it firmly recommended for fanatics of the genre.

Technical Specifications:

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Godzilla, King Kong
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Written by: Terry Rossio, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 114 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 11th, 2024

Recommendation: Popcorn Watch