Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Uses No Dialogue For Long Stretches, And The Director Explains How That Came About
This rationale makes a lot of sense.
Very minor spoilers for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire lie ahead.
Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse is known for delivering massive spectacle, which involves plenty of Kaiju-centered action. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the latest installment in the growing franchise, continues that very trend. However, this entry on the 2024 movie schedule, also does something fresh within this continuity. At times, there are long scenes that involve only the creatures and don’t include any dialogue. It’s an interesting creative decision and, while speaking with CinemaBlend, director Adam Wingard explained how those particular moments came about.
Not only is this Adam Wingard’s second outing in the Blockbuster series following 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, but he’s also a life-long fan of these gigantic creatures. I say all of that to say that it’s no surprise he had some intriguing ideas going into his work on the massive GxK. When CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg spoke with Wingard, he couldn’t help but ask about the sequences that solely involved the eponymous monsters interacting amongst themselves and with others. Wingard explained that he’s been thinking on this concept for a while and explained that it’s the result of a long-held belief he’s had:
Personally, I agree with the Blair Witch’s director’s assessment that monsters can carry scenes on their own without the presence of human characters. Said moments just have to be orchestrated in organic ways, and that’s the case in the film. One of GxK’s earliest sequences shows Kong hunting for food and, while it delivers action, it also represents the character’s loneliness and mortality. There’s also a sweet bonding moment of sorts that takes place after the gargantuan ape meets Suko (or “mini Kong” as he was called in the Godzilla x Kong trailer.) While speaking with CB, Adam Wingard discussed his excitement over this creative approach and name-dropped another great film that uses non-verbal storytelling:
One would hope that the many moviegoers who helped GxK crush at the box office this past weekend appreciate those moments without dialogue. They really do add to the creatures’ characterizations and help audiences identify with them more. Of course, people do want those massive fights as well and, as noted by critics this film has plenty of “rock em, sock em” fun. In CinemaBlend’s The New Empire review, our own Mike Reyes also lauded Adam Wingard and company for going harder and deeper into the weirdness of the MonsterVerse. One would hope that if he gets to make another sequel, Wingard will stick to his principles and deliver more dialogue-less moments as well.
You can check out Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire now, as it’s playing in theaters nationwide. You can also watch past MonsterVerse installments using a Max subscription.
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Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.