The recently released Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire gets a brutal assessment from an ape expert. Directed by Adam Wingard, this exhilarating monster film, which serves as the fifth installment in the Monsterverse franchise, sees the titular characters join forces to stop the frost-breathing Titan Shimo and the tyrannical and highly malevolent Skar King. Godzilla x Kong’s cast of characters once again featured Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, and Brian Tyree Henry, who all returned to reprise their respective Monsterverse roles, and they were joined by a few new names like Fala Chen, Dan Stevens, and Rachel House.

Now, in a recent video for Insider, primatologist Dr. Mireya Mayor carefully broke down the reasons why the portrayal of apes in Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is completely unrealistic.

Mayor explained that apes tend to be very emotional beings, as they display emotions ranging from anger to shyness, but she added that their facial expressions are easy to misread. She ultimately gave the movie a 1 out of 10 for realism, stating that the only thing realistic about the apes’ behavior here was a short interaction between an older ape and a juvenile. Read her full quote below:

Seeing this ape help a juvenile ape is something that I’ve witnessed many, many times, but that’s all circumstantial. Of course, they need to be genetically related, but more often than not you see, for example, silverbacks helping the young ones, really teaching them the ropes, getting them out of trouble, out of danger. The cutest scene I’ve ever seen in the wild is the silverback teaching the young males how to beat on their chest.

Apes actually have very emotional expressions, and you can definitely see when an ape is angry or happy or shy. It’s sometimes easy to misread the facial expressions of an ape. Like most people will see a chimp or a gorilla smiling, and they think that’s a happy ape, and it’s quite the contrary, so you have to know what you’re looking for. But so far as an array of emotions, apes will definitely show it.

So I have never witnessed an ape fighting with some kind of a reptile. However, if the situation should arise, there’s no question that a gorilla is powerful and intelligent, and I would think has the upper hand. That I know of, there is no reptile the size of Godzilla so I think they’re good. This is probably going to make a lot of people mad, but I would give this a 1 out of 10 for realism and the only part to me that felt realistic was this sweet interaction between the older ape and the juvenile.

Does Godzilla X Kong’s Lack Of Realism Really Matter?

What It Lacks In Accuracy, It Makes Up In Other Areas

As previously mentioned, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire serves as the fifth and latest installment in the Monsterverse franchise. Since its inception 10 years ago with Godzilla, the thrilling film series has jumped through different timelines and undergone a number of tonal and narrative shifts. Through it all, however, it has largely maintained its appeal: an imagined reality where fictional animals and monsters tussle for supremacy.

The Monsterverse has never presented itself as something that it wasn’t. There’s very little in the way of an ongoing storyline in the franchise, and it does not even follow a linear chronology where each installment feeds directly into the next. The focus has largely been on inviting its audience to suspend their beliefs momentarily and just enjoy the detailed but made-up reality where humongous apes and super-species of reptiles wreak havoc. The enjoyment comes from the spectacle, not the accuracy.

While this approach has seen the entire franchise, including Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, receive mixed reviews from critics, it has brought huge commercial success. Currently, Godzilla x Kong has grossed over $564 million worldwide on a $135–150 million budget, making it the second-highest grossing film of 2024 so far. The other movies in the franchise have also mostly been clear hits at the box office, proving that even though it falters in certain areas, the Monsterverse still manages to deliver a thrilling and entertaining experience for its viewers.

Source: Insider