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Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
For the past 65 years, Godzilla has been stomping all over Japan and America while fighting various monsters of size and stature. In fact, his second American appearance, back in 2014, can be seen as a marked improvement over the previous botched attempt in 1998. Now we have the long-awaited follow-up,” Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (not to be confused with the 1956 English dubbed version of the 1954 original that starred Raymond Burr) that helps expand the Monsterverse already showing great potential after the 2014 film and 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island.”
This time, the sequel is co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty the director of the Christmas-themed horror film “Krampus.”
Five years after the battle in San Francisco, the world is still reeling from the sudden existence of Godzilla and the Titans. Zoologist Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) deals with his family tragedy by spending more time with the animals. Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga,) and daughter, Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), are in a Monarch outpost using a special device she created to communicate with the monsters when they get kidnapped by ex-soldier turned eco-terrorist Jonah Alan (Charles Dance) who wants to use the device to control the monsters and bring balance to the Earth. Soon enough, Mark joins Monarch scientists Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) in searching for his kidnapped family and recover the device.
It turns out Emma was collaborating with Jonah to restore balance by freeing all the Titans and restart the world. It’s not long before more of the monsters like Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah are causing destructive chaos around the world. As the military tries to handle the situation, the Monarch heroes believe there’s only one Titan who can bring proper balance again. When Godzilla shows up for a final battle in Boston, it’ll decide the fate of the planet.
One major criticism that befell on the 2014 film is the constant lack of Godzilla or any monster battles. This movie rectified this issue by offering more Godzilla and some of the most intense fighting scenes in the series’ long history. It succeeds in delivering such slam-bang entertainment you’ve come to expect from a Godzilla movie of this sorts. Not to mention, you’ll be able to see every punch and jab the Titans in stylistic color as opposed to the pitch blackness from the first film.
As far as the plot goes, it’s nothing special other than characters trying to drive the buildup to the monster fights. The villain is generic and the plan is basically Thanos’ version from “Avengers: Infinity War,” with giant monsters. But if you care enough what goes on in the film, you’ll be exhilarated by the end. The look of all these monsters look fantastic though Mothra’s new face in close-up shots look too terrifyingly real. There are also other appearances by the other monsters that either hardcore kaiju fans can recognize or leave other fans scratching their heads.
For the most part, the cast members are committed to their jobs for this giant popcorn film. Returning actors from the first film Watanabe, Hawkins, and David Strathairn as the military general are once again terrific in their roles. New additions Chandler, Farmiga, and Brown carried this film with each bringing something different to their characters. It’s worth noting that the score brings back the classic Godzilla theme music by Akira Ifukube that fans will be pleased to hear. A new version Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla” is an unexpected yet brilliant addition to the soundtrack.
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” cuts to the point and manages to pull out all the stops to produce one of the best giant monster movies of all time. Sure the plot isn’t all that great, but the monsters fighting is what we’re all here for and we can take it. If you enjoyed it, you’ll be extra pumped by next summer’s Monsterverse entry “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which is sure to bring the fans in opening weekend.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
