While not as thematically rich as its predecessor, Godzilla: King of the Monsters dials up the Kaiju action as it delivers stunning visual action sequences and awe inspiring Godzilla moments that will please most fans.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Kyle Chandler as Mark Russell,
Vera Farmiga as Dr. Emma Russell, Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell
and Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. Directed by Michael Dougherty and distributed by Warner Bros, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the direct sequel to 2014’s Godzilla and the followup to 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. Part of the wider MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters tells the story of the fallout of 2014’s Godzilla and how characters have changed due to the climactic event, how the world reacts to Titans and the wider implications of Godzilla’s place on the Earth.
One of the reasons why 2014’s Godzilla was praised was Gareth Edwards’ commitment to showing Godzilla from a human perspective. Making his presence feel larger than life and only using him a limited amount was effective but left more to be desired from longtime Kaiju fans. Godzilla: King of the Monsters takes the opposite approach to this. Instead of focusing on the human element and the interaction between man and Godzilla, this time the Titans have motivations of their own as they battle for control of the Earth to either protect it, or destroy it. While the human characters end up suffering because of this, fans of Godzilla won’t care much as the titans are firmly put in the forefront to the story and the action superseded the plot.
The true ‘king’ of Godzilla: King of the Monsters are the Titans themselves. Godzilla, Mothra, Ghidorah and Rodan all shine and have stunning moments accompanied with a strong score and almost impeccable VFX work. From the icy terrain of the arctic rain soaked battles in Boston, Godzilla: King of the Monsters lets the Titans roam free and in turn provide a stunning backdrop for the Titians to do what they do best, destruct. The chief battle of the film is between the Apex predators of Godzilla and King Ghidorah. Ghidorah, who can command the other Titans of Earth to destroy while Godzilla commands them to save the Earth causes a strong sense of tension and drama between these mythic beasts. Pleasant surprises of the film included Mothra, whose Wonder Woman like entrances and moments highlight some of the best moments of the film.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is firmly rooted in a larger cinematic world involving these Titans. The third film in what looks to be a 4 film story, Godzilla: King of the Monsters sets up a lot of seeds for the franchise’s future, namely for 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong. While it does succeed in planting the threads to which the future films will spin off of, one can hope that the future films will keep the human plot threads to an even greater minimum and just let Kong and Godzilla run the show in the IMAX spectacle it is meant to be.
Overall, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a solid summer blockbuster experience. In a world where superhero franchises are king and other blockbusters have trouble finding their footing, Godzilla: King of the Monsters has the potential to possibly add another player to the battle for King of the Blockbusters.
3.5/5
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