It’s been five years since the destruction of San Francisco at the hands of the mighty Godzilla. With the secretive Monarch organization working to understand and replicate titans similar to the famed Godzilla, the world begins to question whether or not the monsters’ existence is something that should be allowed to continue. After a series of experiments gone wrong, the powerful kaiju must return in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. With his role in the world still in question, his return will spark serious debate. However, as the pernicious Ghidorah, and many other titans, make their presence known, Godzilla might be the world’s only hope.
In 2014 Godzilla took the world by storm with a riveting reincarnation of the titular monster. An A-list cast, a compelling story, and graphics that rival some of the most successful films to date all combined to create a wonderfully engrossing spectacle. One of the most entertaining aspects of the film (and of Kong: Skull Island) is the casting by Sarah Finn. She has managed to bring together wonderful talents from all walks of life that work incredibly well together. Godzilla: King of the Monsters continues this trend and invites new, well-known talents into the mix, presenting audiences with continued expertise in the realm of acting. Finn brings in Kyle Chandler (Dr. Mark Russell), Vera Famiga (Dr. Emma Russell), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Chief Warrant Officer Barnes), Bradley Whitford (Dr. Rick Stanton), and a half dozen other well-known names and faces to help guide what was promised to be the biggest Godzilla installment to date. The acting, in moments of sadness, excitement, aggression, etc., are nothing short of perfect. Emotion is conveyed brilliantly, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters finds its footing early with these stellar performances.
While the acting is wonderful, there is a dynamic among Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), Emma, and Alan Jonah (Charles Dance)–a former British Army Colonel and MI6 special agent–that just doesn’t make sense. There should be a clear pecking order present among a teenage girl, a scientist, and an ex-military badass, but that fails to emerge as expected. It’s not surprising, given Bobby Brown’s personal beliefs, that she fills the role of a headstrong, unwilling to concede young woman; however, the fact that she is able to make legitimate waves among the bigger, badder individuals present in Godzilla: King of the Monsters seems absurd. Even in a fictional world where monsters walk among us, it has to be expected that human emotion and sentiment remains the same, or a connection between the characters on screen and viewers will fail to come to fruition. With other sentiments and emotions rising to the surface in a fashion comparable to the real world, this relationship fails to impress, and viewers struggle to understand or appreciate writer-director Michael Dougherty’s intent.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is bigger and tougher than this franchise has ever seen, bringing in numerous monsters and extending the high-octane fight sequences. With a quick recap of what had taken place back in 2014 Godzilla: King of the Monsters immediately intrigues viewers and pulls them into a story promising to deliver non-stop action. While previous installments of this franchise did a wonderful job of supplementing the characters with tantalizing action, this film operates in the opposite fashion. Action, violence, and destruction are the driving forces behind Godzilla’s most recent adventure (in this installment being supplemented by everything else), and while less substance in terms of back story can cause issues for a film, it was time that the franchise headed in this direction.
From beginning to end Godzilla: King of the Monsters engulfs its viewers in nonstop action that looks better and is more entertaining than fights of this magnitude had ever been before. The talented actors that help make this film possible do a wonderful job, but it’s the action constructed and carried out by Dougherty and writers Zach Shields and Max Borenstein that find Godzilla: King of the Monsters success. This installment is the most fun of the franchise and prepares viewers for what is sure to be a titan of success in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Directed by Michael Dougherty.
Written by Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields, & Max Borenstein.
Starring Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Ziyi Zhang, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr., etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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