The highly anticipated sequel to 2014’s Godzilla finally arrives and, boy, is it an all-out slugfest. Godzilla: King of the Monsters sees the titular Godzilla facing off against the three-headed behemoth Ghidorah in true Toho style action.
Firstly, I need to say that the trailers for this film are some of the best I have ever seen. Watch again that first trailer and tell me it isn’t magical. With jaw-dropping visuals set against a haunting remixed version of Claude Debussy’s Claire de Lune, this trailer deserves an Oscar. I get chills every time I watch it. Ok, now onto the review:
Who Needs a Plot When You’ve Got Monsters
King of the Monsters picks up five years after the destruction of San Francisco. Millie Bobby Brown stars alongside Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler as the broken family at the center of a laughably convoluted plot. Having lost their son in the fallout of the first film, the monster Godzilla becomes the literal wedge that drives Dr. Emma (Farmiga) and Mark (Chandler) apart, leaving a confused Madison (Brown) caught in between.
Fridge Logic abounds as Dr. Emma has found some way to control the monsters by broadcasting an alpha frequency from a device called the ORCA. Then the ORCA falls into the hands of Tywin Lannister Jonah (Charles Dance), an eco-terrorist turned genocidal maniac. Jonah plans to use the ORCA to release Ghidorah who will lead 17+ titans to destroy all humans because climate change. That is unless Godzilla can stop them.
Let’s just face it–the plot is needlessly confusing. The story essentially serves as a vessel to deliver us to big huge monster smackdowns. Which it does. But it could have done so in a much simpler way. But no one buys tickets to Godzilla: King of the Monsters expecting Oscar-level screenwriting, so, much can be forgiven.
Godzilla Fixes Climate Change–wut?
What we are here for is to see colossal kaiju monster fights that decimate cities–and King of the Monsters delivers. Godzilla, Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra have never looked better. And also they have never looked more Toho classic, especially Ghidorah. Everything from cinematography to lighting to direction served to highlight these monsters. The film is an undeniably gorgeous ode to the Godzilla of the 50s and 60s.
However, while there is much to love in King of the Monsters there is plenty to critique. First is that if there was ever a time to use IMAX cameras, this was it. It is being screened in IMAX theaters across the country but the film doesn’t take advantage of the extra aspect ratio IMAX gives it. Not many viewers will notice or even care about this stuff, but to me, IMAX can make the difference.
Probably my biggest complaint about the movie is the villain, the eco-terrorist. Early in the film, the idea is presented that it’s mankind’s fault for awakening Godzilla and the MUTOS in the first film. We woke Godzilla up with our nuclear testing and we woke the MUTOS with our strip-mining and oil drilling.
Who’s Villain Is It Anyway?
This is a really interesting idea especially considering the history of Godzilla in post-WWII Japan. These titans–Godzilla, Rhodan, Mothra, etc–stand as a monument to the environmental sins of humanity. This idea is even hinted at in the trailers. And I was genuinely hoping that not only would I see giant monsters fight, I would also see humanity have to face the calamity we unleashed upon planet Earth.
But instead, we get an eco-terrorist whose plan is to destroy all humans. Then the plot becomes only about stopping this guy, rather than humanity figuring out how to placate the titans and confronting their own environmental impact. This mixed messaging really muddies what could have been a captivating statement about the hubris of mankind. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
This is especially so because while I may moonlight as a film critic, my day job is working for an environmental non-profit. Anthropogenic climate change is a very real problem. And making the villain of any blockbuster a crazed environmentalist is not helping. It’s already hard enough to get people to make positive changes, we don’t need Hollywood making it more difficult. Godzilla: King of the Monsters‘ villain sucks and they should have done better.
But anyway, I digress. My critique of the villain and mixed messaging aside, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is an enjoyable summer film. It doesn’t make you think (in fact it actively discourages you from thinking) and delivers more monster action than you can probably process. If you’re a fan of old-school Toho Godzilla, like I am, you will enjoy this film.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters releases nationwide Friday, May 31st.
Oh and did I mention that Skull Island and Kong were referenced many times and that King of the Monsters’ sequel is already in post-production. Looks like our favorite gargantuan ape will be facing off against Godzilla for that nice and shiny crown.