GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, & Kyle Chandler
Directed By: Michael Dougherty (Trick R Treat, Krampus)
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes
The original Godzilla movie from 1954 is an iconic piece of sci-fi.Released just years after the end of World War 2 it acts as a warning against nuclear experimentation.Godzilla rips through Japan, the military says kill it.The scientists say to capture it and study it.Terror ensues.It’s a fun cheesy romp.
Fast forward to 2019.Godzilla has starred in 35 films around the world.Battling all types of other monsters, even traveling to space.Some of these movies are good.Some of them are bad.Some are, believe it or not, both.
In 2014, Godzilla reappeared in theaters in a movie that launched what is known as “The MonsterVerse”.What is the Monster Verse?Well, it’s a joined cinematic universe like the Marvel movies, or anything else.This weekend’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the third film in the MonsterVerse.2014’s “Godzilla” and 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island”.Good news, you don’t have to have seen either of those movies to understand “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”.You’d be better off watching the old “Godzilla vs…” movies from the 60s and 70s.But it’s not required.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a throwback to those old Showa period Godzilla movies.Godzilla battling it out with Rodan, Ghidorah, and more.It’s fun to see this done on a super big budget.The movie offers a special effects spectacle.
But, the movie’s big downfall is not understanding what the audiences wants before they walk in the theater.You’re going to this movie for one reason and one reason only.To see monsters fight each other.King of the Monsters offers up a broken family reuniting subplot that grinds the movie to a halt anytime it’s the movie’s focal point.I’m not here for a lesson, a story, or any of that mumbo jumbo.I want to see Godzilla destroy stuff.And you get that in this movie.It delivers what it promises.Just the stretches in between were unbearable at times.
There are a number of cool homages to the original Godzilla film.There’s the typical military vs scientist subplot.The corporate research firm that isn’t exactly what it seems.All of that stuff, I’m fine with.I get that the movie can’t be two straight hours of monster fights.I do.But, there are just too many subplots in this movie.One or two of them could have been removed.It also would have tightened up the movie.At 2 hours and 11 minutes it begins to feel a little long before it gets to the climatic final scenes.
You’ll recognize a number of accomplished television actors in this movie.Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights, Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things, Charles Dance from Game of Thrones, Vera Farmiga from Bates Motel, Thomas Middleditch from Silicon Valley and the Verizon commercials.Bradley Whitford from The West Wing.
It’s cool to see Godzilla get the big budget treatment.This isn’t as good as the 2014 film, it is better than the Matthew Broderick version.I’ll sit through this to get to next year’s Godzilla vs Kong.There’s two post credits scenes in this movie.So stay until the very end, it’s not what you expect.Not as cheesy as the Japanese films, but sometimes there’s a charm to those films that this movie is missing.
On a scale of "See It/Stream It/Skip It" -- Stream It – there’s enough here to make it worth a watch for fans of the genre, but not enough to warrant dropping everything to do so.
If you liked Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, or Godzilla vs. you might like Godzilla: King of the Monsters
2.5 out of 5 for Godzilla: King of the Monsters.Too many humans get in the way of this monster blockbuster