Godzilla – or Gojira, as he’s known in his native Japan – has been the quintessential larger-than-life monster for 65 years now. Starting with Godzilla (1954), the titular kaiju’s legacy has spanned over 35 films, video games, comic books, and more. The newest addition to the Godzilla canon, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, has something for the long-time fans, the newcomers, and the in-betweens.
The movie picks up during the events of Godzilla (2014) with Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) and her husband, Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), clutching their daughter Madison (later played by Millie Bobby Brown). There is an implication that their young son, Andrew, has been crushed in rubble caused by Godzilla’s romp through San Francisco.
Flashing to present day, the movie brings us up-to-date with Monarch, a crypto-zoological institution first introduced in Godzilla (2014) and referenced in Kong: Skull Island (2017) – currently in a battle with the U.S. Senate to not be absorbed into the military. With a team led by Dr. Sam Coleman (Thomas Middleditch), Dr. Ilene Chen (Zhang Ziyi), and Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), the three high-ranking Monarch leaders plead their case to the Senate. We learn that Monarch is still attempting to answer the question raised at the end of the 2014 movie – is Godzilla a savior, and are the kaiju as a whole benevolent? Or are they monsters that need to be stopped, as is the military’s position?
It’s revealed that Monarch has located several kaiju “titans” – a rename of the “MOTU” moniker from the film’s predecessor – across the globe, but have kept their names and locations classified from the public. Dr. Emma Russell works and lives with her daughter Madison on a Monarch outpost, attempting to research for a definitive answer on what the fate of these titans should be.
While the dialogue is sometimes sprinkled with camp and the actions of the characters spiced with melodrama, each person feels individualistic enough for a nearly two-and-a-half hour movie without dragging down the pace. Bradley Whitford’s character, Dr. Rick Stanton, brings the dry wit the actor is known to portray well; Dr. Serizawa is reprised from the 2014 film, but with fleshed out intent; Dr. Mark Russell has a clearly-defined arc that makes sense for his character. While it could be said that some of the characters have shallow development, you get enough of a sense of them while not spending undue time on character evolution – leaving plenty of time for the monsters to get their screen time.
The character designs of the monsters are stunning, enhanced further by the special effects and remarkable original score. Director Michael Dougherty toed the line perfectly, bringing near-forgotten elements of the original monsters while expanding on new components. Each monster design is elegantly purposeful, clearly done with knowledge of the monster’s home element and lore. Dougherty even gave close consideration to each monster’s roar, which blend the new and the nostalgic.
Firmly an action blockbuster, Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers on hopes that Godzilla fans have held for years while staying interesting and visually appealing to all. The villains are complex, the pacing is quick without being breakneck, and the titans are dimensional. Dougherty’s peppering of nostalgic elements, thoughtful evolutions, well-placed camp, and references to both the Godzilla universe and some horror films (a nod to his background as director of Trick R’ Treat (2007)and Krampus (2015) – he’s a horror fan!) will delight most, if not all.
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