[MONSTER MASH UP] Godzilla: Long Live the King!

[MONSTER MASH UP] Godzilla: Long Live the King!

Godzilla: A Monstrous Movie of Epic Proportions

The sequel to 2014’s Godzilla. the third film in the MonsterVerse series by Legendary Pictures. And the 35th entry since 1954 Godzilla: King of the Monsters sees the legendary kaiju return.

Besides Godzilla, you get to see modern and updated versions of Mothra, Rodan, and the main antagonist King Ghidorah. The main plot is started by an ecological terrorist wanting to free a frozen Ghidorah. So that the fight between the monsters could help heal the world from the human’s natural destruction, but because the three headed monster is an extraterrestrial being that wants to destroy the world. Humanity must ally with Godzilla to help defeat their powerful enemy.

While the first film focused more on the humans than the actual monsters – this one is a balance between the two. The monster fights are intense, fun, and everything you’d ever want in a giant kaiju rumble. Although, one drawback is that most of the fights are done in near darkness. While everyone involved gives a very good performance, from returning favorites like Ken Watanabe to new additions such as Millie Bobby Brown, a lot of the humans are very stereotypical and not well developed.

Questionable Character Motivations

A few characters’ actions don’t match with their core motivations. Such as Vera Farmiga’s Emma revealing herself to be part of the terrorists yet the same people apparently don’t warn her about the attack that introduces them to us. There are a few times when the film goes from serious to comedic that can work, but it can be jarring when it occurs during a very dramatic moment that really don’t call for it. This is evidenced with Bradley Withford and his cracking of jokes or sarcastic jabs which becomes tiresome towards the end.

Director Michael Dougherty does a great job with the simplistic yet very thin story. One big flaw is that while the cinematography is good and clear, certain parts are very dark and murky. This happens a lot with the monster fights. While their designs are great – its hard to tell exactly which colours are what.

What really makes the final fight so memorable is not just how truly awesome Godzilla and Ghidora look, but the humans themselves and the parts they play to help defeat the three headed monster. With such an old franchise that includes numerous iterations, there are numerous references to the mythology of Godzilla old and new. But sometimes there are just too many references giving the feeling of it being a bit forced.

A big flaw with King of the Monsters is that we’re repeatedly told there are now seventeen confirmed Titans, with more being unearthed, but most of those we don’t see fully other than footage in the news.

Long Live the King!

Given how intense the events of the film are, one has to wonder what the MonsterVerse will reveal in future releases. If Legendary manages to figure out how to keep the films interesting then this should keep ticket holders coming back.

This addition to the Godzilla franchise is not as great as the first film.
Comparably, it does manage to inject a bit of fun with better action scenes.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is out now at a Cinema near you.

How did we rate Godzilla: King of the Monsters? 5 Sodas.