A clash of the titans that is a ton of fun, despite the lame human side of things
In the latest entry in the growing “MonsterVerse,” Godzilla is back, but he has competition this time around from another titan just as strong as he is: King Ghidorah. It’s big, it’s booming, and it’s badass.
Directed by Michael Dougherty, the story follows the battle for planet Earth as titans across the globe rise from their hibernation and fight to be the ultimate alpha. There is some human aspects to the plot, but they’re honestly not worth mentioning.
Going off of that, the writing really wasn’t there. There was a whole story about Monarch trying to save the monsters from being killed off from the military and terrorists trying to awaken them to “restore balance” and honestly, most of that stuff was pretty boring. There was also a whole family plot-line with the main characters but there wasn’t enough to establish an emotional connection to make you actually care.
The thing that sucks about this is the fact that the cast is absolutely loaded with talent. You’ve got Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, and more. The actors all do a great job with their characters, but there isn’t enough within the script for them to work with so it falls flat. The 2014 Godzilla did a pretty good job with this so I’m not sure why it went so wrong in this iteration.
You’re not coming to a Godzilla movie for the humans though, you’re coming for the monsters. While the human side lacked serious attention, the fighting and action was more than enough to make up for it.
The fighting throughout the movie is insanely fun to watch. There’s big blows, brilliant effects, and roaring sound. While I may have zoned out once or twice in the previous scenes, my attention would immediately come back when the big boys come out to play. The second you hear the roars of Godzilla, the screech of Rodan or Ghidorah, or the scream of Mothra, that means it’s go time.
The score and the designs of the monsters helped significantly too. You could tell when something was about to go down because all of the sudden there would be booming drums and this chanting that prepares you for the upcoming chaos. It added to the atmosphere and enhanced the experience. Couple that with the gorgeous looks of the giant beasts, and you’ve got quite the spectacle as they battle for supremacy. They promised a grand cast of titans and they provided.
The battles weren’t perfect, but they were still absolutely joyful to watch. Really the only thing I could have asked for was a little more being shown. They tried to balance the screentime of the final battle between titans and humans, but they should have focused more on the city-destroying rampage instead. The humans were fine, but that brawl was between the monsters, not the people.
While I can’t say that Godzilla: King of the Monsters was a cinematic masterpiece, it’s still damn fun to watch. It may be criticized for what it lacks, but it provided what it promises: massive battles between godlike monsters that will have you on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to see what they do in next year’s Godzilla vs. Kong.
The Movie Hall 
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