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Godzilla first stomped its way into our screens in 1954. A metaphor for nuclear weapons, it features humanity at the mercy of this seemingly aimless threat that they just can't control. My knowledge of the franchise doesn't extend beyond the original film and its American remakes, but as pop culture has taught me, this perception of the monster changed as Godzilla became a sort of hero invoked by the government to help them in certain crisis; like a pet, maybe? That "goofy" nature of the monster is more or less reverted to its original roots in the American Monsterverse, or is it?
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the second installment withis this franchise to feature the big lizard. The film follows Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) who is still coping with the death of his son during Godzilla's attack in San Francisco in the previous film. Meanwhile, his ex-wife (Vera Farmiga) and daughter (Millie Bobby Brown) are kidnapped by a group of eco-terrorists led by Alan Jonah (Charles Dance) who are trying to take control of several monsters, or "Titans", across the world. This forces Godzilla to return to fight them, as Mark tries to rescue his family.
I had seen 2014's Godzilla several years ago, but that's a film that literally vanished from my mind as soon as I saw it. But when one of my kids became interested in the franchise, we decided to dive in with him. Ironically, when he was watching that first one, I started watching it with him but ended up drifting away to do other things by the third act. That kinda says where I land with that one. Still, I decided to sit down with him for this one and I'm really glad I did, cause it might be my favorite from the Monsterverse.
The thing that puts this one above the ones that came before and after is its focus on real characters. 2014's Godzilla tried, but Aaron Taylor Johnson didn't really have the chops to carry the film. Here, the plight from Mark's family feels real and the emotional weight from what happened before and the twists that this film takes are effectively portrayed by the cast. The actions from Emma (Farmiga) feel believable within this world, and all of them – Chandler, Farmiga, and Brown – do a great job. Plus you give me the excellent Charles Dance as a bad guy and I'm sold.
Beyond the characters and performances, the film also delivers in the action department. Most of the action setpieces are thrilling and look great. How all the different Titans are awakened feels a bit like going through a checklist, but considering the material, I think it all feels well integrated. I also think some of the supporting characters get lost in the shuffle, which is made more notable by the fact that they are played by the likes of Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and Zhang Ziyi, but at least it keeps us focused on the Russell family.
As I'm writing this, it's been already a while that I've seen the following two films so I've had some time to process it all. As much of a spectacle as those two other films offer, I'd rather stick with the stronger emotional core and the more coherent script of this one where the characters feel more at the mercy of these seemingly aimless threats that they just can't control, instead of just treating them as "pets".
Grade:
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
(2019, Dougherty)
(2019, Dougherty)
Senator Williams: "So you'd want to make Godzilla our pet."
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa: "No. We will be his."
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa: "No. We will be his."
Godzilla first stomped its way into our screens in 1954. A metaphor for nuclear weapons, it features humanity at the mercy of this seemingly aimless threat that they just can't control. My knowledge of the franchise doesn't extend beyond the original film and its American remakes, but as pop culture has taught me, this perception of the monster changed as Godzilla became a sort of hero invoked by the government to help them in certain crisis; like a pet, maybe? That "goofy" nature of the monster is more or less reverted to its original roots in the American Monsterverse, or is it?
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the second installment withis this franchise to feature the big lizard. The film follows Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) who is still coping with the death of his son during Godzilla's attack in San Francisco in the previous film. Meanwhile, his ex-wife (Vera Farmiga) and daughter (Millie Bobby Brown) are kidnapped by a group of eco-terrorists led by Alan Jonah (Charles Dance) who are trying to take control of several monsters, or "Titans", across the world. This forces Godzilla to return to fight them, as Mark tries to rescue his family.
I had seen 2014's Godzilla several years ago, but that's a film that literally vanished from my mind as soon as I saw it. But when one of my kids became interested in the franchise, we decided to dive in with him. Ironically, when he was watching that first one, I started watching it with him but ended up drifting away to do other things by the third act. That kinda says where I land with that one. Still, I decided to sit down with him for this one and I'm really glad I did, cause it might be my favorite from the Monsterverse.
The thing that puts this one above the ones that came before and after is its focus on real characters. 2014's Godzilla tried, but Aaron Taylor Johnson didn't really have the chops to carry the film. Here, the plight from Mark's family feels real and the emotional weight from what happened before and the twists that this film takes are effectively portrayed by the cast. The actions from Emma (Farmiga) feel believable within this world, and all of them – Chandler, Farmiga, and Brown – do a great job. Plus you give me the excellent Charles Dance as a bad guy and I'm sold.
Beyond the characters and performances, the film also delivers in the action department. Most of the action setpieces are thrilling and look great. How all the different Titans are awakened feels a bit like going through a checklist, but considering the material, I think it all feels well integrated. I also think some of the supporting characters get lost in the shuffle, which is made more notable by the fact that they are played by the likes of Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and Zhang Ziyi, but at least it keeps us focused on the Russell family.
As I'm writing this, it's been already a while that I've seen the following two films so I've had some time to process it all. As much of a spectacle as those two other films offer, I'd rather stick with the stronger emotional core and the more coherent script of this one where the characters feel more at the mercy of these seemingly aimless threats that they just can't control, instead of just treating them as "pets".
Grade: