Godzilla: King of the Monsters far exceeds its predecessor in every way. It gives audiences time with Godzilla, introduces formidable foes, and features many memorable monster battles.
“Long live the king.”
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
Name a time when the sequel is so much better than the original film. Everyone has at least one or two examples that come to mind. Well, Godzilla: King of the Monsters can be added to that list. The movie is fun and exciting and delivers many memorable monster vs. monster battles. In addition to great action sequences, the movie is beautifully shot and offers a stronger plot than many monster-driven movies. It’s an enjoyable film that can be watched again and again.
Here’s the official description of the film – “When ancient god-sized monsters rise again, the crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah as they all vie for supremacy.”
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is directed by Michael Dougherty and stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Charles Dance, Sally Hawkins, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, Ziyi Zhang, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and David Strathairn. The total run time is 132 minutes.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens with a flashback to the events of 2014’s Godzilla. Mark and Emma Russell (Chandler and Farmiga, respectively) desperately search for their missing child amid the aftermath of Godzilla’s battle with the MUTOs. Mark blames Godzilla for the death of his son.
In the present, Emma continues her research with Monarch and builds the Orca, a device capable of reaching and interacting with Titans like Godzilla. Mark is called to rejoin the action after Emma and their daughter Madison (Brown) are kidnapped by a group that wants to use the Orca to wake all of the Titans. They believe that humans are an infection to the earth and that Titans, like Mothra and Rodan, are the cure. However, the group faces more than they expected when they wake up the deadly and destructive King Ghidorah. There can be only one king of the monsters.
One of the best things about the movie is that it ties in very little with the 2014 film. The new film does not contradict the predecessor and still exists in the same Monsterverse, but the story revolves around new characters and spends more time focusing on the Titans than the humans. Only three characters return from the 2014 film: Dr. Serizawa (Watanabe), Dr. Graham (Hawkins), and Admiral Stenz (Strathairn). These are not the central characters of the story, but their inclusion helps to connect the two movies. Dr. Serizawa, in particular, helps to give emotion and depth to the story with his continued insistence that the Titans are creatures to be respected and feared, not controlled and manipulated.
A common complaint with the first film is that Godzilla is not on screen until nearly an hour into the movie. After his introduction, he is still given very little screen time. The decision was made to follow the example of classic monster movies like Jaws, but the outcome left many fans wanting to see more of the iconic monster. The lack of screen time for Godzilla also meant that the story spent too much time on its human characters.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters does not follow that mold. Godzilla is properly introduced early in the film and heavily featured in many scenes. The movie doesn’t dwell too long on the story of its human characters but instead uses them to advance the plot and introduce other Titans into the mix.
While Mothra and Rodan are introduced and important to the story, the real battle is between Godzilla and King Ghidorah. One of the special features describes this matchup as the “Superbowl of the Monsters,” and it feels like an accurate description. Their first fight comes at the end of a strong first act, and the final fight will likely leave viewers satisfied and pleased with the winner. The special effects and cg work used for the battles look good and allow Godzilla to have more facial expression and smoother movements than he has had in many prior screen appearances.
Though Godzilla and King Ghidorah are the real stars of the movie, much of the emotional depth is provided by an outstanding cast. Of quick note are Ken Watanabe as Dr. Serizawa – the movie’s emotional core and the Titans’ main advocate – and Vera Farmiga as Dr. Emma Russell – a brilliant scientist who keeps the other characters (and the audience) on their toes.
The movie is beautifully shot and makes excellent use of bold, vibrant color. Godzilla’s atomic breath is just one example of this. Each Titan seems to have their own particular color scheme that is continually carried throughout. The movie also features a strong musical score that helps build each scene and never feels out of place.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a fast, fun summer movie that will keep viewers engaged and entertained. The movie is beautifully shot and features excellent special effects, while the story itself is full of emotion and sacrifice. By introducing a story almost entirely separate from its 2014 predecessor, Godzilla: King of the Monsters presents a memorable story that features plenty of monster-driven action and sets up next year’s Godzilla vs. Kong quite well.
Is There a Scene After the Credits?
Yes. There is a scene at the very end of the credits that tells viewers one of the movie’s human villains isn’t out of the picture just yet and teases the return of a major Titan.
Special Features
The Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Combo comes with the following special features:
- Godzilla: Nature’s Fearsome Guardian
- Mothra: Queen of the Monsters
- King Ghidorah: The Living Extinction Machine
- Rodan: Airborne God of Fire
- Godzilla 2.0 – Godzilla’s look and structure were updated to make him look more like a predator. Mythology behind the iconic character was added to strengthen his physical appearance.
- Making Morthra – The queen was designed to be a balance of beauty and power.
- Creating Ghidorah – Motion capture technology was used to create a physical threat to Godzilla. Each of Ghidorah’s three heads is meant to have its own distinct personality.
- Reimagining Rodan – Rodan was retooled to have a more prehistoric look that emphasized his ferocious attack skills. Emphasis was given to his wide wingspan and ability to fly.
- The Yunnan Temple – Mothra, as the most emotional and approachable of the Titans, is introduced in a serene, symbolic temple that emphasizes her phoenix-like life cycle.
- Castle Bravo – A sequel has to subtly reintroduce audiences to characters, and this new Headquarters for Monarch is meant to show off the organization’s power and prominence.
- The Antarctic Base – Like an iceberg, much more is going on below the surface than what is seen above. A cold and bleak location was selected to introduce King Ghidorah; however, the scene was actually shot in a studio in Atlanta. This clip looks at how that filming was done.
- The Isla de Mara Volcano – Rodan is often associated with fire and lava, so a volcano was selected for his introduction. This clip shows the movie’s second unit filming the action-packed scene in Mexico City.
- The Undersea Lair – This movie is the first exploration of Godzilla’s “home,” and the location is full of human and Titan history and mythology.
- Mark’s Flashback (Extended Version) – After being knocked out, Mark remembers a birthday party for his son.
- Boxing Practice, Argument and Radio Room – Emma and Madison argue over the plan for the Titans and Monarch’s involvement.
This combo includes a lot of special features! Longtime fans of Godzilla and the other Titans will surely enjoy the in-depth look at their physical designs and personalities. The features do a nice job of showing how scenes are taken from ideas and turned into visual products. Viewers get to hear from the director, the writer, several producers, almost each lead cast member, and a variety of crew members. The feature “Monsters Are Real” explores interesting questions but feels slightly out of place from the rest of the features. Both deleted scenes added character detail and development for members of the Russell family and would have been helpful had they been left in the final cut. The special features are entertaining and informative and do a nice job of placing Godzilla: King of the Monsters firmly in the middle of the Monsterverse.
Takeaway
Godzilla: King of the Monsters far exceeds its predecessor in every way. It gives audiences time with Godzilla, introduces formidable foes, and features many memorable monster battles. The story does not dwell too long on its human characters but still gives them enough time to add depth to the plot. The movie is beautifully shot and features a strong musical score. Check out the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital combo for a variety of entertaining and informative special features. And don’t forget – the movie itself ends with a scene after the credits that will tease another sequel. Godzilla Vs. Kong is just a few months away!
