The King of all Monsters is back in action.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters picks up five years after the last Godzilla film, released in 2014. This time, the film follows a different cast of characters than the previous film. The film centers on the Russell family, consisting of Paleobiologist Emma (Vera Farmiga), animal behavior and communication specialist Mark (Kyle Chandler) and their daughter, Madison (Millie Bobby Brown). During the events of the 2014 film, Emma and Mark’s other child, Andrew, was killed in the devastation caused by Godzilla and the MUTO creatures.
Emma works for Monarch, the organization established in the first film and expanded upon in Kong: Skull Island in 2017. She and Madison witness the birth of a larva dubbed Mothra. Using research gathered with Mark before their marriage broke apart, Emma is able to control Mothra and other Titan creatures with a device known as the “Orca.”
A group of eco-terrorists kidnap Emma and Madison. Monarch, under the direction of Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), recruits Mark to find Emma and Madison. When they locate the mother and daughter, however, Emma releases a three-headed Titan codenamed “Monster Zero,” which turns out to be Ghidorah, an ancient alien, whose rival is Godzilla.
Godzilla and Ghidorah battle it out after Ghidorah is released in Antarctica. Shortly after, it is revealed Emma seems to not have been kidnapped, and she has her reasons for unleashing Ghidorah onto the planet, as if she has some sort of God-like complex.
After Emma’s reveal of her motivations, the story lacks in much more depth. The human characters aren’t given much time to grow and it’s difficult to develop sympathy for anyone who wasn’t already an established character. In this film, that was simply Dr. Serizawa and his right-hand woman, Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins).
Watanabe, though, steals the show during the film’s most impactful scene. Dr. Serizawa has a private moment with Godzilla that closes his arch in the story, and serves as the movie’s only true human moment.
A noteworthy performance is Bradley Whitford as Dr. Rick Stanton, a crypto-sonographer who works for Monarch. Whitford shines as a character with a lot of dry wit and sarcasm, similar to his role as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in NBC’s The West Wing. In addition, Millie Bobby Brown, who of course rose to fame on Netflix’s Stranger Things, also steals the show during all of her scenes. Madison is similar to Brown’s Eleven/Jane Hopper character, in that she helps save the day during the film’s climax.
Though the film does lack in storytelling, its special effects are certainly noteworthy. Ghidorah appears as an intimidating villain, portrayed both by motion capture and CGI. Godzilla also appears even more impressively than he did in the 2014 film, especially at the end of the film where he experiences an upgrade of sorts. The special effects team outdid itself on this film and is to be commended for making up for the lack of character growth.
In addition to impressive special effects, the sound of the film is a force to be reckoned with. With several battle scenes between the Titans, namely Godzilla and Mothra against Ghidorah and Rodan, the sound team had a great challenge ahead of it. And the sound of the film is incredible. Though I saw the film in a movie theatre, where I expect it to be loud, this film’s sound turned it up a notch or two and truly made you feel like you were experiencing the movie’s events firsthand. The sound is loud and expressive and is never too overwhelming.
Godzilla will return to the silver screen in less than a year. Godzilla vs. Kong, which will not be a remake of the 1962 film, is scheduled for release on March 13, 2020. Brown and Chandler are set to return for the film and will be joined by Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry, among others.
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