Members of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species-thought to be mere myths-rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.
Director: Michael Dougherty
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O'Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi.
Release Date: May 31, 2019
Action, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rated PG-13 for sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some
language
Runtime: 2 h 11 min
Review:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a movie at war with itself. The obvious main attraction is the monster mayhem promised in the title and on that basis alone it succeeds. The battle sequences are beautifully shot even if they tend to be a bit dark in spots. Portions of the epic battle sequences almost look like some sort of insane renaissance painting of carnage. So is that enough to make a film enjoyable if the human portion of the film feels like it was lifted out of a bad 90s summer blockbuster? It’s difficult to tell since those portions are just so bland and terribly scripted. The cast assembled is incredibly strong but they’re mostly wasted spouting hackneyed lines. Character motivations vary from act to act and the logic behind some of the people’s actions are ludicrous. To say that the film lags in spots would be an understatement since it’s a series of ups and downs in terms of excitement. On the most basic level, Godzilla: King of the Monster works as a mindless and summer blockbuster that delivers some of the best kaiju action ever. Sadly the overstuffed run time could have excised entire portions of the human side of the story and the film would have been better for it.
C+
