MOVIE REVIEW: GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

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+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX

The story set in the near future, centers on a team of astronauts on a space station making a terrifying discovery that challenges all they know about the fabric of reality, as they desperately fight for their survival.

Director: Julius Onah

Release Date: Jan 12, 2018

Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris O'Dowd, Zhang Ziyi

Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Review:

Years from now The Cloverfield Paradox, originally titled The God Particle, will be remembered mostly for Netflix’s release strategy more than the actual content of the film.  Ultimately, Netflix’s strategy of releasing a repurposed sci-fi film, which had been delayed a couple of times before, after the Super Bowl shortly after premiering the first trailer gave the film the kind of visibility it wouldn’t have received otherwise.  The gambit surely paid off in spades even though the final product is lacking in several areas.  Sadly, for all the hoopla the film is simply a passable sci-fi film that recalls better films like Sunshine or even Event Horizon with a heaping serving of Star Trek’s oft used multiverse conceit.  The result is an uneven story with a subplot grafted onto it’s spine that tries desperately to connect the main story to the larger franchise.  It’s a choppy feel throughout resulting in a story that never finds it’s footing even with the ensemble’s best effort.  The cast assembled is impressively strong but the script leaves way too many of them hampered with one dimensional character.  Gugu Mbatha-Raw does her best to give the entire production a heart beat and is only partially successful; displaying some real chops in the film’s final act.  The rest of the cast is populated by top notch actors like David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl who try their best to bring some sort of life to uncooked characters but they can only do so much with razor thin characterizations.  Elizabeth Debicki’s character could have been thoroughly fascinating if she’s been explored properly.  In the end, The Cloverfield Paradox is a glossy looking misfire which could have used more fine tuning and less overt franchise shoehorning to work effectively. 

C