After the disappointment of the 2014 Godzilla reboot, which was directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Monsters), and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Godzilla), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, MCU), and Bryan Cranston (Argo, Breaking Bad), I’m sure fans were skeptical when news of a King Kong reboot was on the way in 2017. Luckily, audiences got the spectacular Vietnam-period piece which was Kong: Skull Island. So, when word that a straight up sequel to Godzilla was coming with an entirely (mostly) new cast, my ears perked up. Then the first trailer was released, and I’ll never forget the feeling of utter thrill and joy I felt when it ended with Godzilla and King Ghidora running at each other at full speed. As the next trailer started in the theater, I looked over at my girlfriend, heart beating out of my chest, and I saw the same look of excitement on her face. The film lives up to the incredibly well-done set of trailers that were released, and the reason why is that the filmmakers knew exactly what they were making: a monster film.
The first attempt at Godzilla was bogged down by the human factor. While Bryan Cranston’s storyline was ultimately tragic in nature, the major draw of a monster movie should not be the human element. We didn’t even get to see a full image of Godzilla until the third act. Even though it was a bearable film, I haven’t watched it again, yet. That says something right there. King of the Monsters on the other hand is absolutely rewatchable. The film begins during Godzilla’s battle in San Francisco from the point of view of Kyle Chandler’s (Argo, Friday Night Lights) character, Mark Russel, and his family. Suffering a tragic loss, the film then jumps ahead to present time. The Russel family is split up and they are dealing with the loss in different ways. Mark is off doing his own thing, upset at the “monsters” as he calls Godzilla, while his wife, Dr. Emma Russell, played by Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Up in the Air), and daughter Madison, played by Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), are working for Monarch on some unknown mission.
Emma creates a device that can essentially communicate with the monsters by the use of “Alpha” channels, which they test out on a larva version of Mothra. When Mothra is woken up she is NOT happy, but Emma’s device works and Madison gets to go pet the docile thirty story creature. Enter our villain, Alan Jonah, played by Charles Dance (Last Action Hero, Game of Thrones), an eco-terrorist who plans to use Emma’s device to wake the other Titans (AKA Monsters/Kaiju) so that they can bring the world back to a purer, more basic state of affairs. The only problem with his plan are the millions and potentially billions of innocent people who would become collateral damage. Jonah absconds with Emma, Madison, and the device, while Mothra goes into cocoon.
Sally Hawkins (Godzilla, The Shape of Water) and Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai) revisit their characters from the first Godzilla as scientists who urge Congress to embrace Godzilla, rather than treat him as an enemy, on the behalf of Monarch, the secret organization which monitors the activity of Godzilla and the Titans via bases situated throughout the world. They also have a few new team members in the form of Thomas Middleditch’s (The Wolf of Wall Street, Silicon Valley) Sam Coleman and Bradley Whitford’s (Get Out, Cabin in the Woods) Dr. Rick Stanton who has some of the films’ best one-liners. Once word of Emma and Madison’s kidnapping reaches them, they team up with Mark and a special ops team led by Colonel Diane Foster, played by Aisha Hinds (Assault on Precinct 13, 9-1-1) and Chief Warrant Officer Barnes, played by O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton, Den of Thieves), to try and get them back before any real damage can be done. Unfortunately, they are unsuccessful and Ghidora is woken up, which causes a whole bevvy of other problems.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is successful because Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat, Krampus) is at the helm. Dougherty has referred to his movie as “the Aliens to Gareth’s Alien.” He is of course referring to the drastically different tones of those two classic films. Dougherty embraces the sort of quirky humor Aliens embraced when following up the ultra-dark sci-fi horror gem, Alien, directed by master director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator). It’s clear that all of the projects he has worked on thus far have led him to this point. He is fantastic at creating genre pieces, as Trick ‘r Treatredefined the horror genre and his screenplay for X2: X-Men United produced easily the best X-Men live action film. Dougherty is the perfect choice for this film, looking back, and I’m glad the studios made the right call this time around.
This film embraces the true nature of monster/Kaiju movies, which is the monsters themselves. It also does away with the ultra-realism the first film had. In this film, the technology is inexplicably updated to the point that some of Monarch’s gear/weaponry/planes are extremely sci-fi. I’m so glad the makers of this film had the good sense to know what to make of importance. Obviously, the technology and human element (for the most part, there is still some good old’ fashioned human drama in play) aren’t nearly as important as the look, feel, and especially sound of these magnificent creatures. Godzilla hasn’t sounded this much like himself since 1954 and King Ghidora’s intense scream is so exhilarating. Each of the different Titans has a different and unique sound, so don’t worry about the potential for confusion when all hell is breaking loose. The choreography (if you want to call it that) of the Titan battles is never out of control to the point that it is confusing.
Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, 10 Cloverfield Lane) composed the music for this film, and it is yet another reason why the film is so good. The Walking Dead has definitely prepared him for this film, with subject matter that is totally unrealistic, yet dramatic at the same time. In the smaller, more delicate scenes, soft strings play soothing sounds of regret, hope, and wonder, whereas the big battle scenes boast blaring horns. McCreary also utilizes some of the original soundtrack, such as Godzilla’s theme, to great effect. We saw the film in Dolby Atmos, which really goes above and beyond with the sound/speakers in the theater. When Godzilla is rearing up to do battle and his theme song played, everyone cheered.
I recommend seeing this film in the best theater you can, whether it is Dolby Atmos or IMAX. Monsters as tall as skyscrapers deserve to be seen on the biggest and best screen possible. If you can’t, I still recommend seeing it on any big screen, as there is something fun about watching a bunch of giant monsters laying waste to Boston. Talk about some kahma (Go Blues!). The filmmakers behind these “Monarch” films have really outdone themselves this time, and it’s exhilarating and exciting that this cinematic universe is continuing so well. Let’s just say that the bar is set very high for the next major monster film in the series, because Godzilla: King of the Monsters was a smashing success!