Godzilla: King of the Monsters Review!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters continues the MonsterVerse, gives nods to the classic G-Films, and brings some stompin’ kaiju action!  It all started with Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla (2014) and then Kong: Skull Island (2017).  The best part of this film is the touches of the Shōwa G-Films starting with the original Godzilla (1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965), and Destroy All Monsters (1968), one of the best of the later G-Films. The G-Films are the longest running franchise and even survived the 1998 movie.  

The Godzilla nods were brought in by filmmakers who are clearly G-fans not taking the concepts and giving CG polishes. Kudos also to Bear McCreary who brings in themes from Akira Ifukube; “Godzilla Main Title”, it gives a drive with the violins and then the brass, drums bring in the presence of Big G and “Mothra’s Song”, with a nice shakuhachi flute piece.  Most audiences have the perception that G-Films are poorly dubbed with monsters in rubber suits.  

I’ve seen almost all of the G-Films, through Shin Godzilla (2016), and what the mis-informed have to realize is that they are different genres.  It ranges from horror films, to sci fi, fantasy, and spy films.  The film is directed by Michael Dougherty who directed the horror movies Trick `r Treat (2007) and Krampus (2015).  He co-writes the screenplay with Zach Shields who co-wrote Krampus.  They are part of the story team along with Max Borenstein who wrote the screenplays for Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island.      

The film opens with the descent of the H.A.L.O. jumpers and the destruction of San Francisco in 2014 with the first Godzilla.  We see in the ruins, a family with father in a firefighter coat, Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), wife, Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), and child.  Chandler is known for Argo (2012) and Super 8 (2011), and the drama series Friday Night Lights.  We find that Russell becomes separated from his wife over the death of their son.  He is the protagonist of the film and ties in all of the story lines. 

Farmiga stars in the Conjuring franchise including the upcoming Annabelle Comes Home, also The Departed (2006), and played Norma Bates in the Bates Motel (2013-2017) series. It picks up with the domestic life we see a picture of the family and then Emma and her daughter, Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) now a little more grown up as a teen.  Brown is of course recognized for playing Eleven in Stranger Things, soon to be in a third season, she also played another Madison in the Intruders (2014) series about another secret organization, and played the Young Alice in episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013).  

Madison is the innocent character that is pivotal to the story.  She gets a text from her estranged father, but Emma recieves a call that sends them to the Monach facility in Hunnan Province, China.  The world wide settings are interesting, but there is one place missing, Tokyo, which was Godzilla’s usual stomping ground, it may be part of the agreement with Toho to keep Gojira in their part of the world.  The other part is the pacing, there are character moments, and then we shift into the action.  

This brings them to the secret base in which is being held the larva stage of the Titanus Mosura.  The Titans are the name of the giant monsters though I’m used to kaiju or daikaiju for the giant monsters.  Mothra is a fan favorite that had her own film in Mothra (1961) and was given a modern trilogy called the Rebirth of Mothra.  The design of Mothra is one of the best in the film.  Still, the movie needs a Mothra song with singers in the end credits or somewhere, it was a worldwide hit.  I would have liked an updated song with a duo like Puffy AmiYumi.  

Dr. Emma Russell has brought her device, the ORCA, which she hopes will send signals to essentially control the Titans. The control devices are a trope of kaiju films including Destroy All Monsters.  Madison reaches out to touch the awakened Mothra. There is also another device from the G-Films, but that would be spoiler territory!  Next, we get the congressional hearing of Monarch.  Heading the hearing is Senator Williams played by the distinguished CCH Pounder who played Mo’at in Avatar (2009) and the new sequels, Irene Frederic in Warehouse 13 (2009-2014), and also The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013).  

Attending the hearing is two characters from the first Godzilla movie; Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr. Graham (Sally Hawkins).  Serizawa of course was the scientist who was important in the 1954 original film.  Watanabe is well known for playing Katsumoto in The Last Samurai (2003), starring in Inception (2010), and this year, Pokémon Detective Pikachu.  Serizawa is the voice of reason who seems to understand the kaiju.  Hawkins has a stand out role as the lead, Elisa Esposito in The Shape of Water (2017), she is also in the Paddington films, and played Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).  

Joining them is Dr. Sam Coleman played by Thomas Middleditch.  The comedy series, Silicon Valley, features Middleditch as Richard Hendricks, he is also in the sci fi film Replicas (2018), and the Zombieland: Double Tap sequel that opens on October 11th.  Coleman is Director of Technology for Monach and I found his character to be a funny counterpart to the action.  He argues that the Titans are returning to restore the world.  They are called away and the congressional investigation story point is dropped.  The world building is good, but the problem is that in the five years since Big G appeared there are no defenses or shelters for civilians like in Pacific Rim (2013). 

The Monarch facility is inflitrated by brutal gunmen led by Jonah Alan played by Charles Dance.  He has made a career out of playing memorable characters with of course Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones (2011-2015), Underworld: Blood Wars (2016), and Dracula Untold (2014).  He takes Emma, Madison, and the ORCA device.  This moves to the wilderness where Mark Russell is observing the feeding of wolves.  The Monarch aircraft arrives with Serizawa and Graham who show him the footage of his family’s capture.  We find out that Mark has created the ORCA as tech to send away killer whales from stranding.  He believed it was destroyed, but Emma has re-built the device.  

They head to the Monarch base, Castle Bravo, which is underneath an oil rig in the middle of the sea.  The name refers to the nuclear weapon tests at the Bikini Atoll.  There they meet some of the other members of the Monarch team; Dr. Ilene Chen (Ziyi Zhang), Dr. Rick Stanton (Bradley Whitford), Colonel Diane Foster (Aisha Hinds), and Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Barnes (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.).  

Zhang of course made her debut in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2009), the brilliant film The Grandmaster (2013), and she was in the The Cloverfield Paradox (2018).  Zhang’s character is one of the most interesting new additions to the Godzilla cast with connections to the G-Films legacy.  She also has a twin sister that has a connection with the Mothra movies.  Whitford is known for playing Josh Lyman in the drama The West Wing, the horror movie The Cabin in the Woods (2011), and Get Out (2017).  His character is basically in the movie to deliver corny jokes and doesn’t prove his value.  

Hinds is currently in the series 9-1-1, she starred as Harriet Tubman in Underground (2017), and was in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).  Her commander is cool in maintaining order in the kaiju fight.  Jackson Jr. was of course known for playing Ice Cube in Straight Outta Compton (2015), Den of Thieves (2018), and he was also in the comedy Long Shot this year.  They have to take the Monarch super plane, the USS Argo, to combat the rise of the Titans.  The plane is a vast flying wing like the stealth bomber with everything needed to fight kaiju including fighter jet support.  There is of course many super vehicles like the Super X in Godzilla (1984) usually with an armor or weapon that can try to stop Godzilla.  

In Antarctica, is the Titan called Monster Zero which of course refers to the classic Godzilla vs. Monster Zero.  This is Ghidorah who first appeared in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964).  He has always been Godzilla’s greatest nemesis with his three heads, wings, and golden scales.  Also in the fight is Rodan who first appeared in his self-titled 1956 movie.  It is explained that the aftermath of Godzilla in San Francisco that the greenery cropped up which is a kaiju bringing the balance to the environment.  

The battles are intense bringing the power of kaiju, but a warning here - the sound design is great, but very painful for my ears.  I love the biggest screen and biggest sound, but not in this movie.  The human characters were criticized for being weak, but they are there to move the story along and for the most part I liked the family dynamic.  There are some plot points that are weak like the twist with Emma Russell, but the movie is fun.  I look forward to Godzilla vs. Kong next year which was set up in this film.  Godzilla: King of the Monsters earns Big G his title!   

Three ORCAs out of Five! 

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