Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – After the discovery of Godzilla, Monarch, the crypto-zoologist organisation that has been researching legendary creatures of old, is under pressure from the government to reveal the locations of any other creatures it has on record so that they can be killed. However, a rogue group of eco-terrorists has acquired the ability to awaken the Titanic creatures from their ancient slumber. When these god-like creatures start wreaking havoc, led by the mighty three-headed King Ghidorah, will Godzilla be able to defend humanity? Or will it even want to?

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) – Director: Michael Dougherty

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59336017

Rating: 12

Running Length: 131 mins

Starring: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown

Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction

REVIEW: GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

It seems almost every movie studio has tried to get a slice of that sweet Marvel Cinematic Universe pie. Most have failed. But Warner Brothers have managed to get past the two movie mark with ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ following on from 2014’s Godzilla and 2017’s Kong: Skull Island (click on the links for our reviews). What both previous movies did well was create awe inspiring spectacle whilst also injecting some personality into their titular behemoths. ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ doubles down on that, and then some!

Whereas the 2014 Godzilla followed a few people’s lives as destruction reigned around them, Dougherty has smartly made the human cast of his movie an ensemble of Monarch workers instead. Monarch, as the mysterious group that has been tracking and studying the huge ‘Titan’ beasts for decades, are centrally related to both the plot and the creatures so at least it feels like we are making things happen. Unfortunately, much like 2014’s Godzilla, the human characters aren’t that interesting, acting as mouthpieces for the apparent motivations of the battling monsters around them. Despite some fun bits of banter, they are mostly interchangeable.

That said, mother and daughter relationship between Emma and Madison (Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobbie Brown respectively) is well played. Emma’s determination in the face of Madison’s rising horror fills out the human element well enough. There is an environmentalism thing dangling throughout that adds a bit of flavour to the movie, even if it never really gets mentioned enough to be that central.

But enough about that. Monsters! Titans! A three headed dragon that shoots lighting! Giant moths! The weight given to Godzilla and co in both on-screen mythology and also ground shaking, ear splitting noise makes screen filling spectacle throughout. The CGI effects are outstanding. Heck, the sound design is a thing to behold. A chill went up our spine as the slowly increasing thrum of a charging nuclear blast attack ominously increased in volume. Bear McCreary’s score is full of pounding drums and human worship chants which again really give presence to these awakening Titans of old.

‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ successfully captures the ‘that’s so cool!’ factor and is just so darn fun to watch. It’s a B-movie with a big enough budget to look spectacular. It’s the on-screen version of a child’s imagination when they bump their plastic toys together to fight. Go-go-Godzilla!

CONTENT: IS GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A teenage girl is on her laptop but forgets that she is also cooking breakfast. When the smoke alarm goes off she jumps and says ‘shit’ many times in quick succession.

A large creature hatches from an egg. It is like a huge pupa and it quickly becomes agitated. It shoots a web substance from it’s mouth, sticking various scientists to walls. It makes loud screeching noises and scares the teenage girl and her mother. The scene lasts around 3 minutes before calming down.

A group of soldiers break in to the scientific outpost containing the huga pupa. Several unnamed scientists are gunned down in the background, quickly. One scientist who has had some dialogue and been a sympathetic character is shot in the head by the lead soldier. The camera quickly cuts to behind him as the shot is fired and we see the shot from behind some frosted glass. Some blood is briefly seen as the glass smashes.

Some Monarch scientists are in a Congressional meeting where the government is trying to force them to reveal the locations of all the ‘Titans’. The lead scientist leaves suddenly causing another to put on a presentational video about ‘Titan reproduction’ and he reassures the room that the ‘genitals have been blurred out’.

A man is watching wolves in the wild. The wolf pack are eating a carcass. There are ripping and tearing sounds and whilst no explicit detail is shown there are blurred close ups of them pulling at the body.

The soldiers attack another base. There is the sound of gunshots and screaming. We don’t see anyone get shot but there are bodies on the floor later. These aren’t lingered upon.

The teenager surreptitiously gives the middle finger to the lead soldier.

Godzilla approaches an underwater base. They open their steel shields to see him floating in the water in front of them. His body glows and flashes and whilst this doesn’t go so far as ‘strobing’ there are repeated flashing lights.

In Antarctica a humongous creature is frozen in ice. The ice is detonated and various unnamed soldiers plummet into it. There is a also a gun fight with non-named characters being shot but with no injury detail. The creature emerges and attacks in a sustained action sequence. There is one strong use of swearing and one moderate use during this scene. Lightning effects fill the screen with flashes. Many of the main cast are in an aircraft trying to take off but it is battered by the creature. We see from an inside POV that the craft is smacked from side to side. One woman who has had some minor dialogue earlier is stood on by the giant creature who appears to pick her up and eat her whole.

Another titan emerges in a city in Mexico. The city is being evacuated in a panic and some people are knocked down as they flee, including a mother and her young child. A volcano erupts and a giant winged creature bursts out. As it flies over the city the wind it drags behind in its wake destroys buildings and sweeps people up into the air. A child around 8 years old is swept up and holds on to someone’s arm, screaming.

A character comments on one Titan heading for another that it must want it for “food, fight, or f…….something more intimate”.

Fighter jets attack the Titans to no avail. One pilot ejects but instantly propels into a Titan’s mouth. Other jets are destroyed and the pilots scream. A display showing pictures of the squadron’s pilots changes to red each time one dies.

In an underwater sequence one major character sacrifices themselves in order to revive Godzilla. An explosion consumes them and other characters are upset at the loss.

A man is hit by a Titan’s lightning attack and quickly disintegrates.

A major character drives away from a Titan whilst using a device to lure it and distract it. The character knows that this is a suicidal thing to do and other family members cry at this decision. The character is attacked and thrown from the car, lying face up and staring at the attacking creature. This scene is played out in partial slow-motion and with sad and powerful music and so may cause upset before the eventual resolution is played out.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS FOR KIDS?

The main elements that would make ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ unsuitable for children is the bad language, and the very loud and scary creatures on screen. The swearing is infrequent with only one strong use so this will depend on your views, and the creatures are the whole point of the movie so this will depend on your child! But the movie is packed full of visually stunning giant monster battles and the parts in between are never too long for a child’s interest so we would recommend this movie as suitable for children aged 8 and up.

• Violence: 2/5 (people are gunned down but minimal injury detail. people are killed in the Titan’s wake)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (sacrifices made by characters upset those who know them. Godzilla is hurt for a period in the middle of the movie)
• Fear Factor: 3/5 (the Titans are very loud and aggressive)
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 3/5 (infrequent moderate and one strong use)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (Some threats. Some discussion of the greater good which leads to human death in the short term)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of environmentalism, mythology, nuclear responsibility, the natural order, alpha animals, making large scale destructive decisions ‘for the greater good’, parental separation, and natural disaster.

Words by Mike Record