The
G-Man returns in this bigger, badder, dumber sequel to 2014’s Godzilla. This time out, scientist Vera Farmiga wants
to save the planet by unleashing all the monsters upon Earth and letting them
fight it out. HUH? Don’t ask questions. Just go with it. Besides, if she didn’t unleash Mothra, Rodan,
and Ghidrah, we wouldn’t have ourselves a movie. Anyway, Godzilla wakes up to take out the
monsters and restore balance to the Earth or some shit.
Director
Michael (Trick ‘R Treat) Dougherty honors Godzilla director’s Gareth Edwards’
vision of the monster. I liked the scenes
of people fleeing the carnage while we only see glimpses of the monster battles
behind them. He’s also smart enough to
know that approach will only take us so far.
Whereas Edwards’ expertly teased the monsters’ appearances, Dougherty
allows the camera to linger on them when they go toe to toe during the monster
mashing sequences.
And
what monster mashing! Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers some of the best
monster fights in the entire series. Godzilla’s
battle with Ghidrah is badass, Mothra’s fight with Rodan will get your fist
pumping, and big climax is a real showstopper. My favorite moment though was when Rodan went
up against a squadron of jets. Not only
did this sequence kind of remind me of a big budget version of The Giant Claw,
it’s one of the best action bonanzas you’ll see all year.
King
of the Monsters also earns points for having a plot as silly as any of the ‘90s
Toho Godzilla movies. I liked that the
plot was structured like a Rocky movie (specifically Rocky 3). It starts out with G-Man on top. Then he suffers a crippling defeat. Eventually, he gets back into fighting shape
for the inevitable rematch. Godzilla is
such a badass in this flick that the film suffers when he isn’t on screen. I guess you can say that about any of his
films, but his absence is particularly felt this time out.
Luckily,
we have some of the best supporting players of all time picking up the slack
when he’s not on screen. Say what you
will about King of the Monsters. Sure,
it’s a little slow in places, and it definitely runs on way too long. However, how am I not going to watch a movie
in which David Strathairn plays an admiral, CCH Pounder is a senator, and Joe
Morton turns up as a scientist?
I
was also a little bummed by the treatment of Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Farmiga’s
daughter. It’s not that she doesn’t give
a fine performance. I just wish
Dougherty gave her and Godzilla at least one bonding scene together. I guess it’s only a matter of time before
Godzilla becomes the Friend to Children Everywhere of my youth. If that is indeed the franchise’s endgame, I will
be patient.
You
have to give Dougherty credit. Even if
he drops the ball on some of the human scenes, he did a fine job with the
monster battles and shows the titans of terror the reverence they deserve. When Mothra or Ghidrah spread their wings, it
takes up every inch of space on the screen.
When Godzilla battles in the streets, he levels the city to the
ground. When they fight for control of
the planet, it made the four-decades-old Godzilla fan inside me cheer. Speaking as a critic, there are certain flaws
in this movie. Speaking as a die-hard
Godzilla fan, Godzilla: King of the Monsters
is truly a sight to behold.
All
I can say is, bring on Kong vs. Godzilla!
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