Okay so, my opinion on Pokémon Detective Pikachu times four.
For better and for worse, Godzilla:
King of the Monsters is far more similar to the Godzilla films of the 70s
through 2000s than the likes of the 1954 classic, 2016’s Shin Godzilla,
and its 2014 predecessor. 2014’s Godzilla aimed to give Godzilla a more plot-centric film. While it ultimately faltered narratively,
there are clear signs that effort was placed into writing its human
characters. Godzilla,
nonetheless, succeeded in having an abstract narrative—a poetic cinematic
elegance regarding man’s insignificance and things beyond our control. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (named
after the 1956 American re-edit of the franchise’s original film) is quite the
opposite approach. It is one-hundred
percent pure action-popcorn creature feature.
There is a clear-cut lack of effort given to the film’s narrative, human
cast, logic, and physics. While the
film’s cinematography is an epic array of pizzazz, it lacks completely in any
thematic elegance. King of the
Monsters is all style over substance, though it does share a key similarity
with its predecessor. The one aspect it
does right, the aspect it needed to get right, is its fantastic portrayal of
Godzilla and the other Toho monsters.
King of the Monsters begins
sometime after the events of 2014. The MUTOS, or Titans as they're been
rebranded here, are now publicly known throughout the world. Governments are
conflicted over what exactly to do about these beings. The U.S. military pushes to destroy the creatures
before the creatures destroy humanity, yet the monster hunting organization
Monarch—led by the Godzilla-obsessed Dr. Ishirō Serizawa (Ken Watanabe)—claims
some of the Titans are benevolent and useful to humanity. Monarch itself has discovered, hidden, and/or
secured seventeen different Titans across the world—that is until an
eco-terrorist group attacks several of their facilities and begins releasing
the Titans, using a specialized sonar device call the ORCA to awaken, attract,
and/or agitate the creatures. One such
Titan, known as Monster Zero, is discovered to be a foreign resident of Earth—taking control of the weaker Titans to destroy on a worldwide
scale, threatening the very extinction of man.
Yet Monster Zero, aka King Ghidorah, has itself an alpha rival in the
form of Godzilla, who have been duking it out since the dawn of humanity. Now it’s up to Godzilla, with the help of
humanity and another ally Titan, to stop Ghidorah and prove once and for all
who is truly the king of the monsters.
LOOK OUT! MAJOR SPOILERS BEGIN:
King of the Monsters
skyrockets the number of known monsters in its universe with the clear intent
of stepping up the Monsterverse to its next cinematic level. Among its array of monsters are Toho’s most popular
Kaiju: Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. The film is made and focused around these
creatures and does a fantastic job portraying them. There’s clear-cut respect for the kaijus’s
origins yet King of the Monsters isn’t afraid to add its own twists to
them. The big four have each received
some design tweaking, with Mothra’s being the most differentiating from her
Toho appearance—looking more an amalgamation of insect species than just a giant moth, with sharp
mantis claws and a wasp’s stinger (exchanging some
elegance for intimidation). Out of all the changes, Rodan’s molten-singed
wings are my favorite. The design change
is simple yet adds a dynamic flair to one of the more previously plain-looking
kaiju designs—emphasizing Rodan’s heat resistant body and making the giant
pterodactyl all the more badass looking.
Legendary’s kaiju variants are
given distinct, expressive personalities and more animalistic qualities than
their Toho predecessors. Take how King
Ghidorah’s three heads each have independent personalities and reactions to
events around them. After liquefying a
bunch of soldiers with their gravity beams, the left-sided head bends down to
lick up the leftover blood—like a cat slurping up milk—only for the middle head,
who acts as the “head boss” of the trio (I have no regret for that joke), to
box his ears and scold the left head for getting sidetracked. They’re like the three stooges, with the
middle head being Moe. When King Ghidorah
falls under the Orca’s influence, yet is suddenly released, Moe head slaps the
other heads as if they were the only ones being influenced. Moe head’s visuals here practically speak the
lines; “What’s da matter with you!? Snap out of it you nitwits!”
It's clear that the monsters (as
well as their battles, which I'll get to in a sec) are where all the
filmmakers’s efforts went into because the plot is a far cry from what I would
consider a well-written story. King
of the Monsters has a ridiculously absurd plot full of clichés, head-scratching
logic, and artificial plot contrivances.
Dr. Ishirō Serizawa had a knack in 2014’s Godzilla of always
knowing the right thing to do (which always involved Godzilla), to the point
where it was as if he had read the film’s script.
Well, this time around, Serizawa seems to have passed his script knowledge to King of the Monster’s new human protagonist Dr. Mark Russell
(Kyle Chandler)—a man who pulls plot conveniences out of his ass regardless of
whether it contradicts his established personality or not.
Russell knows seemingly everything about Godzilla, from his mannerisms to territorial behaviors despite having left Monarch some years prior, directly after Godzilla resurfaced since The 1950s. He seems to know more about Godzilla than kaiju-obsessed Serizawa himself: a man who eats, sleeps, and breathes Godzilla and has been studying him extensively and in close vicinity since Russell’s departure. Russell talks about Godzilla as a top-priority threat to humanity that must be destroyed, yet also commands Monarch to open their base’s shields so an approaching Godzilla knows they're not a threat and leaves peacefully (top-priority threat, animal who leaves passive humans alone—same difference).
Russell knows seemingly everything about Godzilla, from his mannerisms to territorial behaviors despite having left Monarch some years prior, directly after Godzilla resurfaced since The 1950s. He seems to know more about Godzilla than kaiju-obsessed Serizawa himself: a man who eats, sleeps, and breathes Godzilla and has been studying him extensively and in close vicinity since Russell’s departure. Russell talks about Godzilla as a top-priority threat to humanity that must be destroyed, yet also commands Monarch to open their base’s shields so an approaching Godzilla knows they're not a threat and leaves peacefully (top-priority threat, animal who leaves passive humans alone—same difference).
Russell has either read the script
or he’s the luckiest idiot. There’s a
scene where King Ghidorah rises from his underground slumber, causing the very
ground to start collapsing around Russell and company. Now, any normal human would run like hell
from the massive forming crater until within a safe distance, yet Russell stops
immediately as it ceases, just inches away from the crater’s edge. Thank goodness Russell seemingly knew the
shaky ground wouldn’t end up crumbling just a couple inches further, or that
the giant three-headed dragon ascending from the ground would miss, at point
blank range, with its gravity beams if he just stood there and stared.
Ken Watanabe is just a delight in the
film for all the nonsensically right reasons.
Serizawa’s obsession with Godzilla has risen to absurd levels. Anytime there is an issue that needs to be solved,
Serizawa suggests Godzilla:
Problem: King Ghidorah is
attacking a city!
Serizawa: We need Godzilla.
Let him fight.
Problem: Tax season is upon
us!
Serizawa: I need Godzilla. Let
him write.
The guy’s so nuts and disconnected
with reality that he has the audacity to straight-faced tell a government board
that humanity will be Godzilla’s pet. A
badass line in the trailers, yet in context, it’s complete lunacy from an insane
man. And I love it. Now they do kill off Serizawa in this film,
which is a bummer—I will say, however, that he’s given the only compelling human
death in the franchise so far. The
farewell is a generally touching scene between him and his obsession that ends with
a bang.
The film is immune to scientific
law, as evidenced by its many breaking of the laws of physics. Certain humans don’t get blasted away by
hurricane-strength winds—while less plot-armored fodder do—and can clearly look
in the direction of said winds while small debris hits everywhere but their
eyes. King Ghidorah’s gravity beams
vaporize bodies and blast through steel yet leave those just a couple feet away
completely unharmed. There's a scene
where Godzilla dives underwater right next to a submarine with characters on
deck, smacking the water with his tail, and all it does is get them a little
wet. In 2014’s Godzilla the mere
underwater surfacing of Godzilla causes a tsunami to strike Hawaii, yet a
submerging tail smack to the ocean here, and only a big splash occurs.
The film is constantly on the move and
breezes through the nonsensical plot. It
is, in essence, a traditional Godzilla film—with having to sit through a B-plot
and stock humans being the price to see Godzilla and the Kaiju cause massive
carnage and/or duke it out (in theaters, at least—on home release one can fast-forward
to the action scenes). That said, King
of the Monsters is still one of the higher end Godzilla plots—though it
doesn't have much competition—with its stock characters making entertaining use
of their archetypes and some decent jokes here and there. There
are some very awkward jokes throw in, however, with the film having not one,
but two bits involved the Titans mating habits.
One of these bits is an incredibly uncomfortable conversation that goes on
for far too long about Mothra and Godzilla being mates (the internet is already
full of really weird s***, there's no reason to give them additional fuel).
King of the Monsters is, at
it’s best, a magnificent love letter to all the Godzilla films before it and to
all the fans that love the series. There
are so many awesome references and nods to the classics and even more modern films
within the Godzilla lore, many that I expected to be omitted due to their
fantastical/magical nature in a more grounded universe. Yet King of the Monsters finds a way
to keep these aspects tied to the kaiju’s legacy while giving them a more
subtle, grounded spin. King Ghidorah is
codenamed Monster Zero and discovered to be a foreign invasive species from another planet. There’s a massive storm that clouds King
Ghidorah, reminiscent to the meteorite that hid Ghidorah in his origin film. Rodan's molten-singed wings are reminiscent
to his Fire Rodan powerup in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. King Ghidorah is given a regenerating ability
like in Rebirth of Mothra III. The
military uses the freaking Oxygen Destroyer to “kill” Godzilla. Godzilla turning into a less-world
threatening version of Burning Godzilla from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. They even got a nod in at the fairy twins that
usually accompany Mothra. The cherry on
top is a badass, epic remix of Blue Öyster Cult’s song Godzilla.
2014’s Godzilla has clearly
set a president for the MonsterVerse to contain epic, breathtaking cinematography,
and while King of the Monsters does not capture the same haunting
elegance of its predecessor’s imagery, the film still manages to get in some
epic, awesome looking shots. It was worth it to see the film in IMAX with its immersive sound and massive screen amplifying the cinematography’s larger-than-life tone. There’s a
cool underwater shot of Godzilla swimming towards Monarch’s base, evoking the appearance of a massive Mosasaurus, its back spikes flickering blue as an
intimidation warning towards the group (the scene also leads to a fun,
unexpected jump scare). How about the
awesome shot of Rodan and King Ghidorah about the clash in a hurricane, or the
shot of Godzilla victoriously roaring as all the other Titans bow around him. There’s a lot of symbolism as well such as Mothra
angelically coming down out from the clouds as light shines around her (she’s Godzilla’s
angel) or King Ghidorah on top a volcanic throne—a horned devil overseeing fire,
destruction, and suffering.
The film had me initially worried
about the action when Godzilla and King Ghidorah’s first clash used a lot of
shaky-cam and blurriness to the point of being mildly nauseous. Fortunately, this was just a style choice for that
distinct battle, with the remaining fights being pure, awesome spectacle.
First and foremost, the element I
desired most from King of the Monsters was over-the-top kaiju battles,
and the film gave me just that. There were
many spectacular moments where I became giddy with childlike laughter, and now if you’ll
excuse me, I going to let my inner ten-year-old self describe some of these moments.
HOLY S***! WASN’T IT TOTALLY AWESOME WHEN GODZILLA
STARTS DUNKING KING GHIDORAH UNDERWATER!? OR WHEN MOTHRA COMES FLYING IN LIKE ZOOOSH AND SHOOTS KING GHIDORAH WITH
HER WEBBING AND HE GETS STUCK TO THE SKYSCAPER, BUT THEN HE BREAKS FREE BUT YOU
SEE GODZILLA’S REFLECTION IN THE SKYSCRAPER AND KING GHIDORAH HAS THIS “OH
S***” MOMENT AS GODZILLA CRASHES INTO HIM RIGHT THROUGH THE SKYSCRAPER!!?? OR WHEN KING GHIDORAH BITES A POWERPLANT AND
SUPERCHARGING HIMSELF AND ELECTRICITY JUST STARTS SHOOTING OUT OF HIS WINGS
EVERYWHERE LIKE BBBBZZZZ AND ALL THE FIGHTER JETS ARE BLOWN UP!? AND THEN MOTHRA TOTALLY SACRIFICES HERSELF
(LIKE I TOTALLY EXPECTED) AND GODZILLA GETS PISSED OFF AND BECOMES BURNING
GODZILLA AND STARTS MELTING EVERYTHING!!??
AND THEN HE GOES MORTAL KOMBAT AND VAPORIZES GHIDORAH’S HEAD WITHIN HIS
MOUTH!!!??? IT WAS TOTALLY THE BEST,
MOST AWESOME THING EVAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Thank you inner ten-year-old
me.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAJOR SPOILERS HAVE LEFT...FOR NOW
As with Godzilla, I went to see
King of the Monsters with my brother and wife. Their responses were interesting. My brother, a veteran to the Godzilla
franchise, thought the film was “meh”, noting the film’s lack in
characterization and evocative cinematography—the latter he missed from the
2014 film. My wife, whose only
previous Godzilla experience was the 2014 version, thoroughly enjoyed the film. Not only did she enjoy the monsters and
action, but my wife grew quite fond of the human characters and appreciated
their storylines.
As for me, 2014’s Godzilla
is superior in narrative (in that it actually tries to have a compelling, human
story with themes that weren’t quickly strung together after the writers saw InfinityWar) and in crafting a more poetic cinematic experience. King of the Monsters, however, makes
me feel like a kid again (which 2014’s Godzilla had moments of, but was more
focused on telling a mature story) and sparked my interest in revisiting the past
Godzilla films. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
could have had better written, more thought-out characters and story, yet it’s
passionate tribute and respect towards Godzilla and the other Toho Kaiju,
nonetheless, left me incredibly content.
If you are a Godzilla fan, particularly the more cheesy, battle-focused
films, or just a fan of mindlessly entertaining popcorn extravaganzas, then it
is your duty to go see Godzilla: King of the Monsters (I’d recommend
IMAX) less you miss out on a really fun time.
Who is better Godzilla or Kong?
ReplyDeleteWith a little under two months to go until Godzilla vs. Kong arrives in theaters and on HBO Max, it looks like the odds are more in King Kong's favor than Godzilla's. Over at Draftkings Nation, Kong is the odds favorite with a -220 ranking, whereas Godzilla is the underdog with a +190 ranking.
Can Godzilla's atomic breath Kill Kong?
ReplyDeleteYes, Kong can survive Godzilla's atomic breath. Godzilla vs Kong