Directed by Michael Dougherty
Starring Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi.
Backstory:
It’s been five years since Godzilla and a lot’s changed since then. The producers of the latest American remake also got the rights to King Kong, and with that, decided to get a cinematic universe going. We got 2017’s Kong: Skull Island to re-introduce us to Kong, and now we get our Godzilla sequel, all building up to next year’s Kong vs. Godzilla. But that’s not all! Thanks to the success of the 2014 film, those American producers were able to procure the rights to Godzilla’s best-known foes: particularly Mothra, Rodan, and Godzilla’s arch-enemy, the three-headed hydra known as Ghidora. How will all this monster action play out?
Plot
It’s been five years since Godzilla’s first attack, and the world is still wondering how to handle these Titans. Monarch, the shadowy agency that monitors them, isn’t so shadowy any more and wants to study them. And then there’s the military, who wants to hunt them down. Caught in the middle is the Russel family, a pair of Monarch scientists who lost their son in the Godzilla attack. The father, Mark, walked away and started studying wolves. The mother, Emma, stayed with Monarch and has invented a device called the Orca, which will allow communication with these Titans. But, Emma and daughter Madison are kidnapped by eco-terrorists who seek to use the Orca to revive all the Titans. The first one they resurrect: Ghidora, Godzilla’s main rival for apex predator back in prehistoric times. As all the other Titans begin rallying around Ghidora, the humans come to a shocking truth: the only way to survive is to help Godzilla. In the battle between Godzilla and Ghidora, who will be crowned king of the monsters?
What I Liked
Yes! Some truly epic giant monster fights! For those who complained that 2014’s Godzilla didn’t have enough giant monster fighting, you will get more than you share here. The music is wonderful as well, incorporating many of the classic themes from the original Japanese film franchise. In fact, there are lots of great callbacks and references to the original franchise, even embracing some of the crazier aspects. This film loves its monsters
What I Didn’t Like
My common complaint with these kinds of films…giant monster movies seem to struggle at coming up with something interesting for the humans to do, as our human plots kinda drag a little bit. And I understand that it makes the computer animation cheaper and easier, but I do get tired of these giant monster battles taking place at night, in the rain.
Final Verdict
A popcorn film in the best sense of the word…just a very fun film.