BLOOD WORK: THE MONSTERVERSE: GODZILLA ~ KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019)

When it comes to Godzilla it seems like us Americans just can't get it right. If the 1998 Tristar Godzilla had been named something else, not Godzilla, it may be looked at more fondly. It's biggest misstep was calling itself something it wasn't: Godzilla. The 2014 Godzilla film from Legendary had a number of problems as well: Godzilla's lack of screentime, having a closer identity to Gamera than Godzilla, uninteresting characters, and so on. And then there's Godzilla's generic and uninspired redesign and Godzilla's underwhelming new roar. Needless to say I felt the 2014 film missed the mark, but not completely. There are good things in the film too. And to be fair it seems Toho Studios doesn't know what to do with Godzilla either.

Two years ago Legendary took a stab at King Kong with KONG: SKULL ISLAND, but rather than another miss, they nailed it! But Kong is an American character and much easier to understand whereas Godzilla carries a cultural identity and loads of subtext. And now, after five years of waiting, we finally have the sequel to the 2014 Godzilla and the third attempt at an American Godzilla interpretation. So the questions now are: has Legendary learned from their previous mistakes and will this movie make enough money to keep the franchise going?

As a Godzilla fan I'm hoping this movie does well, both in terms character depictions and box office. I've been a fan of Michael Dougherty's work since his writing on the early X-Men films. His directing with 2007's TRICK R' TREAT was amazing and so was his 2015 film KRAMPUS. He's made a believer out of me and I'm trusting him with these characters. I'm hoping I won't be let down.

So, how was it?

It was astounding! The sheer scale of this movie and the characters therein is something born for the big screen. I've said this before that certain movies don't lose their presence or power from the big screen to the small screen. But giant monster movies, whether they're new or old, possess greater power on the big screen. Few movies theater experiences compare.

THE PLOT

Godzilla hasn't been seen since the 2014 attack on San Francisco. The organization known as Monarch has located and is monitoring 17 different forms of dormant mega-fauna while trying to track and locate Godzilla. One of Monarch's chief scientists is abducted along with a machine capable of waking the slumbering titans. One by one the sleeping titans awaken and the world quickly descends into chaos.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Forget what you know of the Toho films. Legendary and Warner Bros. have created their own interpretation of kaiju and their own world and mythology. This film dives head first into that world and delivers big. The monsters are simply incredible to behold. Mothra was maybe the weakest of the four but she had the least screen time it seemed. Rodan nearly stole the show for me during his debut sequence. But without a doubt Ghidorah and Godzilla are mind-blowing. Where the 2014 Godzilla film felt like it was only dipping its toes into this world, this film embraces everything and thensome.

The monster battles are tremendous and whatever problems you may have with the film, the monster battles are a sight to behold. The power and scale in this movie are beyond most everything you've ever seen. This film takes full advantage of the big screen. You absolutely need to see this movie in a theater. This is what movie going is all about.

Being the Godzilla fan that I am, one of the major frustrations I had with the 2014 film was Godzilla's identity. There's a subtext to Godzilla and what he represents that's central to his character in the Japanese films that wasn't there. This Godzilla was more like Gamera than Gojira. While I love Gamera (Gamera is 100% awesome and the only rival to Godzilla in the kaiju world in my book) I appreciate the distinction between him and Godzilla. It appeared as if the filmmakers saw Godzilla purely as a children's character and nothing more. Yes, he has been depicted as such in the past, but his deeper meaning was always there.

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS doubles down on this "new" identity for Godzilla and comes no closer to acquiring the monster's proper identity. Rodan and Mothra too are missing something from their core identities, Mothra moreso than Rodan (Ghidorah was by and large intact). This was continually frustrating to me while watching the film. Add into this that the signature roars of Rodan, Mothra, and Ghidorah are replaced with generic noise and I really had an ongoing struggle with my frustrations throughout the film (likely I am the only one in the world with these problems). Interestingly Godzilla's iconic roar is somewhat restored which I loved.

Accepting these monsters as new beings rather than the old ones I've loved for most of my life helped. This isn't Toho's kaijuverse nor is it a Japanese kaiju film (which very few others can replicate. Japanese culture has a deeper spiritual connection to animals and the Earth that we Westerners simply don't have and it is apparent in their films). This is an American monster movie and with that mindset this movie was like a dream come true. It was maybe the greatest American monster movie ever made that didn't have King Kong in it. Getting past my own hangups and wants for this film, and instead going with this "Monsterverse" interpretation, I was able to really enjoy this film.

You can't view this movie as a "true" Godzilla film but rather as an American monster movie. Most should be able to do this with ease. And by doing so hopefully you should have no problem enjoying the hell out of this movie! And personally, we need more movies like these!

THE VERDICT

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is what movie theaters were made for. This is one of the largest scale films you'll ever see and a movie experience no smaller screen could do justice to. The monsters are simply epic and awe-inspiring to behold. The secrets of the Monsterverse are revealed and the grand plan is on display. Regardless of your personal feelings toward monster movies, this is a movie experience you'll never forget after seeing it on the big screen! Go see it now!

Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10

This really is the greatest film era for genre fans. It's astounding how many awesome films we're receiving each year.

For more of my rants and ravings about Godzilla, the Monsterverse, and all things kaiju be sure to check out the posts below!

THE MONSTERVERSE

Godzilla (2014)

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

More Monster movies from Legendary Pictures

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim: Uprising

The Meg

All things Godzilla, giant monsters, and kaiju!

THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS

Part 2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Part 3: King Kong Vs Godzilla (1962)

Part 4: Mothra Vs Godzilla (1964)
Part 5: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)