By Geno McGahee
I was a big fan of Godzilla as a kid and I do like the new Godzilla flicks and, yes, that includes the 1998 entry. What an underrated film that is. The 2014 film was good. It was too dark and a little slow, but I liked it. The follow up GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS is a mixed bag with some things I really liked, some things I didn’t like, and some things that confused me.
We begin with Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), standing in San Francisco in 2014, during the Godzilla monster fights, looking for his son. His wife, Emma (Vera Farmiga), stands there holding their daughter, Madison (Millie Bobby Brown). When it’s discovered that their son was killed in the Godzilla monster incident, Mark and Emma fall apart and separate. Mark goes onto to hate all monsters while his wife goes about the death in a different fashion, developing a machine to communicate and control them.
It turns out that there are monsters everywhere that are called “Titans”, including Mothra. While at the lab and containment center, Mothra begins going ape shit and killing all of the soldiers. They’re about to kill the big fuck but Emma jumps in and uses her device to calm it down. The joy doesn’t last long as Jonah (Charles Dance) breaks in with his team of goons and kills everyone, kidnapping Emma and Madison, and taking the device.
When it all goes down, Monarch, the monster group, contacts Mark and tell him about his wife and daughter, but they need his help. He was one of the original creators of the device that was stole and that can communicate with the monsters. Mark yells a lot in this, but he’s under stress. I worried for him. He probably has high blood pressure and needs a vacation. It’s not healthy to yell that much, monsters or not.
(SPOILERS COMING…READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)
So the plan is to bring to life all of the monsters with the hope that Monarch can stop it. Here’s the fucked up part that made absolutely no sense. Emma was in on it the entire time and actually planned out the entire mission. She was totally OK with killing all of the soldiers when she could have easily just handed Jonah the device and began the plan there. Then, her purpose in this entire plan, is to stop humanity from destroying the world. When the monsters attacked last, plants began to grow and the world healed. She could have easily planted trees and grass if she wanted to see shrubbery. Why the fuck raise the monsters and destroy mankind to do it? I guess you’re not supposed to question it, but I do. I think her entire plan was idiotic and she is still kept in a heroic sort of role in this. She wants to kill billions and is a hero.
So Mothra is loose and so is the three-headed Ghidorah and lava demon bird, Rodan, along with a few other monsters that they threw in there. They were what I’d consider extras, even though they are CGI. The focus was on Godzilla vs. Ghidorah, and Ghidorah was the king of the monsters. So, the other monsters, including the ones that are barely in it and don’t count for shit, do his bidding. There is only one logical move at this time. Use a nuclear weapon to super-charge Godzilla to take on this three-headed asshole and save humanity. Madison steals the device and runs to Fenway Park to help the cause, sending out the message to the monsters to bring it to Boston. I hate Boston.
The big showdown happens and Godzilla gets his ass kicked and I’m not shocked. Godzilla is in pretty bad shape here. If he wants to take on King Kong, he needs to shed some pounds before the fight. I know that there were complaints in the first about the appearance and him being too fat, but he looks fatter in this one. There was more to love though and he kicks the shit out of Ghidorah and saves the day, but then we get something that was sort of silly and rather stupid.
As Ghidorah lies dead, all of the other monsters come over and bow to the new king. Godzilla smiles at this with a “hey, while you’re down there” expression. Godzilla then screams to the heavens and the movie ends.
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS is OK. There wasn’t enough Godzilla action and the reasoning of Emma was stupid, but it was definitely watchable and enjoyable. I wouldn’t watch it again, but for a one and done film, it was decent. I recommend it.
