Review by: John M. Delia, Jr.
The King of the Monsters is back and this time he has to balance the forces of nature when he faces a hoard of titans. The world is in peril as these giants begin to take over the planet and do what they can to exterminate mankind.
Since the destruction of San Francisco, the world has struggled to find a way to acknowledge Godzilla’s existence as a global savior. Discovering that Godzilla is not the only titan on the planet has Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) researching each of the specimens located on many different continents. Here she travels with her teenage daughter Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), where they both discover ways to maybe communicate with these new phenomenons.
Across the world many scientists working either with Emma or on different projects try to determine what course of action needs to be taken. Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), along with Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) believes Godzilla is important to our existence and that he is our defender. Many researchers, such as, Dr. Rick Stanton (Bradley Whitford), Sam Coleman (Thomas Middleditch), Dr. Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling (Ziyi Zhang) have similar beliefs and support Dr. Ishiro, but others are trying to find a way to remove these creatures from existence, such as Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), ex-husband of Emma and father to Madison.
Then there is the other side of the spectrum, the monsters themselves; Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, and a few others. Can they prove to us that they should be our protectors, or should we find a way to exterminate them all?
Director and writer Michael Dougherty, does an excellent job with the action scenes throughout the film. There are some instances where some of the creatures appear as if they did back in the original 1950’s pictures, for example, Rodan, but for the most part they look wonderfully designed. The fighting between the monsters was fantastic and makes this production worth seeing. Dougherty did do a good job with the storyline as well, but he incorporated too many corny dialog lines that probably should have not been included at all. Some of these were so predictable it made some of the scenes not work well, but I am wondering if these were intended. It almost seemed as if the characters were making things up as they went along.
For the diehard Zilla fans, this flick is worth seeing on the big screen. It includes what all the fanatics are looking for, spectacular fight scenes, destruction, traditional storylines, and much more. But for anyone looking for a conventional action movie, wait and see it at home.
Final Comment: I based my grade on the excellent special effects of the creatures, the long and fantastic battle scenes, and the not so great dialog throughout the film. 3 out of 5 Stars
Additional Film Information
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Ziyi Zhang, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch, and Charles Dance.
Directed and written by: Michael Dougherty
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some language.
Running Time: 2 hours and 11 minutes
Release Date: May 31, 2019
Distributed By: Â Warner Bros
Release In: Standard, 3D, D-Cinema, and Dolby Atmos