Why do we watch movies? It’s a question that I find to be incredibly interesting. Sometimes we want to be pulled into a rich world vastly unlike our own and see what it’s like to live there.
Other times we want to go on a journey with our favourite costumed hero or wacky robot. Maybe we go because we want to be told a gripping story about the human condition that helps us discover something about ourselves.
Maybe we just want to watch colossal monsters brawl in crumbling cityscapes because it looks cool, oh so cool.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the epitome of why we watch movies. There’s little to no deeper message, complicated moral situations or cerebral imagery. It’s just about wanting to be entertained.
Godzilla as a franchise is (if you’ll forgive the pun) a monstrous cultural phenomenon in Japan. There are 35 movies across 65 years since it’s debut in 1954.
That’s more movies than James Bond. And almost every single one of those films is hyper focused on giving its audience big absurd monster fights. Considering it’s been this long it’s still thriving. They must be doing something right. With this entry, we in the west may have figured it out.
5 years after Godzilla unearthed himself, the world is in disarray. No one can decide if the “titans” should coexist with humanity or be destroyed. When more monsters start resurfacing, that question had better be answered soon as the world is at stake.
To start things off, the reason you should see this movie: Godzilla is amazing. He looks incredible and every scene with him causes jaws to hit floors. This goes for his mountainous peers as well. The scope and scale of these skyscraping grudge matches is unparalleled.
To say that I recommend this movie on these fights alone is an understatement. They are awesome to watch. The film doesn’t take its time to give you them either. It’s just a shame that what’s between them leaves so much to be desired.
The characters are all one-dimensional with little no substance. However, the actors portraying them give it their all. They don’t have enough material.
Special mention goes to Ken Watanabe, the human element of heart in the film. He is genuine on screen and deserves to be recognized for his ability to go above and beyond such a mediocre script.
The human villain of the film is mishandled. They just don’t have a good reason for doing the things that they do that inevitably cause such destruction by the climax of the film.
Despite the film’s poor representation of its characters. There is an inkling of something that it wants to say. There is something in here about how we handle environmental manipulation and the effect we are having on our planet. The movie doesn’t go beyond face value. Instead it serves as the through-line to which we get our super seismic slams and planet pulverizing punches.
Fans of Godzilla, Pacific Rim, or even Power Rangers will love this movie. To everyone else, temper your expectations. This movie is not trying to make you think differently or feel something emotionally other than adrenaline fuelled joy. It simply wants to show you spectacular towering wrestling matches with awesome effects and immense scale.
As a general movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters does not stand up to the likes of Citizen Kane or Casablanca. But as a Godzilla movie, it reigns supreme.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
8 out of 10
2 Hrs 12 Mins. Action, Fantasy.
Directed by Michael Dougherty
Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Ken Watanabe, and Vera Farmiga.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill, and Cineplex Oakville & VIP, Also in IMAX.
