Godzilla: King of the Monsters directed by Michael Dougherty was released in theatres everywhere on May 31, coming from producers Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Brothers.
The film is Warner Brothers’ 2019 answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers: Endgame, fitting into their cinematic universe franchise that has been dubbed “the monsterverse.”
Being one of the major tentpole films the studio is set to release this year based on a much-beloved franchise, expectations for this film were high.
The movie mostly follows the plight of one family at the centre of a gigantic monster controversy.
The Russell family, portrayed by all-stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown, are separated after the death of the latter two’s son in a Godzilla accident in 2014, the previous movie in the franchise.
The mother, Emma Russell, has become radicalized as an eco-terrorist and sets off a plot to release global monster devastation.
At the centre of this global devastation is releasing apex predator Ghidorah, Godzilla’s famous three-headed arch nemesis from outer space.
In the third act, Godzilla must protect humanity by taking on Ghidorah in a fight.
The film evokes the Christ metaphor in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways: Godzilla is really a giant Jesus metaphor.
Special effects can do a lot of things, though many say it has ruined filmmaking as an art. Others would disagree. Certainly the game has been changed by computer-generated effects and digital cameras.
At times, the flat tonalities and low dynamic ranges in digital cameras have disrupted some of the much-beloved things historical to filmmaking.
As commentators have pointed out, many classical films would have lost much had they been shot with poor tonality and low dynamic ranges (see: Lawerence of Arabia, Barry Lyndon or 2001: A Space Odyssey, for examples.)
But, one thing digital cameras and CGI can provide the modern film-goer is Godzilla in 200-foot glory, stomping across the screen.
It is the spectacle of all spectacles for your eyes to behold. The production crew lean into the certain silliness that a movie about a giant dinosaur that breathes blue fire has.
While some of the film makes an attempt to feel grounded by portraying real human reactions to monsters.
The imagery of the monsters goes all the way; so wonderfully over-the-top that it bordered on self-satire.
The shots of monsters fighting one another are amazing and raw entertainment. An epic powershot of Ghidorah opposite from a cross bathed in fire à la Antichrist is a particular highlight of the film.
Bold and daring in the direction of fight scenes, Michael Dougherty has delivered on the monster front.
The acting is very good in a lot of ways as well. Particularly, Bobby Brown outshines her older counterparts.
Chandler cements his status as Hollywood’s best leading man in a role where he is a government official who is also a dad. He is typecast to death as firm but nice, with his heart in the right place (Wolf of Wall Street, Super 8, First Man, Friday Night Lights).
The biggest loss for the film is that much of the dialogue is poor. Always sounding either cheesy, cliché, silly or all three.
Does that make the film a failure? Well no, not really. It certainly pushes the movie into the spectacle category.
It is not art-house cinematic mastery, but the film wields an entertainment value in the highest sense.
