My Thoughts on: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

*Warning: some spoilers for Godzilla: King of the Monsters follow

Holy sh*t. I say again, holy sh*t! Do I ever have some thoughts on Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

First off, let me say that I was initially not a fan of the MonsterVerse, I can admit that. Godzilla (2014) was okay, and Kong: Skull Island (2017), while better, still didn’t sell me on the concept of a world where Godzilla and King Kong co-exist. And then I saw the first trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters and I found myself completely buying in. The idea of seeing legendary monsters like King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra realized in American cinema was so exciting that I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out. This film rocketed to the top of the list of films I had to see this year. Listening to the soundtrack last week only increased my excitement. And having seen it, I have to say…I absolutely love it!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters provides all of the kaiju action you could ever want. The battles between King Ghidorah and Godzilla in particular were incredible to watch. I didn’t understand why Ghidorah needed motion capture until last night, when I realized each of Ghidorah’s heads has its own personality (which makes the monster even more fun to watch). I also like how the major kaiju are introduced in the film, with each having a scene set aside for their proper introduction. What makes it even better is that with each introduction, the film provides backstory that explains how we know the names of these creatures.

Another thing I like in this film are the Easter eggs that refer back to the original Japanese films. There’s a reference to the Oxygen Destroyer from the original 1954 film, and, unless I’m mistaken, there’s an oblique reference to the twins that are connected to Mothra in multiple films.

Now, with that being said, the film does have its flaws. One of the biggest issues for me are the plot points dealing with the Hollow Earth. I understand, for the most part, what they’re going for with this concept, but I also feel it hasn’t been explained enough. Furthermore, if you went in to Godzilla: KOTM without first seeing Kong: Skull Island, the Hollow Earth theory will be completely new to you, when actually it’s first mentioned in Kong. Now, if I understand the information revealed in the credits correctly, the Hollow Earth is going to be more explored in Godzilla vs. Kong, however I feel like some of those revelations are going to come too late for some and should have arrived in their own separate film, or in THIS film. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, while THAT underwater scene with the Hollow Earth was really cool to look at, I needed more exposition as to how all of that could exist where it does.

Another flaw that bugs me the more I think about it is Charles Dance. Given how incredible the actor is, I feel like we didn’t get as much of him in the story as we should have. Yes, he has a few good scenes, but I thought there would be a lot more. Also, I really don’t like that his plot arc is essentially left hanging. Did he get away? Did he die with his associates? We don’t know because the movie doesn’t tell us (and as far as I know, he’s not cast in Godzilla vs. Kong). Apart from that, I liked the human story in this film. I agree it’s not the fanciest story ever told, but then again, it’s a Godzilla film, it doesn’t have to be fancy to work.

Overall, despite its flaws, I really enjoyed Godzilla: King of the Monsters. As I suspected, the music elevated certain scenes to epic levels of greatness. I really hope that there will be more films in the future that feature Rodan, Mothra, and the other kaiju now that they’ve been properly introduced. I also think this is the film that finally cemented the MonsterVerse as a solid concept.

Let me know what you think about Godzilla: King of the Monsters in the comments below and have a great day!