Godzilla: KOTM is still pretty relevant especially with Godzilla vs King Kong coming early next year, so I just want to explain the key points of why this movie IS good.
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It gives more monster action. The main problem with Godzilla 2014 was that we didn’t see Godzilla onscreen that often. While the payoff of the finale was spectacular, the build-up was tedious. Not to mention when we did see the monsters it was too dark to see them. KOTM corrects this mistake, albeit with inconvenience. Yes the cutaways are annoying, but at least we see Godzilla (among other monsters) for more than 10 minutes and in well lit environments.
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The characters aren’t boring to watch. Let’s be honest, no one really cares about humans in a Godzilla movie. But in most cases they are necessary to have because the movie needs a push when there’s a lack of monster action. Ken Watanabe and Bryan Cranston’s performance in 2014 are what gave it good humanization. But with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s stale acting, Cranston’s character dying after the first act, and Watanabe having to hold most of the weight, the movie becomes lackluster for audiences.
Now while the characters in KOTM are exaggerated and forced, you can tell they’re actually putting effort into their acting. Watanabe gives a stellar performance as always, explains the philosophy of humans in relation to nature. Kyle Chandler’s character while being a little stereotypical, has at least some believability. He wants all the monsters killed because Godzilla caused his son’s death in San Francisco. Now it’s an intense hatred, he’s more of the opposite of Ken Watanabe’s character. One sees the good that the monsters bring while the other only sees the destruction they cause.
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It opens the door to an interesting universe. I say universe because of King Ghidorah. Godzilla 14’ introduced the modern world to giant monsters, Kong: Skull Island introduces the idea of a world full of monsters, and KOTM shows is what that world is like. This idea has been touched upon in Destroy All Monsters and Final Wars, this is a more updated take on the idea. The monsters are brought in spectacularly with the story and effects, which leads into the next point.
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The VFX, special effects and sound effects are spectacular. What’s remained consistent among the Monsterverse franchise is the effects. Godzilla and Kong are portrayed such that the audience feels their power and godly stature. KOTM is no exception. Here the monsters are given more weight and power. Ghidorah feels like a malevolent being, Rodan a monstrous demon of the sky, and Mothra a benevolent creature with an angelic presence. The visuals are complimented by the sound effects; the sound design pays tribute to the original movies. Especially Godzilla’s classic roar and theme.
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The monsters themselves are characters. Adding to the last point, the monsters presence are amplified by personality. While Ghidorah as a whole is evil, each of his heads have their own personality and names. Ichi, Ni, and San/Kevin. Where Ichi is the leader, Ni is the irritable one, and Kevin is the dumb younger brother. Mothra is shown to be benign (at least towards Godzilla) and peaceful, but willing to fight. And Godzilla is whatever you want to call him: anti-hero, chaotic evil, the man in charge, or as the title says, the King of the Monsters.
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It sets up Godzilla vs King Kong and future movies. At the end of KOTM, Godzilla is established as the rightful king of all monsters. However, Kong will not simply bow to Godzilla like Rodan. How and why these two fight is as good as anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that both monsters are necessary in keeping balance in the ecosystem. What’s more is the plethora of new monsters in between that are just interesting, considering they are as old as the Earth itself.
Really these are just my opinions and it’s fine if you disagree. But I believe Godzilla: King of the Monsters is good at being what it is: being a monster movie. If anything, it’s an homage to the Godzilla franchise and it holds up in that regards.
Many people were off-put due to critic reviews, but what’s ironic is that the critics were quite pleased with Godzilla 2014. Despite the obvious issues, like the previously mentioned stale performance, dark atmosphere, and the lack of a character who’s name IS the title. Who knows.
In my eyes, movies are meant for general people not critics. And KOTM is meant for Godzilla fans, but everyone can enjoy it. It’s still a sense of opinion if you like this movie or not, but it does succeed in certain areas.
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