“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” Kicks SO MUCH A$$ [SPOILER FREE Review]

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is perhaps one of the best monster-centric fight films we’ve had in YEARS. Maybe decades. The sound design alone is phenomenal, especially when paired with a score that makes the pillars tremble.

The film picks up after 2014’s Godzilla from director Gareth Edwards, and roughly 30 years after Kong: Skull Island by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Monarch, the non-government agency, has been finding and studying the Titans, oftentimes building containment facilities around them to monitor their slumbers.

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There have been no shortage of early criticisms about the film, mostly opining that there was “too much focus on the monsters” and “not enough on the humans”. Yeah, seriously. Not kidding. WHO GOES TO A TOHO MONSTERS FILM AND COMPLAINS ABOUT THEM HAVING TOO MUCH SCREENTIME?! There are plenty of human / familial interactions, and they are actually the thing that bogs down the film the most, which admittedly isn’t a whole lot.

Director Mike Dougherty REALLY loves and respects the Titans, giving each glorious money shots and fantastic fight sequences. The care shown to Mothra alone is just stunning, and worthy of all the applause.

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Score: 4.5 out of 5, viewed in standard non 3D, WILL SEE AGAIN. AND AGAIN. AND AGAIN.

The Good:

This should really just be labeled “Bear McCreary‘s FUCKING AWESOME score” because it was perfect. Perfect for the monsters, perfect for it’s use of Akira Ifukube‘s original themes reinvented-but-respected, and for that kickass version of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla”. (You can actually read my interview with McCreary about Godzilla over on Bleeding Cool here.)

See this in the theater with the best audio capabilities possible.

The Bad:

Some of the human elements seem clunky compared to the smooth and stylish monster fights. If you were looking forward to Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown‘s film debut having her do more than scream and cry….well, we’ve got some bad news for you. But, this doesn’t make the film by any means bad.

Classic Toho fans will LOVE some of the cleverly added callbacks, and modern kaiju appreciators will very much enjoy the action-heavy fight sequences.

We can’t recommend this film enough!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters roars into theaters on May 30th 2019.