Long live the king! | Godzilla II: King of the Monsters Review
Let them fight!
Godzilla is back on the big screen after 5 long years and with all the hype surrounding this 2019 release, from all the trailers teasing monsters from our childhood, it’s hard not to get caught in the Gojira fever. Trailers are a tricky thing and sometimes, films tend to fall into that trap of teasing too much and leaving nearly nothing to the imagination during the film viewing. Is Godzilla II an example of that? Check out our review of Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, NOW SHOWING in your favorite cinemas courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Looking back to Kong, we knew then that we were going to witness some sort of “Monster Universe” or Monsterverse being formed. From Kong to Godzilla and many more of your favorite monsters, it was clear that this film needed to build up the hype to get everyone on board the idea. As with all good ideas, no matter how awesome they sound, can make it or break it during execution but let me tell you right now that if you love larger than life action, love seeing giant monsters kick the crap out of each other, and just simply love giant monsters in general, then Godzilla II is all that and a whole lot more! What literally felt like a slow and drama filled first film is thrown out the window and this time around, the monsters take front and center and boy is it glorious.
The action, to be expected, was over the top! Things getting blown away, buildings getting crushed, it’s a colossal destruction derby on a global scale and it’s clearly the best thing about the movie. There’s mayhem everywhere and a whole roster of monsters to see, that alone is worth the price of admission. Somehow, these “Titans” are being awakened from their slumber and are being used to cleanse the earth of the human beings who have used and abused this planet into the ground. These monsters existed before to keep things in check but they’ve gone haywire and it’s up to Godzilla to set things straight. Sounds… believable? Well, in a world where Godzilla exists, let’s just throw believable out the window for the mean time.
There’s no lack of human drama here, and as some would point out, the film not having enough of it was detrimental. I disagree to a point because clearly, if you’re looking for drama in a giant monster film, well you’re looking for it in the wrong place. There’s enough relatability to the human element but don’t expect thorough character development or anything here, as mentioned earlier, the monsters are front and center on this film and it turned out to be the best decision that the director and producers could have done. The film has it’s cheesy moments, but it is certainly not enough to take away from the
centerpiece of the film, Godzilla and the rest of the monster roster.
As the trailer suggests, you can already take a guess as to which monsters are going to be shown in the film. Obviously, Godzilla is there, but you also have some of the more famous ones like Mothra and Ghidora, look closely and you may even sneak a peek at Gamera. There’s enough monster appearances and monster action here to fulfill your appetite for destruction. If anything, my only nitpick here was that the bar was set super high in this film that I’m worried as to how they’re going to keep it up come the next film. We’ll just have to wait and see but Godzilla II does not leave any stone unturned with its generous amounts of action and destruction, a perfect entertaining watch for parents and children alike!
Let us know if you’ll be watching this and catch it in cinemas as it premieres TODAY!