GoDziLLa: King of the monsters
Monsters Stink
released 14 OctOber (download out now) 2019 | 12 | blu-ray (4K/3d/standard)/ dVd/download Director Michael dougherty Cast Kyle chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie bobby brown, charles dance
City-flattening action and a secretive organisation with implausible resources are the only things Warner’s “Monsterverse” has in common with the pinnacle of shared-universe storytelling, the MCU. Whereas Marvel has rewritten the rulebook for modern blockbusters, Godzilla: King Of The Monsters feels as prehistoric as the giant creatures it unleashes, with little room for nuance, humour or a memorable action sequence. It seems the director’s only notes were “more”, “bigger” and “I don’t want a single f**king skyscraper standing when the credits roll”.
Five years after the events of Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla, the world’s still reeling from the knowledge that monstrous Titans are real. In steps Alan Jonah – Charles Dance, who seems as sceptical as us at the notion he’s playing an eco-terrorist – to release the creatures the monster wranglers of Monarch keep under wraps. He bites off a little more than even Godzilla can chew…
There are humans in the film, but none are given a chance to shine by a lumpen script whose idea of a joke is having a character respond to an exclamation of “My God” with “…zilla”. Meanwhile, a chemistry-free family soap opera, and some potentially intriguing ideas about lost civilisations and “Hollow Earth” tunnels through the planet, simply can’t compete with the widescreen carnage.
Director/co-writer Michael Dougherty plays to the fanbase by rolling out Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah, but these incarnations are less fun than the men in suits in the originals. Most of their scenes are shot in impenetrable gloom, seemingly structured around finding excuses to show silhouetted monsters in poses that might look good on a heavy metal LP cover.
And yet the Monsterverse limps on, ready to return in 2020 when cinema’s most celebrated great ape goes up against the big lizard in Godzilla Vs Kong. The end of the world has rarely felt so dull.
Extras The Blu-ray bonuses (the DVD has none) are better than the movie deserves. That said, you do have to wade through featurette filler such as the Top Trumps-like “Monsters 101” (five minutes). More satisfying are the behindthe-scenes deep dives of “Evolution Of The Titans” (27 minutes), “Monarch In Action” (32 minutes) and “Monster Tech” (nine minutes), and “Monsters Are Real” (14 minutes), a brief doc on giant creatures in myth. Plus: a geeky three-voice commentary; two deleted scenes that add surprising depth to a couple of characters; trailers. Richard Edwards
In a demonstration scene, a protestor has a sign reading “Destroy All Monsters” – the title of a 1968 Godzilla film.