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Godzilla King of the Monsters (IMAX) Spoiler Review

Godzilla King of the Monsters (IMAX) Spoiler Review

Posted on 03 Jun 2019

Godzilla's latest outing from Legendary is tale of two halves. On one side, we have marvellous monster mayhem lovingly directed by people who clearly care about the creatures. On the other, it's a very daft eco-tale that's been done to death even in films like The Matrix, casting humanity as the villains destroying the planet who should be brought to heel by the Earth's true rulers. Charles Dance plays an eco-terrorist named Alan Jonah intent on releasing the beasts and restoring the Earth, but the film takes an unusual turn by taking one of the main characters and making them the evil mastermind. Initially Vera Farmiga's Dr. Emma Russell is seen with her daughter tending to a larvae Mothra, her latest invention allowing her to "speak" to the Godlike creature through sympathetic noises that induce feelings of calm or rage. Her daughter is similarly in awe of the creatures, with Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) looking wide-eyed whenever possible. But it turns out that the good Doctor has nefarious plans, and this switch seems really unnecessary and out-of-character. 

This is where the critics began to turn up their noses - the nonsensical plot twist really adds very little, but I appreciated it was at least unexpected. Once Ghidorah is released, the other titans start to awaken. Even Godzilla is irked and senses something isn't right, rushing to Ghidorah's location to preemptively avert disaster. Queue the first truly epic smack-down, with both creatures going at it on a grand scale - the score, sound-effects and lively direction all work in unison to create utter chaos, and on the big screen, it's a delight. Director Gareth Edwards delivers on the spectacle with aplomb.

When I first saw the trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, I knew it was a film I'd want to see in IMAX. The last time I felt so inclined was Avatar, which really suited a 3D viewing on a larger screen. In hindsight I'd have liked to have seen Alita that way too, but when it came to Toho's monstrous outing, there was no doubt in my mind. Go big or go home.

As soon as I saw the first fight, I felt completely justified in the taking the lengthy detour and spending the extra cash. The cinematography in this film is simply wonderful, like a Planet Earth documentary if everything was massive and Planet Earth itself was on the extinction list. Watching Ghidora's three heads snake up to the sky and prepare to launch their strike on a terrified Millie Bobby-Brown is just a breathtaking piece of cinema - the scale of these beasts, showcased several times in fantastically framed scenes, is stunning.

The plot to re-energise Godzilla leads to some insane visuals, and the revelation that Ghidorah isn't of the Earth and therefore subverting the natural order was not only a great callback, but also made perfect sense in the film. Ghidorah also powers up by tapping into the electrical grid, leading to an amazing visual with electricity being fired from his wings. There are some genuinely breathtaking scenes in this film.

What many critics will miss, but fans will appreciate, are the finer details. Mothra's wing pattern resembles Godzilla's eyes to give the two a symbiotic relationship. Original sound effects from the earlier Japanese movies are recycled and enhanced, and even the monster naming conventions (such as Monster Zero) are callbacks that will give fans chills. To the casual observer, all of this won't matter a jot, and you'd be forgiven for missing some of the subtlety amongst the carnage. In fact there's so much trivia in this film, it'll need a hell of a home release to properly catch it all (but here's a link to a fairly comprehensive list). There was plenty I hadn't caught myself!

And so it is that Godzilla divides it's audience. In every sense it is "for the fans", delivering titan-sized skirmishes, shock and awe, daft dialogue and improbable physics left right and centre. It is gloriously messy, inviting plenty of commentary, good and bad. It's certainly a step-up from Shin-Godzilla, a film that dragged it's monster-feet and never really delivered. By contrast, King of the Monsters is exactly what it claims to be.

Ken Watanabe is a standout. He's great at emoting when it comes to Godzilla, even if his dialogue is daft at times. The major characters, including Dr. Russell's estranged husband, Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) and Silicon Valley's Thomas Middlemarch, do a decent job of reacting to big things breaking cities. They've had a hard time in reviews but I found the ensemble cast to be as engaging as they needed to be, and quite rightly secondary to the main events.

Cinema snobs will never appreciate the campy heritage of Godzilla, much less the transition from men in rubber suits to the truly terrifying visuals on offer here. I for one enjoyed the film immensely, and recommend it to anyone who wants to munch popcorn and watch the world burn.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is out now. Godzilla vs King Kong is scheduled to follow on March 13th 2020.

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