I really love Godzilla. The atomic is since my childhood a part of my life. For me the movies are great even when they are sometimes very trashy. Also i like Mothra and Gamera but these two Kaijus will get their own posts in the future.
Today i want to write about the MonsterVerse from Legendary, which is the second try to create a Godzilla franchise outside of Japan. That means i will share my thoughts about Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla II: King of the Monsters.
Godzilla (2014)
Godzilla (2014) has a large focus on the story of the human characters during the run time of more than two hours. It’s okay when a Kaiju movie wants to tell a story beside the monster action. Godzilla: Final Wars and the Netflix trilogy did the same but there has to be a health balance between action and story. This movie has more story then action and that is the biggest weakness of Godzilla (2014).
The designs of Godzilla and the two MUTO Kaijus are amazing. Especially Godzilla looks awsome and the iconic scream is impressive.
What about the story? Well Godzilla (2014) retells the origins of our beloved atomic lizzard and is set 15 after a nuclear meldtown in Japan which subsenquently awakens the two giant creatures called MUTO and they awake Godzilla whose existence is hide by U.S. government since 1954.
Next to this story we have a family drama which focus on a man who lost his wife during the meldtown and his son. Both get in the fight between mankind and the Kaijus.
Even when there is to less action in this movie (funny when you think about three giant monsters whose are the main topic of the movie), there is one good point about the story. It build a universe. This is the first movie of an upcoming cinematic universe and this movie has to introduce many elements for future movies like Godzilla, other monsters and the strange organization Monarch. The last called is very interessting and explores the different Kaijus of earth and is part of alle three realesed movies.
Godzilla (2014) may not be the best movie arround the atomic lizzard but it’s definitly not the worst.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
I’m not very interessted in King Kong. I don’t know why but the giant monkey isn’t as epic for me as the giant lizzard. That is also the reason why it took nearly two years until i saw Kong for the first time and i liked the movie. It was very good because of the better balance between story and monster action.
The story is set in 1973 on the mysterious Skull Island. A team of scientists and vietnam veterans travel to the island with the order to explore it. During their mission the team encounters strange creatures and the giant ape Kong.
In contrast to the first film, the eponymous monster is more in focus here. In doing so, the human figures move more into the background, but are still important enough to be a useful part of the plot.
Just like Godzilla (2014), the technical aspect of film is one of the biggest strengths of this film as well. Kong and the rest of the monsters are extremely imposing, ranging between fascinating, amazing and terrifying.
All in all, Kong: Skull Island is a good movie that is also worth seeing for people like me, not King Kong fans.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
When I saw the first trailer of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, I was very skeptical because the monsters were portrayed as saviors. Even „scoundrel“ Ghidora. The next trailer showed me more of the classic Kaiju genre and I was really looking forward to the meeting of the icons Godzilla, Mothra, Ghidorah and Rodan.
I wonder how this franchise will develop and what Godzilla vs. Kong will bring us next year. Until then, I thank you for the attention.
We will read again in the next post!
DerStigler 