Godzilla-King of the Monsters
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown
Director: Michael Dougherty
Let’s get the real question out of the way first: Is Godzilla a spectacle everybody was hoping for?
Well, no. It’s not really bad on the visual effects front but it’s definitely not a stand out. We have seen far better, more engaging monster dramas, especially in last couple of years. And Avengers Endgame has really upped the ante on the VFX front. So, Godzilla might be the king of his jungle but he doesn’t get the crown.
This is when I didn’t even mention The Fly or Alien which were made like ages ago in terms of technical excellence. Or for that matter, it’s not even a patch on Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla (1998), its own franchise.
It follows the same template that forces us to go inside dusty cities, overflowing rivers and some scientists looking out of a glass window only to find the monster staring back at them. Take that T-Rex!
Then there are a couple of twisted theories about how the green environment can be re-discovered by restoring the factory setting. Who cares if it kills a few thousand people or destroy properties worth billions! Because all we need at this point of time is a monster, rather many monsters, both on earth and in sky, with an alien twist, to return from slumber and make life even crazier. But then when did monster films behave otherwise? Did I just hear The Host?
Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler are two estranged scientists with a daughter, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who still looks to be operating within the Stranger Things universe. Why would you touch a radioactive wall without being told otherwise, also when it serves no purpose in the broader scheme of things.
Farmiga, with no sense of urgency at all, keeps opening and playing with her clichéd monster controlling device right in the middle of the mayhem. Run woman, it’s not a dog. But then Chris Pratt did the same with bare hands, so you can’t really complain. Having Chandler as partner doesn’t serve her either as he is hell bent on losing the plot.
Because it’s all about set tropes so there is a wise-cracking scientist too who would say something really bizarre at the end of every monster splash. Boy, you have never imagined a monster otherwise you would think of solutions and not one-liners. You are a scientist for god’s sake.
You’ll also meet women paratroopers and military personnel who keep shifting between China and Antarctica, and keep firing bullets on the monsters. Come on, this isn’t the first time you’re meeting these creatures! You should know better!
Actually the entire focus is on making it a spectacular event of two huge guys arm-wrestling and because it’s Godzilla, so at some point of time, you’re also expected to understand the customary ‘saving the planet’ argument. It doesn’t matter much if tons of nuclear ingredients are making it happen. The world has to end to regrow its spine again. When was the last time we heard something similar? Every time a superhero film or a monster film releases.
The first direct fight between two rival monsters is awesome. It’s thrilling and chilling and also ‘the song of ice and fire.’ It is still good enough, but every satisfaction demands a price and this time you need to do it by paying attention to a couple of weirded out researchers who appear to blame their fate as much as we do, while watching Godzilla-The King of Monsters.
Not the monster you were waiting for.
Rating: 1/5
Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha
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