Since Legendary's Godzilla came out in 2014, I've been waiting for this to release, and now it's finally here!
And it's so nice to see filmmakers not just taking a property and twisting it into what they want, but paying homage and respect to a property's origins and keeping it as it's supposed to be.
This is a Godzilla movie. This is a Godzilla movie as it should be with the power of Hollywood behind it. But Big G isn't the only one in the movie, they brought back the main gang from the classic Toho lineup.
Godzilla, Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan all have starring roles in this movie. The story brings in a group of eco-terrorists, who believe setting all the titans free to wipe out mankind is the only way to save the Earth from the pollution and climate devastation we've wrought. They view the titans as the defenders of the Earth, here to respond to the 'fever' that is humanity.
Unfortunately, the first titan they awaken is Ghidorah, who turns out to be much more destroyer than defender. Unfortunately, as one of the most powerful titans, he awakens and commands the others to help him in his destruction. Godzilla isn't one to let his reign go unchallenged, however, and battles the three-headed beast more than once, ultimately facing Ichi, Ni, and Kevin (the director's names for Ghidorah's three heads) in a final showdown in Boston, with Mothra and Rodan providing a side bout before Mothra gives Godzilla the assist, and ultimately the win.
Now, that's about it for the story, barring a plotline following a family quarrel between a husband and wife that work/worked for Monarch; but don't let that fool you. This movie is packed with action, humanity, and fun. Is it going to win an Oscar? Probably not, unfortunately, but there's more to movies than awards.
Unfortunately, the first titan they awaken is Ghidorah, who turns out to be much more destroyer than defender. Unfortunately, as one of the most powerful titans, he awakens and commands the others to help him in his destruction. Godzilla isn't one to let his reign go unchallenged, however, and battles the three-headed beast more than once, ultimately facing Ichi, Ni, and Kevin (the director's names for Ghidorah's three heads) in a final showdown in Boston, with Mothra and Rodan providing a side bout before Mothra gives Godzilla the assist, and ultimately the win.
Now, that's about it for the story, barring a plotline following a family quarrel between a husband and wife that work/worked for Monarch; but don't let that fool you. This movie is packed with action, humanity, and fun. Is it going to win an Oscar? Probably not, unfortunately, but there's more to movies than awards.
If you're a real fan of Godzilla, this movie has so many easter eggs and hints of the future to make you squee. While Legendary made other titans of their own to populate the world with, there's still hints that other Toho favorites may pop up in the future.
The most obvious is the military's creation and use of a weapon called the Oxygen Destroyer. Not only is this a call-back to the very first movie where that was how they killed Godzilla, it is also the device that births the monster Destroyah, one of Godzilla's deadliest foes.
In the movie, we see them taking a 'Hollow Earth' storyline, and see Godzilla resting in a massive underwater temple obviously built specifically for him. This could be a vehicle to bring in other titans who originally came from deep within the earth, such as Megalon. (Nobody really wants to see that though.)
The revelation that Ghidorah isn't part of Earth's natural order and is likely from space also comes up, opening the door to alien races showing up with their own titans in tow. I certainly would love to see what Legendary would do with permission to use Gigan.
Anyway, the next chapter in the Monsterverse is Godzilla vs Kong, scheduled to be released March 13th, 2020. While story details are still scarce, my money is on G and Kong having a good wrestling match before being forced to work together against a bigger threat. But we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
~ Shaun
