For Western audiences, Godzilla might seem like a monster from purely spectacular movies, recently famous for Warner Bros.' MonsterVerse inaugurated by the 2014 film. However, it's essential to remember that this character originated in Japan and, while having a long history of somewhat silly monster movies, has roots in the Asian country's history with nuclear disasters. 'Godzilla Minus One' is a return to these roots, setting the story right after World War II and with a deeply human narrative with the monster as the antagonist. This doesn't mean it lacks visual spectacle; quite the opposite. However, it achieves the difficult balance between entertainment and a profound narrative that will leave you both shocked and moved.
The MonsterVerse has successfully brought to the screen the battles of the two most iconic giant monsters in cinema, King Kong and Godzilla, the latter in its American reinterpretation. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a new chapter in the franchise, although, truth be told, it doesn't bring much new. The duo are now allies in a fight for the fate not only of the Earth's surface but also of the world of the "hollow earth," where the titans come from. Don't expect here the deep anti-war allegory of Godzilla Minus One, the far superior Japanese film released just a few months prior. Here it's about seeing giant monsters smack each other in the face, like an hour of wrestlers aboard monster trucks. If that's what you're looking for, it's the movie for you. If you prefer some more humanity in your films, it's better to pass.
Since their debut in the cinema in 1933 and 1954, respectively, Godzilla and King Kong have been two of the most popular movie monsters in history (who actually faced off in the original Japanese film 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' in 1962). Following the American reinterpretations of the great Kaiju in 'Godzilla' (2014) and 'Godzilla II: King of the Monsters', 'Godzilla vs. Kong' is the culmination of the promise of the so-called "MonsterVerse", the Warner Bros. and Legendary monster franchise that also includes 'Kong: Skull Island'. And like the aforementioned installments, this movie has the same pros and cons: truly spectacular titanic duels, at the cost of characters so poorly developed they almost seem like parodies, performed by a highly wasted cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård ('Big Little Lies'), Millie Bobby Brown ('Enola Holmes'), Rebecca Hall ('Christine'), Kyle Chandler ('Carol'), Julian Dennison ('Deadpool 2') and Mexicans Eiza González ('I Care') and Demián Bichir ('The Hateful Eight'). Watch other films in the Godzilla saga.
'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' delivers what is expected of a kaiju and disaster movie: it brings action, lots of action, on an enormous and meticulously detailed scale. Yet, it lacks a good script to sustain it all. Nonetheless, we have a star-studded cast with Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins and Kyle Chandler, plus Millie Bobby Brown ('Stranger Things') in her first movie. It's also worth noting that the movie is the sequel to 'Godzilla', released in 2014, and that it is part of a true monster universe from Legendary - a crossover with King Kong is even scheduled to be released in theaters in 2020. Also watch all the movies in the Godzilla Saga.
Whether as a symbol of nuclear catastrophe or as an icon of popular culture in cinematic battles between giant monsters, Godzilla is one of the most recognizable and beloved characters of Japanese popular culture imagination... and the 1999 American adaptation did nothing more than turn him into a giant iguana. But in 'Godzilla', the new American adaptation, it seeks to return to its roots without neglecting the spectacular and human drama at its basic level. This last one is not totally well written - despite the impeccable efforts of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche and Ken Watanabe in the execution - but fans of the "King of Monsters" will certainly remain satisfied with a protagonist beast closer to the original aspect, but of titanic proportions suitable for our time, and thought of as a metaphorical and amoral response of nature to uncontrolled human expansion. Watch other movies online from the Godzilla saga.