“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” Movie Review

    There is just something about monster movies that brings a smile to my face everytime I watch them.  Even if they aren’t my favorite movies, seeing a giant monster destroy a city is fairly breathtaking.  Seeing a monster fight another monster is just that much better.  Kaiju films are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.  Even though I didn’t catch it in theaters, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” was a bit of a must for me to watch.

    Set after the events of 2014’s “Godzilla”, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” starts with the scientific organization Monarch tracking the likes of Godzilla and Kong as well as several other titans who have yet to arise.  Monarch scientist Dr. Emma Russell has created a device that can communicate with these titans but the device is stolen by a terrorist organization who also kidnap the doctor and her daughter.  Soon the device is used to awaken the hibernating monsters.  Monarch soon enlists the help of Emma’s ex-husband Mark to figure out how to rescue Emma and stop the titans.  When everything else seemingly fails, Monarch must put their faith in Godzilla to restore the natural order.

    This film is influenced by the 1968 film “Destroy All Monsters” which sees Godzilla and several other monsters battle King Ghidorah.  This film scales back the monster mayhem a bit to focus primarily on Godzilla vs King Ghidorah with a smaller scale battle between Mothra vs Rodan also happening at the same time.  The monsters are the clear stars of this film but it was also nice that the human co-stars had a slightly more satisfying role to play in the sequel.

    On the subject of the human co-stars, this film primarily focuses on the Russell family played by Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown.  Farmiga and Chandler both give good performances but it was a bit odd seeing Chandler in the role considering he also co-starred in Peter Jackson’s “King Kong”.  Millie Bobby Brown was wonderful in the movie and proved her career past “Stranger Things” is just beginning.  It was also nice seeing Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and David Strathairn all return for the sequel.

    Michael Dougherty took over directing duties for the sequel and delivered a superior sequel.  This film is the third film set in this new monsterverse after “Godzilla” and “Kong: Skull Island”.  This movie will be followed next year by “Godzilla vs. Kong” which should be an interesting film considering how both Godzilla and King Kong are depicted as protagonists in their films.

    While I enjoyed how the Monarch organization managed to allow the human characters to appear in the film in a logical way without taking away from the monsters, the monsters were still what everyone came to see and they didn’t disappoint.  Toho favorites King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra all join the battle in this sequel.  Rodan is given the least screen time and feels almost like an after thought.  King Ghidorah on the other hand is the main antagonist and is depicted incredibly.  Still, for me, the main standout was Mothra, Queen of the Monsters.  I won’t go into spoilers, but one of the most emotional scenes in the movie for me involved Mothra.

    “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” doesn’t have much plot but also has the good fortune of not requiring much story either.  These monsterverse movies provide good old fashion spectacle and that is fine by me.  I would recommend this movie for anyone who just needs to sit back and relax.  Enjoy the show (down).

Grade: B

"The House with a Clock in It's Walls" Movie Review

    Let me start my review of “The House with a Clock in It’s Walls” off by saying I was not particularly excited to see this film.  I like Jack Black but I am not a fan of Eli Roth in the slightest.  Well, I don’t get to say this often so here goes, the movie was a pleasant surprise.
    I was surprised by how reserved Eli Roth remained on a lot of aspects he could have went darker with.  Eli Roth got the right vibe when it comes to a family movie which isn’t easy.  Roth also managed to get the best performances from his actors as possible.
   The glue that holds this film together and makes it stronger than usual is it’s cast.  Jack Black movies tend to succeed or fail depending on how well he fits a role.  I like Jack Black a lot, but Jack Black’s strength is playing  himself.  It worked in films like “Tropic Thunder” and “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” yet failed in films such as “King Kong” (although I still very much enjoyed that film).  His charm and child like demeanor suit this film adaptation well.  Cate Blanchett was also great but she could sleepwalk through a role and still win an Oscar.  The breakout star has to be Owen Vaccaro.  Vaccaro was a delight and provided a unique and quirky performance that felt unique.

    The story was simple and easy to digest yet solid and something adults can enjoy as well.  It is nice to see a film which is fun for the whole family which is rare these days.  Plus the film is set in Michigan so it gets bonus props from me.  While it won’t go down as a classic, it’s a notch above most family oriented offerings over the past few years.  That is a win in my book!

Grade: B