Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a 2019 American monster film directed by Michael Dougherty. It is the sequel to Godzilla (2014) and the third movie in Legendary's Monsterverse franchise. The movie brought back popular characters and introduced new ones, starring actors like Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, and Millie Bobby Brown.

In the story, a group called eco-terrorists let a powerful creature named King Ghidorah out, which then wakes up other huge monsters called "Titans" around the world. This forces two famous monsters, Godzilla and Mothra, to come out and fight against King Ghidorah and another monster named Rodan.

The movie was released on May 31, 2019. Critics had mixed feelings about it—they liked the special effects, action scenes, and music but thought the story and characters could have been better. Even though it didn’t earn as much money as hoped, it still excited many fans of giant monster movies. A follow-up film, Godzilla vs. Kong, came out in 2021.

Plot

Five years after giant monsters, called "Titans", were revealed, Dr. Emma Russell and her daughter Madison see the birth of a giant larva named Mothra. Emma uses a special device called the "Orca" to calm Mothra. However, a group of eco-terrorists led by Alan Jonah attacks, kidnapping Emma and Madison while Mothra flees.

Monarch scientists ask Dr. Mark Russell, Emma’s ex-husband, to help find them. Though angry at Godzilla for his son’s death, Mark agrees. They follow Godzilla to Antarctica, where Jonah plans to free a three-headed Titan called "Monster Zero". Emma helps free Monster Zero, who battles Godzilla and escapes. Emma explains that she believes Titans can heal the Earth damaged by humans.

Madison tries to stop her mother, but Emma awakens another Titan named Rodan. Godzilla fights back, and the U.S. military uses a weapon called the "Oxygen Destroyer", but Monster Zero survives. He awakens more Titans, including Rodan.

Monarch discovers that Monster Zero is actually King Ghidorah, a powerful alien. Mothra helps heal Godzilla, who is recovering in an ancient underwater city. To speed up his recovery, a scientist makes a big sacrifice.

Madison uses the Orca to lure Ghidorah to Boston, but instead attracts many Titans. Ghidorah attacks, but Godzilla, with help from Mothra and others, fights back. In a big battle, Mothra gives her energy to Godzilla, who then defeats Ghidorah. The Titans begin to help heal the Earth, and hints suggest more adventures with other Titans are coming.

Cast

• Kyle Chandler as Dr. Mark Russell: Emma's ex-husband and Madison's father, he is an expert in animal behavior who helped create a device called the "Orca" that can talk to huge creatures called Titans. He doesn't like these creatures but joins a mission to save his family.
• Vera Farmiga as Dr. Emma Russell: Mark's ex-wife and Madison's mother, she believes humans and Titans can live together peacefully and sees Godzilla as a force for balance in nature. She works with a group that has plans for the Titans.
• Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell: Emma and Mark's 12-year-old daughter who is very smart. She helps her mother but feels tricked into it.
  • Lexi Rabe as Young Madison Russell
• Bradley Whitford as Dr. Rick Stanton: A scientist working for Monarch, the group that studies the Titans.
• Sally Hawkins as Dr. Vivienne Graham: A scientist who helps lead the team studying the Titans.
• Charles Dance as Alan Jonah: A former soldier who leads a group wanting to use the Titans to change the world.
• Thomas Middleditch as Sam Coleman: The leader of the technology side of Monarch.
• Aisha Hinds as Colonel Diane Foster: A military leader who fights Titans when needed.
• O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Jackson Barnes: A military member of the team that fights Titans.
• David Strathairn as Admiral William Stenz: A navy leader who tracks down dangerous Titans.
• Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishirō Serizawa: A top scientist for Monarch who thinks we must live with natural disasters.
• Zhang Ziyi as Dr. Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling Chen: Twins who study the myths about Titans and come from a family of scientists who work for Monarch.

Joe Morton appears as Dr. Houston Brooks, CCH Pounder portrays Senator Williams, Anthony Ramos portrays Staff Sergeant Anthony Martinez, Elizabeth Ludlow plays First Lieutenant Lauren Griffin, Jonathan Howard portrays Asher Jonah, and Randy Havens portrays Dr. Tim Mancini. Tyler Crumley plays Mark and Emma's son Andrew. Through motion capture, T.J. Storm reprise his role as Godzilla, while Jason Liles, Alan Maxson, and Richard Dorton portray the heads of King Ghidorah. Liles also portrays Rodan via motion capture.

Production

Crew

The film was directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty. Other key crew members included Zach Shields as co-writer and executive producer, Barry H. Waldman, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Yoshimitsu Banno as executive producers, and Scott Chambliss as production designer.

Development

The idea for a sequel began during the making of the 2014 film, Godzilla. After its success, producers at Legendary Pictures announced plans for a trilogy. They acquired rights to include Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah from Toho Co., Ltd. The release date was set for June 8, 2018, with Max Borenstein returning to write the script.

However, Aaron Taylor-Johnson was unsure about returning, and director Gareth Edwards left to work on other projects. In 2016, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields were chosen to write and direct the sequel, now titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Production was set to take place in China alongside another film, Pacific Rim: Uprising.

Writing

Max Borenstein returned to write the script, aiming to make Godzilla more relatable. Dougherty and Shields started fresh, creating a new story focused on the organization Monarch. They worked with ten writers to develop the script, which took a year to complete. The story included themes like climate change and featured new monster designs.

Creature design

The monsters were called "Titans" instead of MUTOs. Each creature received a unique design inspired by mythology and nature. Godzilla was updated with more powerful features, Rodan was made to look like a volcanic bird, Mothra was designed to be elegant yet dangerous, and King Ghidorah was given a realistic, dragon-like appearance. New monsters were also introduced to expand the Godzilla universe.

Pre-production

Casting began in early 2017, with Millie Bobby Brown as the first actor signed. Other notable cast members included Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, and Charles Dance. Concept artists and designers worked on vehicles and monster imagery, with final approvals from the production designer.

Filming

Filming started on June 19, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Fathom. Some scenes were also shot in Mexico City. The director confirmed the use of practical effects alongside digital creatures designed by Tom Woodruff Jr.

Visual effects and post-production

Visual effects were handled by several companies, including Moving Picture Company and DNEG. Guillaume Rocheron supervised the effects. Post-production finished in November 2018, with the final film trimmed from an earlier three-hour version to its released length.

Music

Main article: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (soundtrack)

Bear McCreary created the music for the movie, using ideas from Akira Ifukube's old Godzilla music. He was very happy to help make music for this famous monster movie. The music includes classic tunes from older Godzilla films, plus some new surprises.

The movie used many different songs, like Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune and "Over the Rainbow". LL Cool J’s "Mama Said Knock You Out" appeared in a trailer. In April 2019, two songs from the movie’s music were shared before the film came out. The Japanese band Alexandros also made a song called “Pray” just for the movie’s release in Japan.

Marketing

The film had big marketing costs, about $100–150 million. In 2017, clues about the movie started appearing online, showing details about the monsters. At comic conventions, fans got their first looks at images and concepts for the film.

In 2018 and 2019, more trailers and posters were shared, giving fans excitement. The movie appeared on magazine covers, and special previews were shown in theaters before other films. In China, extra money was used to promote the movie there. Fun TV spots and mock trailers with pets were made to promote the film, and new posters were released regularly leading up to the movie's debut.

Merchandise

In May 2019, a prequel graphic novel called Godzilla: Aftershock came out. Figures of the movie's monsters were sold in June 2019. A novel version of the film and an art book were also released around the same time. Companies made toys of the monsters for fans to enjoy.

Release

Godzilla: King of the Monsters came out in movie theaters on May 31, 2019. It was shown in special formats like IMAX, 3D, Dolby Cinema, RealD 3D, 4DX, and ScreenX. In Japan, the film was shown by Toho instead of Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie was first planned for June 8, 2018, but the date was changed a few times before settling on May 31, 2019.

The film had special premieres in Beijing and Hollywood, with performances and parties for fans. In the United States, it received a PG-13 rating for monster action and some language. Later, the film was released on Digital HD on August 13, 2019, and on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on August 27, 2019. It also came out in Japan on December 18, 2019, with special editions available.

Reception

Box office

Godzilla: King of the Monsters made $110.5 million in the United States and Canada and $276.8 million in other countries, totaling $387.3 million worldwide. Some experts thought the film needed to make more money to cover its costs.

In the United States and Canada, the film was expected to make around $55–65 million in its first weekend but only made $47.8 million. It was released at the same time as other films and did not perform as well as hoped. In other countries, it also did not meet expectations, especially in China.

Critical response

Reviews for the film were mixed. Some critics liked the exciting monster fights but thought the story and human characters were weak. On Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of reviews were positive. Metacritic gave it a score of 48 out of 100, showing mixed reviews. Some audience members enjoyed the film, while others found it boring or poorly written.

Accolades

Sequel

Main articles: Godzilla vs. Kong and Monsterverse

In 2015, after moving Kong: Skull Island to Warner Bros., people began talking about Godzilla and King Kong meeting in a movie. Legendary confirmed they would make Godzilla vs. Kong, planning a big movie world with many giant monsters.

The film came out in March 2021, showing in theaters and on HBO Max the same day in the United States.