Viewing Review: ‘Godzilla: King of Monsters’ (Spoilers)

‘Man does not control the laws of nature.’–Dr. Ishiro Serizawa

The above is basically the quote of the movie, and this is so aptly illustrated in GODZILLA:KING OF MONSTERS. How do you control the Titans like Godzilla? You don’t. You either live with them in harmony or they destroy you. These are the two choices given by the film to its final conclusion.

As part of the Monarch organization, Dr. Emma Russel was able to develop a device called the ‘Orca’ that mimics the communication sounds of the Titans, and can basically either awaken them or make them docile. With this machine, Emma hopes to bring in a restart of civilization while releasing the Titans as rightful rulers of the Earth. It’s a case of environmental terrorism triggered by the loss of her son Andrew five years ago (with the last Godzilla attack). She seeks an environmental cleansing through genocide because she believes that the Titans are the true masters of this world. With this in mind, she enlists the aid of eco-terrorist Jonah Alan to help her succeed.

On the other hand, Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, also a member of Monarch, believes that man can coexist with Godzilla and the Titans. But, man should not control the Titans (let alone destroy them). Instead of making Godzilla humanity’s pet, he suggests humanity become Godzilla’s pet. It’s a hard pill to swallow when presented to humanity’s leaders. It is counter-argued that if man cannot control the Titans then they should be destroyed before they pose a threat, and that includes Godzilla.

It’s a classic case of man vs. nature with Dr. Serizawa being the one of the sensible human beings with a third option: man working with nature. It sounds ludicrous, but this has been what he’s been harping on since the 2014 GODZILLA movie. The problem with fighting nature for control is that it has a tendency of backfiring. In this case, Emma’s plan of releasing the Titans takes a disastrous turn when she decides to release Monster Zero later revealed to be King Ghidorah. For those of you familiar with Japanese giant monsters, Ghidorah is not a surprise. In GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS, Ghidorah is an alien creature not native to Earth. What happens is a fight for the title of ‘King’ between Godzilla and Ghidorah. If Godzilla is a modified T-Rex, Ghidorah is a modified three-headed Hydra…with wings.

Why is the awakening of Ghidorah a bad move by Dr. Emma Russell? Because, in the initial battle between Godzilla and Gidorah, Godzilla loses to Ghidorah. This leaves Ghidorah as the Alpha Titan on the planet. He now starts awakening all the other Titans much faster than Emma intended. The deed is done and she can’t slow down the fall of human civilization. This is what happens when you think you can control nature. Sometimes, it has other plans than what you had in mind

Aside from Ghidorah, there are actually two more well known Japanese monsters in this film: Mothra and Rodan. They get awakened as well, and take sides. Mothra, a giant moth, is known to be the consort of Godzilla (explained as a symbiotic relationship) while Rodan, a pterodactyl-like creature, sides with Ghidorah. These aren’t the only Titans that awaken, but they are the most prominent ones in the film aside from Godzilla.

So, the story has a big problem. With Godzilla beaten to near death, and Ghidorah bringing about Titan Armageddon, how do you save humanity? The solution: nuke Godzilla to jump start his regenerative abilities so he can go for round two against Ghidorah. Dr. Shirizawa volunteers to do it, but it costs him his life. With Godzilla revived, recharged and ready for a rematch, humanity aids Godzilla in defeating Ghidorah. This restores balance in nature, and it emphasizes the solution to the man vs. nature problem. Man has to help nature for its own survival. Nature will survive without man, so we better do our part. It’s a beautiful message, and GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS shows you just how small humanity is in the grand scheme of the natural order.

If you’re not a fan of the environmental message of the film, and are more a fan of the expected monster battles, you’ll not be disappointed as well. There’s plenty to go around with Godzilla showing why he is king even though he is at a disadvantage against Ghidorah who can fly. This is one crafty lizard, and you’ll end up rooting for him if you aren’t rooting for him at the beginning already.

By the way, there is a post-credit scene so you’d better be ready to stay longer. Ghidorah gets owned and destroyed by Godzilla, but Jonah finds one of Ghidorah’s three heads for sale. He purchases it to who knows what end. This sets up something for another movie.

GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS balances its environmental advocacy with great monster combat action to come up with a film that honors its Japanese roots. This is a far more superior film than GODZILLA (2014). It shows how humanity’s struggle for control has its limits, and the limits are monstrously frightening. Human or Titan, everyone bows down to King Godzilla. Long live the KING!!!