Movie · 2019 · Science Fiction, Action · 2h 12m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.4/10 (666.5K ratings)
Long live the king.
Overview
Follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species, thought to be mere myths, rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.4/10
IMDb: 6.0/10
Letterboxd: 2.89/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Metacritic: 48
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Michael Dougherty
Production
Legendary Pictures, Huahua Media, TOHO
Cast
Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O'Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Anthony Ramos, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, Jonathan Howard, CCH Pounder, Joe Morton, Randy Havens, Lyle Brocato, Jimmy Gonzáles
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, maximalist monster mash that delivers big-screen kaiju spectacle, but it’s also overloaded with exposition, murky visual staging, and thin human drama. If you want apocalyptic scale, old-school creature chaos, and a very earnest B-movie energy, it can be a blast; if you need clarity, momentum, or strong character work, it’s likely frustrating.
Best for
kaiju fans who want nonstop monster mythology
viewers who enjoy big-budget disaster spectacle
fans of campy, overstuffed franchise entries
people who prefer action set pieces over human drama
Skip if
you need clean nighttime action choreography
you dislike dense lore and constant exposition
you want grounded characters or emotional realism
you’re bothered by CGI-heavy fights obscured by smoke, rain, and debris
Overview
This is a movie that understands the appeal of giant monsters as operatic spectacle: thunderous entrances, city-leveling brawls, and a sincere belief that ancient titans should feel mythic. When it leans into that scale, it’s a lot of fun, and the creature designs and sound work do a lot of heavy lifting.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film keeps tripping over its own ambitions. It stuffs in too many human subplots, too much lore, and too many speeches, then stages much of the payoff in murky weather and visual clutter. The result is less elegant than its predecessor and more exhausting than exhilarating.
Bottom line
Still, for viewers who come to a Godzilla movie wanting a gloriously overcooked monster pageant, it mostly delivers. It’s messy, oversized, and undeniably committed to the bit, which makes it easier to admire than to love.
Top Letterboxd reviews
matt lynch (3.5★) · 1965 likes
Honestly a virtually perfect albeit very Westernized recreation of a Heisei-era Godzilla kaiju superbrawl picture. I mean they even have a Godzilla Defense Force-equivalent airborne superfortress. Deeply stupid, overpopulated with human characters, still a total blast. If only they'd stop staging the monster fights at night in CGI dust clouds.
Chris Evangelista (2.5★) · 1585 likes
It's like AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, with Vera Farmiga as Thanos and the monsters as her Infinity Stones.
SilentDawn (1★) · 1449 likes
12
The classic example of a creative team pulling the worst from its predecessor and failing to develop on its potential. Gareth Edwards' Godzilla, as an origin for the new 'zilla incarnation and a study of humanity's insignificance amongst ancient beings, was a miraculous success even if it chose to portray the titular creature as a vehicle of Spielbergian suspense. The constant cutaways were playful and frustrating, lending the climax an extended fanboy payoff that worked for some and didn't… more
maria (3★) · 1355 likes
lol king kong stand no fucking chance
Carol Grant (2★) · 1130 likes
Having your only real Japanese character use a nuke to awaken Godzilla in your American adaptation is uhhhhhh
2016 · Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama · 1h 44m · PG-13 · Curator 5.8/10 (1M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Not a monster brawl, but it captures the same tension between human survival and unseen larger threats.