Monday, August 26, 2019

4K Ultra Blu-ray Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are my own.

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Arriving tomorrow on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is this year's creature feature Godzilla: King of the Monsters (PG-13; 132 minutes). It's already available to own on Digital HD.

Directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat and Krampus), the film stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O'Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Zhang Ziyi, and Ken Watanabe.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters takes place five years after 2014's Godzilla reboot. The film centers around Dr. Emma Russell (played by Vera Farmiga), a Monarch paleobiologist who's obsessed with the ancient god-sized monsters called titans. After witnessing the birth of the larva "Mothra" alongside her daughter Madison (played by Millie Bobby Brown), Emma gets intertwined with an eco-terrorist group lead by Alan Jonah (played by Charles Dance). With the possession of Orca, a device that can send out emitting frequencies that can either attract or alter the behavior of the titans, Emma is determined to unleash Rodan, King Ghidorah, and many unnamed titans upon the world in the hopes of rebalancing mother nature.

Monarch, a crypto-zoological organization, enlists the help of Emma's ex-husband and Madison's father, Dr. Mark Russell (played by Kyle Chandler), to stop Emma and the titans from destroying the world. And their only line of defense is Godzilla!!

Special Features include:
  • Monsters 101
    • Godzilla: Nature’s Fearsome Guardian 
    • Mothra: Queen of the Monsters 
    • King Ghidorah: The Living Extinction Machine 
    • Rodan: Airborne God of Fire
  • Welcome To The Monsterverse 
  • Evolution of the Titans
    • Godzilla 2.0.
    • Making Mothra 
    • Creating Ghidorah 
    • Reimagining Rodan
  • Monarch in Action 
    •  The Yunnan Temple 
    •  Castle Bravo 
    • The Antarctic Base 
    • The Isla de Mara Volcano 
    • The Undersea Lair
  • Millie Bobby Brown: Force of Nature
  • Monster Tech: Monarch Joins the Fight
  • Monsters Are Real
  • Theatrical Trailers
    • Life
    • Supremacy
    • Over the Rainbow
    • Wonder Rumble
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Commentary by director Michael Dougherty, executive producer Zach Shields and actor O'Shea Jackson Jr. 

 Final Thoughts

I grew up watching the US edited versions of the Godzilla movies on TNT during the 1990s and I became a big fan of the giant Kaijus. Yes, these movies are a bit cheesy but they're fun to watch. Now I have completely different opinions of the first two Hollywood Godzilla films. The 1998's Godzilla was a decent monster flick but it was horrible Godzilla film. 2014's reboot received high praise from critics but I thought it was a snoozefest that only showed Godzilla on screen for a few minutes.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters went a different route and gave the kaijus (titans) bigger parts in the story. This time around the human characters are given less emotional depth; though the acting is exceptional, especially from Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown.

The cinematography and visual effects are astonishing. Unlike the 2014 film which only showed bits  & pieces of the kaiju fights, the sequel actually shows the battle in a huge CGI spectacle. While Godzilla and King Ghidorah are the main attraction, Mothra and Rodan get to shine in a few action scenes of their own.

The picture and sound qualities are topnotch on the 4K Ultra HD. There are quite a few special features to keep you entertained.

Overall, I had a blast watching Godzilla: King of the Monsters on 4K Ultra HD. It's a a nostalgic throwback blending together the best elements of the Godzilla franchise into one gigantic thrill ride.

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