Checklist: skyscraper-sized atomic-lizard creature. Tick. Electricity-breathing three-headed dragon. Tick. Gargantuan luminescent moth and behemoth aircraft-eating pterodactyl. Tick and tick. All of the above battling for supremacy in our modern cities. Tick. If this all sounds as riveting as your list of chores for the weekend, then you can quickly and safely assume this movie isn't for you. If, on the other hand, that catalogue of mayhem-causing monsters gets you excited then this sequel could be right up your alley. Doubling down on the gigantic-scale action of 2014's Godzilla (and, well, every Godzilla movie), this follow-up ditches the slow-burn build up and cranks out set-piece after set-piece at a rapid rate, seemingly introducing a new element into each sequence. It occasionally suffers from Transformers style action - choppy camerawork, rampant editing and fuzzy CGI - but it thankfully minimises this in favour of monumental wide shots that artfully display the titans or in extreme close-ups that accentuate the enormous size disparity with humans. The sound design is once again on point too, the thunderous roars and penetrating shrieks reverberating through your body whilst Zilla's radiation-charging power-ups instantly gets the adrenaline pumping. Although kicking big goals in the action/spectacle department, the dramatic narrative filler is a major hurdle, particularly when it bloats the runtime to over two hours. Swapping out the Ford family from the first instalment for the equally boring Russell's here, the over-seriousness in which their familial turmoil plays out is completely misjudged and unnecessary. Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown are all decent actors, but they're regularly asked to make the dumbest decision available to them and sell it like they're in an Oscar contender. At least Ken Watanabe and Charles Dance are having fun in their ham-fisted roles. Needlessly earnest and po-faced human relationships aside, King of the Monsters delivers impressive blockbuster thrills deserving of a big screen viewing.
Review of Godzilla: King of the Monsters
