Godzilla King of Monsters (2019) Saturday Monster Movies

I have seen this movie 3 times over the few years since it has been out. Three times, because I keep forgetting what it is about. It does not speak well of the film that it is so unmemorable. It is a haze of blue hues, computer generated monster battles that are hard to follow, and frustrating characters.

Because at the core of this film is a misguided character, however in the opposite direction from most Godzilla movies. That should make it a great film. Most Godzilla stories are about humans messing up the world out of greed, convenience, or their desire to obliterate each other. The hubris at the core of this film is a “liberal” desire to fix the world.

It is a truism that the idea that we can fix the world based on our understanding of the intricacies of the problems is just as silly and misguided as the drive to dominate the world. In this case, our antagonist, a scientist named Dr. Emma Russell believes… And here you have to stop and spell out, this is a belief, not a scientific conclusion… that the Kaiju will heal the planet if they are allowed to run rampant. Humanity has messed things up and it is time to turn the management of the planet over to the monsters.

The only problem (besides the fact that her belief is based on mere whim) is that she begins by unleashing a Kaiju designated “Monster Zero.” Monster Zero turns out to be King Ghidorah, and true to many previous Godzilla films, Ghidorah is not an earthly Kaiju who will restore the planet, but rather an alien bent on destroying it.

There is a particularly interesting element of this film, where the design, cinematography, and direction all work together to present Ghidorah as a sort of Antichrist, making the film feel postapocalyptic and grand.

Unfortunately, it feels like a missed opportunity combining interesting ideas with forgettable execution.