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Lee (2222 KP) rated Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) in Movies
May 31, 2019 (Updated May 31, 2019)
Well, I liked it!
Before heading into Godzilla: King of the Monsters, I saw a lot of wildly mixed reviews online. People were either hating it or loving it, with nobody really feeling anything in-between. Even those cinema goers who were fully prepared for nothing more than a bunch of big monsters fighting alongside insignificant human bystanders were coming away from it fuming. Well, I’m happy to say that I’m putting myself firmly in the ‘loved it’ category, although I do understand and appreciate a lot of the issues that the haters have with it.
Since his appearance in the 2014 movie, and his involvement in the destruction of San Francisco, Godzilla has been keeping a fairly low profile beneath the ocean. He is now closely monitored by monster organisation Monarch, who were introduced to us previously, most notably in the movie Kong: Skull Island. They have a number of outposts dotted around the globe, where they are also tracking various other ‘titans’, most of which are lying dormant. Monarch is currently involved in a conflict with the military, who would rather see the titans wiped out than try and co-exist with them in the way our ancestors did.
In a Chinese outpost, we meet Dr Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), who is working on a device called ORCA, something which will hopefully allow us to communicate with and control the titans. She’s there with daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) as they test out ORCA on newly hatched titan larva Mothra. Emma’s estranged husband Mark (Kyle Chandler), who helped develop the ORCA device with her, is currently leading a much simpler life, photographing wolves out in the wild having completely distanced himself from Monarch and the titans.
Things start to go wrong though when eco-terrorist Jonah Alan (Charles Dance) kidnaps Emma and Madison, along with the ORCA device. He wants to use ORCA to wake up the remaining titans and there’s a lot of talk about cleansing the earth, restoring balance etc, something which continues to be the motivational theme throughout the movie.
Jonah and his team, with help from Emma, break free a three-headed monster called Ghidorah from within the Antarctic ice, and that’s when things really kick off. Ghidorah assumes the position of King of the Monsters and he and the other titans begin wreaking havoc on planet Earth. When word reaches Mark that his wife and daughter are in danger, not to mention the rest of the world, he returns to work with Monarch. Meanwhile, Godzilla has resurfaced and is en route to Ghidorah, looking for a fight. At the same time Mothra takes herself off to a waterfall, cocooning herself so that she can gloriously emerge a bit later on in the movie.
Godzilla takes a bit of a pounding from Ghidorah, sustaining some serious damage and leaving the fate of the world in jeopardy. But, the fact that the title of this movie declares Godzilla to be the King of Monsters, along with the promotional material for next years ‘Godzilla Vs Kong’ movie that has begun emerging online, should give you a pretty good idea as to whether or not he makes a comeback.
Unfortunately, a lot of the action takes place in murky, rainy darkness, which is disappointing considering all of the marketing artwork that depicts the monsters and their battles in bright, vibrant colour. At times, far too many quick cuts make things difficult to follow – zipping between the action, the destruction and the humans that are in danger because of it. Cutting to the human cast does help to give us a sense of scale and panic but, at this point, they’ve all just become a little irrelevant. A lot of time is spent early on in the movie, introducing us to a lot of characters, with even more to come later on, but the majority of them just have very little to do or be concerned about when the monster fighting begins.
On the flip-side to all of that though, there are more than enough occasions where we find a downtrodden and seriously pissed off Godzilla handing out a satisfying series of beatings to the pretenders to his throne. I became fully invested in the huge scale of it all and what was at stake for the world. Overall I just found the whole thing really enjoyable.
Since his appearance in the 2014 movie, and his involvement in the destruction of San Francisco, Godzilla has been keeping a fairly low profile beneath the ocean. He is now closely monitored by monster organisation Monarch, who were introduced to us previously, most notably in the movie Kong: Skull Island. They have a number of outposts dotted around the globe, where they are also tracking various other ‘titans’, most of which are lying dormant. Monarch is currently involved in a conflict with the military, who would rather see the titans wiped out than try and co-exist with them in the way our ancestors did.
In a Chinese outpost, we meet Dr Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), who is working on a device called ORCA, something which will hopefully allow us to communicate with and control the titans. She’s there with daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) as they test out ORCA on newly hatched titan larva Mothra. Emma’s estranged husband Mark (Kyle Chandler), who helped develop the ORCA device with her, is currently leading a much simpler life, photographing wolves out in the wild having completely distanced himself from Monarch and the titans.
Things start to go wrong though when eco-terrorist Jonah Alan (Charles Dance) kidnaps Emma and Madison, along with the ORCA device. He wants to use ORCA to wake up the remaining titans and there’s a lot of talk about cleansing the earth, restoring balance etc, something which continues to be the motivational theme throughout the movie.
Jonah and his team, with help from Emma, break free a three-headed monster called Ghidorah from within the Antarctic ice, and that’s when things really kick off. Ghidorah assumes the position of King of the Monsters and he and the other titans begin wreaking havoc on planet Earth. When word reaches Mark that his wife and daughter are in danger, not to mention the rest of the world, he returns to work with Monarch. Meanwhile, Godzilla has resurfaced and is en route to Ghidorah, looking for a fight. At the same time Mothra takes herself off to a waterfall, cocooning herself so that she can gloriously emerge a bit later on in the movie.
Godzilla takes a bit of a pounding from Ghidorah, sustaining some serious damage and leaving the fate of the world in jeopardy. But, the fact that the title of this movie declares Godzilla to be the King of Monsters, along with the promotional material for next years ‘Godzilla Vs Kong’ movie that has begun emerging online, should give you a pretty good idea as to whether or not he makes a comeback.
Unfortunately, a lot of the action takes place in murky, rainy darkness, which is disappointing considering all of the marketing artwork that depicts the monsters and their battles in bright, vibrant colour. At times, far too many quick cuts make things difficult to follow – zipping between the action, the destruction and the humans that are in danger because of it. Cutting to the human cast does help to give us a sense of scale and panic but, at this point, they’ve all just become a little irrelevant. A lot of time is spent early on in the movie, introducing us to a lot of characters, with even more to come later on, but the majority of them just have very little to do or be concerned about when the monster fighting begins.
On the flip-side to all of that though, there are more than enough occasions where we find a downtrodden and seriously pissed off Godzilla handing out a satisfying series of beatings to the pretenders to his throne. I became fully invested in the huge scale of it all and what was at stake for the world. Overall I just found the whole thing really enjoyable.
JasonKeenan (9 KP) rated American Made (2017) in Movies
Sep 20, 2017
Watching this movie is had a good time, it was easy to watch, the acting was good, the story was good, unbelievably at time but the wierd thing is it's based on a true story
the only problem is for some reason it felt like it was on for 3hours, but it's only got a run time of 1hr 55mins, but it felt a lot longer, don't get me wrong i enjoyed it, it isn't felt like it was on too long, it might have been because I had already seen the funny parts in the trailers
But still a good movie
I would probably Wait till it's on Netflix or something
the only problem is for some reason it felt like it was on for 3hours, but it's only got a run time of 1hr 55mins, but it felt a lot longer, don't get me wrong i enjoyed it, it isn't felt like it was on too long, it might have been because I had already seen the funny parts in the trailers
But still a good movie
I would probably Wait till it's on Netflix or something
Andrew Furlong (14 KP) rated Star Trek Generations (1994) in Movies
Sep 27, 2017
Seeing Kirk and Picard in the same scene, even doing menial things, is still amusing (3 more)
Some interesting themes of time
The TNG crew is as likable as ever
Dennis McCarthy's subtle score is solid
The Nexus is a confusing plot device (1 more)
Feels too much like a TNG 2 parter
A bit too tvish perhaps, but not as bad as it's made out
While it does have flaws I do think Generations is better than it's regarded. The Nexus certainly creates a lot of plot holes and there's nothing this could have done that an episode of the show couldn't, but as someone who loves the show and TNG crew I find it enjoyable enough.
Rachel P (2 KP) rated Orphan Train: A Novel in Books
Jan 4, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. The setting skips between present day, where a girl raised in foster care meets an elderly lady and finds they have a lot in common. The present day chapters are told in third person. The flashback chapters depicting the older lady's childhood is told in first person and spans from her early childhood to mid-twenties.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was very good. There were some parts that were heartbreaking and hard to listen to, but overall, the book was very well-written. There were a few parts of the plot I wish were different, but those parts are what made the book feel more realistic.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was very good. There were some parts that were heartbreaking and hard to listen to, but overall, the book was very well-written. There were a few parts of the plot I wish were different, but those parts are what made the book feel more realistic.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Ricky Gervais Podcast in Podcasts
Jan 5, 2018
I think I was a bigger fan of Gervais before I listened to this podcast (and subsequently watched the various Karl Pilkington TV shows). I loved The Office, and some of his films. Some of his stand-up was funny. But here (as with the Pilkington shows) he just shows a nasty bitterness and bullying towards people that is not really entertaining. The best of the podcast is how Karl Pilkington reacts to it, but even then we know he is funny without that happening. This has really put me off Gervais quite a lot and I now see him as a "silly little fat man" who is just a spiteful bully.
Bird (1704 KP) rated The Shallows (2016) in Movies
May 7, 2017
It does grip you (when you are eventually introduced to the shark) (3 more)
Blake Lively does well to pull off the role as the movie's almost exclusive focus
Some beautifully shot scenes
You genrerally share the fear. It's a simple premise - stuck in the ocean with a big shark!
The first part of the movie exists to develop Lively's character but takes far too long (5 more)
Endless, unnecessary shots of Lively's 'rear end' cheapens the movie in its early stages
You get a LOT of blood from from a leg wound
Nothing new here - feels like an amalgamation of a few other better known movies
Some plot holes
That electronic music!
Jaws meets Castaway
Lemmiwinkz (13 KP) rated Legion - Season 1 in TV
Jun 27, 2017
Original (4 more)
Surreal
Soundtrack was on point
Aubrey Plaza
Dan Stevens
Mind fuck of a TV Show
I really enjoyed this show. It was everything I had wanted from a TV show involving a character as complex as David Haller.
The set pieces were spectacular and the surreal and weirdness of this show kept you questioning everything about what was going on.
Considering the show ran for 8 episodes in the grand scheme of things not a lot actually happened when you take away all the insanity from Haller's mind, but don't let that detract you from this wonderfully crafted show with links to the Marvel world.
Just sit back and enjoy the unimaginable.
The set pieces were spectacular and the surreal and weirdness of this show kept you questioning everything about what was going on.
Considering the show ran for 8 episodes in the grand scheme of things not a lot actually happened when you take away all the insanity from Haller's mind, but don't let that detract you from this wonderfully crafted show with links to the Marvel world.
Just sit back and enjoy the unimaginable.
Susan (45 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Jun 29, 2017
80s nostalgia! Brought back a lot of memories of my old Atari (2 more)
Well written with so much depth to all characters
Found myself "there" in the book, a rare and wonderful occurrence
One of the best books I've ever read!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I really stepped outside my usual genres with this one. Recommended to me by a friend, I decided to give it a chance. I was instantly hooked and could not stop reading it. Like the people in the book who lived in a virtual reality, I too found myself totally immersed in this book. I could see, feel, smell, touch and taste the world created by Ernest Cline.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Jun 29, 2017
Gal Gadot (1 more)
Amazon Opening Scence
I want to be an Amazon
The opening of this film was spectacular. the use of athletes as amazon was genious and worked better than anything CGI could produce. I truley was excited by this film and then they left the Island.
Unfortunely I found the middle to be far to long didnt feel a great connection between Diana and Steve on boat or in London. Honestly if those scence where a lot shorter I would of given this film a 10/10. however they kept the length and for me it ruined the film. The last half hour was great and the opening was stunning.
Unfortunely I found the middle to be far to long didnt feel a great connection between Diana and Steve on boat or in London. Honestly if those scence where a lot shorter I would of given this film a 10/10. however they kept the length and for me it ruined the film. The last half hour was great and the opening was stunning.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Insurgent (2015) in Movies
Jun 30, 2017
Do these people read the books
When it comes to the books. I love this series till Alligent. First book amazing premise, Second Book good but predictable Third well don't talk about it rushed and fractured and tried to hard to be clever and ended up failing. However this is a film review
Divergent movie first half was close to book second half changed for Hollywood glam
Insurgent film Just went for Hollywood glam and through a lot of the plot out the window if you want a action movie don't give it the same name as a book if your not going to keep the premise.
Divergent movie first half was close to book second half changed for Hollywood glam
Insurgent film Just went for Hollywood glam and through a lot of the plot out the window if you want a action movie don't give it the same name as a book if your not going to keep the premise.