Godzilla: King of the Monsters Dvd

Godzilla: King of the Monsters[b] is a 2019 monster film directed by Michael Dougherty and co-written by Dougherty with Zach Shields. A sequel to Godzilla (2014), it is the 35th film in the Godzilla franchise, the third film in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, and the third Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio.[c] It is dedicated to executive producer Yoshimitsu Banno and original Godzilla suit performer Haruo Nakajima, who both died in 2017.

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, Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi. In the film, humans must rely on Godzilla and Mothra to defeat King Ghidorah, who has awakened other Titans to destroy the world. The sequel was green-lit during the opening weekend of Godzilla, with Gareth Edwards expected to return to direct a trilogy. In May 2016, Edwards left the project. In October 2016, Dougherty and Shields were hired to rewrite the script. In January 2017, Dougherty was announced as the director. Principal photography began in June 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, and wrapped in September 2017.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was theatrically released on May 31, 2019, to mixed reviews, with praise for the visual effects, action sequences, cinematography, and musical score but criticism aimed at the pacing, tone, plot, and characters. The film was a box office disappointment, grossing $386 million worldwide against a production budget between $170–200 million and marketing costs between $100–150 million. A sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong, is scheduled to be released on May 21, 2021.

Plot

Five years after the existence of giant monsters, now called “Titans,” was revealed to the world, Dr. Emma Russell, a paleobiologist working for the Titan-studying organization Monarch, and her daughter Madison witness the birth of a larva called Mothra. Emma calms Mothra using the “Orca,” a device that can emit frequencies to attract or alter Titan behavior. A group of eco-terrorists, led by Alan Jonah, attacks the base and kidnaps Emma and Madison, while Mothra flees and pupates under a nearby waterfall.

Monarch scientists Dr. Ishirō Serizawa and Dr. Vivienne Graham approach former employee Dr. Mark Russell, Emma’s ex-husband and Madison’s father, to help track them down. Mark is reluctant at first due to his hatred toward Godzilla, whom he blames for the death of his son Andrew, but eventually agrees. The Monarch team follows Godzilla to Antarctica, where Jonah intends to free a three-headed Titan codenamed “Monster Zero.” Emma frees and awakens Monster Zero, who battles Godzilla, devours Graham and escapes. The team then learns that Emma is working with the terrorists. From a Monarch bunker in Boston, Emma contacts Monarch and argues that the Titans must be awakened in order to heal the Earth from the damages that humans have caused.

Emma awakens Rodan in Mexico. Monarch lures Rodan into fighting the approaching Monster Zero, but Monster Zero swiftly defeats Rodan before being ambushed by Godzilla, who severs his left head. During the fight, the Navy launches a prototype missile called the “Oxygen Destroyer,” seemingly killing Godzilla. Unaffected, Monster Zero regrows his lost head and awakens all the other dormant Titans around the world, with Rodan submitting to his rule. Madison disowns Emma for her role in the destruction and loss of life caused by the awakened Titans.

Through mythological texts, Dr. Ilene Chen discovers that Monster Zero is King Ghidorah, a prehistoric alien seeking to terraform the Earth to his liking. Mothra emerges from her cocoon and flies to “Castle Bravo,” Monarch’s Bermuda base, to communicate with Godzilla, who is recuperating from the detonation in an ancient underwater city. Via submarine, the team locates Godzilla’s lair, which is highly radioactive. They deduce it will take far too long for Godzilla to heal on his own and decide to detonate a nuclear warhead to speed up the process. Serizawa sacrifices himself by manually detonating the warhead, reviving Godzilla and increasing his power.

Emma realizes the destruction Ghidorah and the other Titans will bring to the world is much worse than anything that humans could inflict, but Jonah ignores her pleas to stop. Madison overhears this and steals the Orca. Arriving at Fenway Park, Madison broadcasts a frequency that calms the Titans but unwittingly attracts all of them to her location. Ghidorah lands in Boston to destroy the Orca. Godzilla arrives with Monarch’s assistance to engage him in battle. Mark leads a team to rescue Madison and escape the city after learning Godzilla’s radiation levels are increasing and will lead to a thermonuclear explosion. Mothra arrives to help Godzilla but is intercepted by Rodan; she defeats him but is badly injured in the process.

Ghidorah overpowers Godzilla and prepares to kill him, but Mothra sacrifices herself and transfers her energy to Godzilla, rapidly healing him. Mark, Emma, and Madison are reunited and reactivate the Orca to lure Ghidorah away from Godzilla. Emma sacrifices herself to lead Ghidorah away, giving Mark, Madison, and Monarch time to escape. Godzilla enters a newly-empowered state and defeats Ghidorah with nuclear pulses. Rodan and the other Titans converge on Godzilla and bow to him.

During the end credits, news clippings and Monarch files show that the Titans are helping to heal the planet, a suspected second Mothra egg has been discovered, and some of the Titans are converging on Skull Island. Ancient cave paintings of Godzilla and Kong in battle are shown. In a post-credits scene, Jonah and his forces purchase Ghidorah’s severed left head in Mexico.

Cast

Kyle Chandler as Dr. Mark Russell:
Emma’s ex-husband, Madison’s father, an animal behavior and communication specialist who formerly worked for Monarch, and co-inventor of the “Orca”, a device that enables communication with the Titans, but can also “potentially control them using their bioacoustics on a sonar level”. After suffering the loss of his son, Mark has an unfavorable opinion of the Titans, Godzilla in particular. Despite this, he joins a rescue mission along with Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Graham to save Emma and Madison from Alan Jonah and his terrorist group. Chandler spoke of the film’s themes being about “healing the planet”.
Vera Farmiga as Dr. Emma Russell:
Mark’s ex-wife, Madison’s mother and a renegade Monarch paleobiologist with a history of environmental activism in league with eco-terrorist Alan Jonah. She is the co-inventor of the Orca. Unlike Mark, Emma believes that humans and Titans can co-exist peacefully. She does not see Godzilla as evil, but as a potential savior in an age of catastrophic climate change. Farmiga stated that Emma views Godzilla in the same manner one views Mother Nature, specifying, “when these devastating natural occurrences come, it’s because the environment has been mistreated and is showing righteous anger.” Emma and Madison conspire with a mysterious organization interested in her technology, with their own plans for the creatures. Farmiga described her character as being a “DJ for the monsters”, stating, “she has figured out a way to communicate with the creatures”, she also described the film being about “saving the environment”. Farmiga noted that while the previous film focused on a father/son relationship, King of the Monsters focuses on a mother/daughter relationship. Due to this, Farmiga believes the film may pass the Bechdel test.
Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell:
Emma and Mark’s 12-year-old daughter.
Alexandra Rachael Rabe as Young Madison Russell
Bradley Whitford as Dr. Rick Stanton:
A crypto-sonographer working for Monarch. Dougherty confirmed that Dr. Stanton is loosely modeled after Rick Sanchez from Rick and Morty. Dougherty had the character “drink a lot” to keep the character in line with the spirit of Sanchez.
Sally Hawkins as Dr. Vivienne Graham:
A paleozoologist working for Monarch as Serizawa’s right-hand woman. Hawkins reprises her role from Godzilla (2014).
Charles Dance as Alan Jonah:
A former British Army SAS Colonel and MI-6 agent who defected after becoming disillusioned by humanity during his time in the service. Obsessed with “leveling the global playing field” and restoring the natural order, he became the mercenary leader of an anarchist eco-terrorist group funded through the trafficking of Titan DNA. He conspires with Emma and Madison to help them use the Orca to further their shared agenda. Dougherty described Jonah as a mysterious character with conflicting ideas about the Titans’ role in the world, believing that mankind has damaged the planet and that bringing back the Titans will potentially set things right.
Thomas Middleditch as Sam Coleman:
Monarch’s Director of Technology, leader on the development of the Monarch Sciences network, and communications liaison with the U.S. government.
Aisha Hinds as Colonel Diane Foster:
A decorated Green Beret and the leader of the G-Team, the special military forces group run by Monarch specializing in battles involving Titans.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Jackson Barnes:
A Green Beret chief warrant officer who is a member of the G-Team.
David Strathairn as Admiral William Stenz:
An Admiral in the 7th Fleet of the United States Navy. He is the commander of the U.S. Navy task force and was previously in charge of tracking down the MUTOs. Strathairn reprises his role from Godzilla (2014).
Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishirō Serizawa:
A high-ranking scientist working for Monarch. His father Eiji Serizawa was one of Monarch’s founding members, so he is seen by many as the agency’s de facto leader. Watanabe reprises his role from Godzilla (2014). Watanabe noted the film’s themes, stating, “In the 21st century we need to do think about natural disasters. This creature is symbolic of that natural disaster. We cannot control them, but we must live on this planet.”
Zhang Ziyi as Dr. Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling:
Dr. Ilene Chen is a mythologist working for Monarch, specializing in deciphering the mythological backgrounds of the Titans in connection with tales and legends throughout history. With her twin sister Dr. Ling, Ilene is a third generation Monarch operative in her family, having joined the agency like their grandmother and mother before them. The Chens come from several generations of twins in their family, with an early pair visiting Infant Island, depicted in Mothra (1961) as Mothra’s home. Dougherty intended the Chen sisters and their connection to Mothra to be a modernized version of the Shobijin, Mothra’s twin fairies, explaining, “It was important to me to find ways to modernize the ideas that she has followers. Modernize the priestesses. There are still certain realms of believability to keep in take. You have to ease people into the more fantastical aspects.” He noted that the twins were a “perfect example” showing humans and monsters cooperating and forming a “symbiotic relationship with each other”. Dougherty also felt that the twins should be portrayed by Asian actresses, same as in the Toho films.
Joe Morton appears as an older Dr. Houston Brooks, a character that originally appeared in Kong: Skull Island, where he was portrayed by Corey Hawkins. Additionally, CCH Pounder portrays Senator Williams, Anthony Ramos portrays Staff Sergeant Anthony Martinez, Elizabeth Ludlow plays First Lieutenant Lauren Griffin, Jonathan Howard portrays Asher Jonah, and Randy Havens portrays Dr. Tim Mancini. Tyler Crumley plays Mark and Emma’s son and Madison’s brother Andrew. Kevin Shinick cameos as a weatherman. Through performance capture, T.J. Storm reprises his role as Godzilla, while Jason Liles, Alan Maxson, and Richard Dorton portray the heads of King Ghidorah. Liles also portrays Rodan via performance capture.