Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack Review
By Paul Rudoff on Sep. 1, 2019 at 9:33 PM in Home Video

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) is the latest installment in Legendary Pictures' "Monsterverse", which already consists of Godzilla (2014) and Kong: Skull Island (2017). Is Godzilla truly the "king"? Read on to find out...

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species - thought to be mere myths - rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.

The film takes place five years after the events of Godzilla (2014), and while you don't have to have seen it, this film will spoil the fate of a major character, so it's best if you do see the 2014 film first. Although he's the title character, Godzilla isn't the only monster, or "Titan" as they're called, to appear in the film. Joining the atomic beast are Mothra, Ghidorah, and Rodan. The only one missing is Godzooky :-)

While the Titans are the stars, very little screen time is spent on them. The majority of the film is overly concerned with a cornucopia of characters, some of whom only appear for the briefest moments. Case in point: The Brother himself, Joe Morton, appears for a few seconds in a throwaway role as Dr. Houston Brooks. Such a waste of his talents. The only humans who left any sort of impression on me were the awesome Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell and Charles Dance as Alan Jonah; the later of whom gloriously crews the scenery as a bad guy in a similar vein to the one he played in Last Action Hero. I would have liked to have seen more of these characters and less of the others, most of whom were "filler" and a waste of some notable actors: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Ziyi Zhang, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch, David Strathairn, and CCH Pounder.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) looks, well, weird. The whole movie is bathed in an unnatural mix of either teal/blue or amber/orange. Yes, I know that this abhorrent color grading is very common in major motion pictures, but it's taken to such an extreme here that I can't, for one minute, believe that anything in this movie's "world" is real. It completely kills my suspension of disbelief. The 1998 Godzilla film actually feels more realistic...and that's saying something!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 2:11:42. Audio languages include English, English Descriptive, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The film includes English SDH, Spanish, French, and Portuguese subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.

Here is a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on in the set.
- Audio Commentary - Featuring director Michael Dougherty, producer Zack Shields, and actor O'Shea Jackson, Jr.
- Monsters 101 (5:43) - Includes "Godzilla: Nature's Fearsome Guardian", "Mothra: Queen of the Monsters", "Ghidorah: The Living Extinction Machine", and "Rodan: Airborne God of Fire".
- Evolution of the Titans (27:24) - Includes "Godzilla 2.0", "Making Morthra", "Creating Ghidorah", and "Reimagining Rodan".
- Monarch in Action (32:56) - Includes "The Yunnan Temple", "Castle Bravo", "The Antarctic Base", "The Isla de Maro Volcano", and "The Undersea Lair".
- Millie Bobby Brown: Force of Nature (4:07) - A short featurette on the young British actress best known for her portrayal of Eleven on Stranger Things.
- Monster Tech: Monarch Joins the Fight (8:34) - A look at the real and invented technology used in the film.
- Monsters Are Real (14:18) - Comparing real-life and fictional mythology of monsters.
- Welcome to the Monsterverse (3:42) - Insights into the new "Monsterverse" cinematic universe, which includes not only this but, but also Godzilla (2014) and Kong: Skull Island (2017).
- Deleted Scenes (5:01) - Includes "Scene 56: Mark's Flashback (Extended Version)" and "Scenes 100-102: Boxing Practice, Argument, and Radio Room".
- Theatrical Trailers (12:08) - Includes "Life", "Supremacy", "Over the Rainbow", and "Wonder Rumble".

A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc black UHD Blu-ray case.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) is available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, and individual DVD.
All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film or were provided by Warner Brothers. The item was provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.
No feedback yet
Leave a comment
« Roxanne Blu-Ray Review (Retro VHS Look Series) | Excess Baggage Blu-Ray Review (Retro VHS Look Series) » |