GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

Godzilla has been rampaging through cities since 1954 and has appeared in all shapes and sizes, most recently in Gareth Edwards' 2014 reboot that kick-started the MonsterVerse Legendary want to turn into a box-office behemoth of their own. Edwards delivered a film that held back the beast, making us wait for the smackdown between giants whereas Michael Dougherty has opted for a different approach, delivering smackdown upon smackdown as if going out of fashion.

Crypto-zoological agency Monarch find themselves out of their depth when Godzilla crosses paths with fellow titans; Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, King Ghidorah, leading to a fight for supremacy, the likes of which have never been seen.

They were definitely thinking go big or go home with this film and the result is a summer blockbuster where logic takes a back seat and you should prepare yourself by strapping into your seat because this film is loud. King of the Monsters doesn't tease us the monsters like its predecessor, instead opting to show them in all their glory, with some quite stunning shots thrown in to emphasise the sheer scale and power of these beasts.

When they come, the action scenes are quite something to behold, the impressive visuals bringing the magnificent beasts to life with such detail and ferocity. They are entangled amongst a very messy screenplay, the human characters providing the film with quite a few moments of failed humour however, I can excuse dumb human characters when they're not the main event. Godzilla and his fellow titans are what we're all in the cinema to see and on that note, Michael Dougherty's film does not disappoint.

The characters being a little dumb doesn't mean the performances are bad mind, the main trio that drive the human narrative forward; Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown, being the best of the bunch. Charles Dance hams it up in an expected villainous role while Bradley Whitford is unfortunately lumbered with a lot of the lame jokes that plague the screenplay. Films like this always make me judge the performances more on what they've been given to work with and, with such a screenplay, they've actually done a solid job.

In a world where superhero franchises rule the box-office, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a welcome reminder that it's not just those from the world of Marvel and DC can provide so much city-levelling entertainment. Godzilla vs. Kong next year may just be too big for even an IMAX screen.

Verdict: ★★★