Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray Movie Review

Monster Mash-Up.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 23, 2019

As a sequel to Godzilla (2014) and a continuation of Legendary Pictures' "Monstervese" (established by that film and Kong: Skull Island), Michael Dougherty's Godzilla: King of the Monsters would have big shoes to fill even if it wasn't riding the wave of a 65-year-old kaiju franchise that includes dozens of films -- many of which will be given new life on Blu-ray as part of Criterion's upcoming massive boxed set -- as well as video games and more than a few music albums, including this classic. Point being, Godzilla is a pop culture phenomenon that means a lot to his fan base...so anything but a perfect blend of great characters and massive destruction probably isn't going to go over well.

Case in point: King of the Monsters received mixed to negative reviews upon its theatrical release back in May, most of which focused on its bland (human) characters and pacing. Without question, both are easily its weakest elements and stem from the same root problem: a clear case of, respectively, too many and too much. King of the Monsters is absolutely stuffed with supporting characters and sub-plots -- enough to fill a sequel or two, perhaps -- which cripples the film's ability to focus on anything intently, robbing many scenes of greater impact due to the sheer excess of it all. Adding to the chaos are at least a half-dozen towering Titans (including Godzilla himself, of course, as well as Mothra, Ghidorah AKA "Monster Zero", and Rodan) and the CGI-laced destruction they leave in their wake. Even at a relatively slim 120 minutes before credits, King of the Monsters feels exhausting in its abundance, a figurative double feature that would have been much more potent with judicious editing and another draft of the script.

So why did I end up liking it anyway? King of the Monsters was obviously crafted with die-hard Godzilla fans in mind, and ones who will thoroughly enjoy picking up the little shout-outs and Easter eggs that pay respect to earlier installments. These small but important moments feel celebratory and authentic, not like some sort of short-sighted decision by committee to please the broadest possible audience. The wanton destruction and visual effects, excessive as they can be at times, are very well-done for the most part and convey a suitably enormous sense of scale. Bear McCreary's score is another highlight, carrying many of the dramatic moments nicely while likewise paying respect to classic cues. I'd call it an overall toss-up with Gareth Edwards' 2014 film and a big step up from that 1998 dumpster fire, but wouldn't dare rank it on a scale with the almost three dozen Toho films that began in 1954 and have no intention of stopping in the near future. I can only say that, for all its blatant human faults and overstuffed ideas, King of the Monsters feels spiritually closer in tone to the better Toho productions than either of its two previous Hollywood namesakes. Even if that's not good enough for you, give this one a shot and decide for yourself.

One thing's for sure: those who enjoyed King of the Monsters in theaters will love Warner Bros.' excellent Blu-ray package, and even those on the fence will likely be swayed by its charms. The outstanding A/V presentation (perhaps highlighted by a truly awesome Dolby Atmos mix) is almost worth the price of admission alone, but we also get a strong assortment of extras -- doubly impressive, considering the movie only premiered in theaters three months ago. It's a fine package only bested by its 4K counterpart, whose review is forthcoming. For now, let's dig in.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Without a doubt, Warner Bros.' 1080p transfer of Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a solid presentation of complex source material. There's so much green-screen and CGI that the film quickly establishes a heightened atmosphere and stays there, ushering in an odd mixture of razor-sharp reality and textured, not-always-convincing visual effects. (Hardly a criticism, mind you, since we are dealing with fantastic, fictional beasts.) Although the sheer amount of computer-generated material is somewhat exhausting from a sensory standpoint, the Blu-ray handles all the detail and color quite nicely, from rough scales to glowing embers and just about everything in-between. It's no secret that King of the Monsters offers style over substance, which extends to the lighting as well: it's dramatic and surprisingly colorful at times, with an overall effect that favors a dynamic "cool factor" over any kind of sustained logic or reason. Skin tones seem accurate, black levels run extremely deep, and shadow detail rarely suffers. All told, the film's visuals are at times extremely impressive and they're served well on Blu-ray, with only trace amounts of banding and slight compression artifacts on display during subtle color gradients and more complex visual effects.

The separately-available 4K disc (review forthcoming) offers a clear improvement but, in almost every respect, Warner Bros.' excellent 1080p transfer will be more than enough for many viewers.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's even better news in the audio department: the default (yes, defualt) Dolby Atmos mix is every bit as good as expected, and then some. Plenty of discrete channel separation and strong panning effects here; many scenes do a great job of enveloping viewers right in the middle of the action, and the low end is represented exceptionally well to boot. Dialogue is often front and center for the rare intimate conversations, while others are quite crowded and spill into the rear channels -- the same holds true in larger, cavernous locales. Bear McCreary's original score also holds its own; although there's less music than you'd think, it kicks in when needed and adds a predictable amount of on-the-nose support during epic battles, intense stare-downs, and a few of the more somber moments as well.

Height-wise, there's also a lot of panning and perfect placement here -- no surprise at all, given the size of Godzilla's non-human characters -- which adds another layer of immersion that makes this as close to perfect as home theater audio gets. (For those without Atmos-enabled receivers, don't worry: it automatically folds down into a more-than-respectable Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix.) Overall, it's a top-tier effort that shakes your room at just the right moments. Optional subtitles are included during the main feature and all applicable extras in the languages listed above.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

King of the Monsters is packaged in a standard dual-hubbed keepcase with a matching slipcover and Digital Copy code. Its best extras are surprisingly robust, while most of the fluffier promotional bits are even worth a once-over.

• Monsters 101 (5:32 total) - This multi-part featurette focuses on four of the main Titans including Godzilla ("Nature's Fearsome Guardian"), Mothra ("Queen of the Monsters"), Ghidorah ("The Living Extinction Machine"), and Rodan ("Airborne God of Fire"). These are laughably short and surface level -- barely a minute each, as you can tell by the running time -- but are largely spoiler-free, if you're a new fan and want a quick overview.

• Evolution of the Titans (27:24 total) - Another multi-part piece that covers the visual effects and tools used to develop the same four characters; it's lot more interesting and informative overall due to the longer running time, and likewise contains a few interview clips with key cast and crew members. It stands alone well enough, but could have easily been stitched together with the previous featurette for a more complete presentation.

• Monarch in Action (32:56 total) - This five-part segment takes a closer look at five major settings from the film including the Yunnan Temple, Castle Bravo, the Antarctic base, the Isla de Maro volcano, and Godzilla's undersea lair. Storyboards are included, as well as pre-visualization clips, concept art, cast/crew comments, behind-the-scenes clips, and more, which collectively go into a pretty solid amount of detail.

• Millie Bobby Brown: Force of Nature (4:07) - Oh, she's actually British. Cool, I guess.

• Monster Tech: Monarch Joins the Fight (8:34) - A short but interesting piece about the real and invented military-grade technology seen during the film.

• Monsters Are Real (14:18) - One of those third-party featurettes with a few "experts" that attempt to bridge the gap between mythology and real life. Not really my thing, but some fans might find it worth a watch.

• Welcome to the Monsterverse (3:42) - A broader look at Godzilla (2014) and Kong: Skull Island.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (5:01) including "Mark's Flashback" (extended version) and "Boxing Practice, Argument, and Radio Room". Yeah, these were rightly cut but still nice to see.

• Theatrical Trailers (12:08) titled "Life", "Supremacy", "Over the Rainbow", and "Wonder Rumble".

• Audio Commentary - This full-length track features director Michael Dougherty, producer Zack Shields, and actor O'Shea Jackson, Jr. It's a solid track that covers a lot of ground including shout-outs and homages to earlier Godzilla films, casting, visual effects, Easter Eggs, the on-set experiences, favorite moments, re-shoots, cut scenes, cinematography, music and sound design, building on Gareth Edwards' 2014 film, and much more. Audio commentaries are unfortunately a dying breed, so this is especially nice to have.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Dougherty's Godzilla: King of the Monsters is an attempt to travel further down the path forged by Gareth Edwards' 2014 film, as well as carve out its own identity while paying respect to the franchise as a whole. It'll appeal to die-hard fans first and foremost but, from a dramatic standpoint, doesn't always hit the mark: it's wildly overstuffed with characters and plot elements, some of which should have been saved for the forthcoming sequel. When it finally reaches critical mass, King of the Monsters does destruction and chaos very well...so if you're in it for big monsters and buildings, you'll probably get your money's worth. You'll also enjoy Warner Bros.' Blu-ray from top to bottom: not only do we get an excellent A/V presentation, but the extras are well-rounded and surprisingly stacked for a first-time release with such a short theater-to-video window. Recommended to established fans and newcomers alike.