TALKBACK: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) - SPOILERS -

[mbozzo]

I've seen the movie, yesterday. I has to post that it was a good movie. As a Godzilla fan, I like all the fan service in this movie. It has more fan service than the 2014 movie ever had.

[william newell]

Just curious, was there ever an explanation(either official or fan speculation)on how Ghidorah managed to get trapped in ice in the first place?

[Baltan II]

There’s at least inference that Ghidorah lost a fight for dominance with Godzilla. Probably collapsed through ice and was trapped or buried.

[lhb412]

Speaking of Godzilla fighting Ghidorah, what was the storytelling purpose of there being three fights? In the first one they tussle for a second and Ghidorah runs off. In the second, Godzilla is winning and is interrupted by the Oxygen Destroyer. The third is the final battle.

This strikes me as... wrong? If we're to infer that Godzilla defeated King Ghidorah who was them frozen on the ice all those years ago then Godzilla has consistently defeated Ghidorah through the ages and the only reason he almost doesn't this time is because the Oxygen Destroyer. I can understand the logic behind this, saying it's humanity interfering that causes the trouble, but that is underdeveloped and I don't think very satisfying. It somehow makes Ghidorah less tough than in his original film, Astro-Monster, and Destroy All Monsters where Godzilla alone isn't enough to defeat him because he's so strong. It makes more dramatic sense for Godzilla to be soundly defeated by Ghidorah halfway through the film so that he can rise back up and make up for his previous defeat, right?

Compare this to other Kaiju films where there are three fights.

In Gamera 2, Gamera manages to catch the Legion unawares in the first fight but is still injured and in the second fight is horribly injured and left for dead, meaning there's a lot of drama for that last battle where Gamera regroups and takes on Legion. In Godzilla vs. Hedorah we get the sense of Hedorah becoming more and more powerful with each fight. In the first, Godzilla repels Hedorah but can do nothing to actually harm him, and in the second, Hedorah brushes Godzilla off, impressing on the audience the extreme difficulty Godzilla will have in vanquishing his foe in the final battle.

What I'm saying is the dramatic underpinning of the Godzilla v. Ghidorah rivalry is underwhelmingly executed.

[Benjamin Haines]

[Baltan II]

Given the Anguirus skeleton and depictions of Mothra, would not surprise me if Godzilla’s original final fight wasn’t won alone.

[Gentleman]

I don't know if this has been brought up earlier in the thread, and honestly I'm too lazy to go read through the whole thing, but...

I love how the ending of the film proves that the "bad guys" had the right of it the whole time. If they had just left Ghidorah where he was, their plan would have worked even better than they predicted. The other Titans, operating on their own, didn't seem to bother with humanity very much, so there wouldn't have been the mass extinction they had expected. Even better, their presence had begun to heal Nature's problems with minimal danger to the human race.

In their new world, the Titans would always be a potential threat just by virtue of their sheer size and power, but Godzilla's role seems to be to keep them in check (and that's not even considering any new Orca technology being developed). The benefits of living in the new paradigm seem to far outweigh the negative. So, the world is a better place with the Titans in it. As long as there are no more wildcards like King Ghidorah around, that is.

Thank you, bad guys.

[Benjamin Haines]

[Gentleman]

Like I said, expressly, if they hadn't woken Ghidorah their plan would have worked better. Yes, Rodan caused death and destruction upon his release. Probably more than one Titan did the same, but remember also they were being goaded into a frenzy by Ghidorah's command. The loss of human life was probably quite high. But now that Godzilla is King, their deliberate attacks seem to have ceased. Left to their own wills, the Titans also seem to be repairing Nature as they move, leaving the rest of the world in an improving situation.

And I put it that the headlines in the end credits do indeed put forth the indication that the danger to humanity is minimal. They read:

"Titans Returning to Natural Environments"

"Monarch Releases Titan Studies to Public"

"Rodan Nesting in Volcano North of Fiji"

"Mysterious Rainforest Blooms in Sahara Desert: Strange New Life Appears After Titan Activity"

"Monarch: Decades of Secrecy Revealed"

"Godzilla's Path Through Pacific Bringing Life Back to Reefs, Restoring Fish Populations"

"Monarch Confirms Ancient Greek Origin of Squid-Like Titan Known As 'Scylla'"

"Godzilla Keeps Titans in Check: King of Monsters Defends Cities From Attack, Keeps 'Natural Order'"

"'Behemoth' Titan Restores Deforested Regions of Amazon"

"Scylla Slows Ice Melt in Antarctica, Stabilizing Sea Levels"

"As Ecosystems Heal, 14 Species Taken Off Endangered List"

"Ancient Rivalries Between Titans Suspected"

"Breaking News: Travelers On The Carnival Breeze Received A Surprise Visit from Godzilla on Tuesday As They Traveled From Miami To Cuba"

"Titan Waste Could Be Viable Energy Source"

"Are Prehistoric Plants New Superfood"

"Seismic Disturbances Reported on Skull Island"

"New TItans Drawn to Skull Island"

"Monarch Boosts Forces Around Skull Island"

"Monarch Finds Massive Egg"

"Ancient 'Hollow Earth' Humans Coexisted With Titans"

"Monarch to Explore Hollow Earth"

And finally, "What is a King to a God?"

Now, obviously, these headlines are not all-inclusive, but it's pretty clear they were meant to be a "slice of life" smattering of examples. If the Titans were going bonkers and flattening cities left and right, they'd be the sole headline of every news feed in the world. Instead, there's only one real mention of it, when Godzilla shepherds them away from humanity. Does he prevent every Titan from brushing against humanity? Doubtful. He's the only one who seems to be doing it, and he can't be everywhere at once. So yes, there is a chance that humans are in constant danger from these beasts. But it doesn't seem like it's a prevailing danger. Instead, the Titans reach celebrity status, with their comings and goings as doted on as a red carpet photo op.

The other headlines mention Titans doing their own, separate things, sometimes in the most uninhabited areas of the world. Rodan's nest in the Fiji Islands isn't going to thrill the inhabitants, but it doesn't seem like he's doing them any damage, either. Behemoth and Scylla, the only other two named, seem to be taking pains to stay as far out of mankind's way as possible. And on their way, they're bringing very positive change to the Earth and its environment, which is a huge benefit to humanity, too.

This isn't to say that they will never be a danger to humanity as a whole. Whenever a population of creatures up to 300 feet high or with 800 foot wingspans settles in to share the earth, there's always going to be danger. But at the moment that doesn't seem to be the way of it. Yes, there was a huge loss of life. But those that are left (and a lot more are left than Tywin Lannister expected) are in a better world. Just like the bad guys wanted.

[Benjamin Haines]

[TerranigmaFreak]

[mr.negativity]

Godzilla Reveals An Ancient Human & Titan War (That Caused The Ice Age)

[GFan]

[Baltan II]

In another universe, King of the Monsters did so well that the proposed ancient Godzilla film concept was greenlit, climaxing in a fight that would do the final battle of DAM proud! Alas, not this timeline.

[Dr Kain]

Finally reviewed this film for the channel:

[tbeasley]

[lhb412]

^ This was a bad year for Warner Brothers aside from Joker. Their DC films have certainly reversed course in are now pretty popular. Also, last year Sony did pretty darn well in the box office. Add the fact that Disney has less sure-fire hits this year then the last few. Things are topsy-turvy!

I'm just glad more different types of films are doing well in the box office. What kills me is when there's a lack of variety. Seeing films like Us, Midsomer, Hustlers, Knives Out, 1917, etc. do well is heartening.