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‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ lacks in character development

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows a scene from "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

A common complaint of 2014’s “Godzilla” was that there wasn’t enough Godzilla. The filmmakers made sure to take this into consideration, perhaps a little too much. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” places the monsters at the forefront while completely disregarding every other integral element of film.

After Godzilla saved the world from destruction, titan research agency, Monarch, continues their search for more monsters. The awakening of these monsters instigates a battle with catastrophic repercussion that only Godzilla can put an end to.

It is always appreciated when the input of fans is listened to. I can agree that previously the sparse use of Godzilla made for a less exciting film, but it made those few moments riveting. The abundance of monsters this time, as well as scenes featuring them, created less of an effect as the film continued. Still, I cannot deny that the monster fight scenes were a spectacular; they were full of beautiful animation that was necessary for battles this grand. It is the paramount want in a “Godzilla” movie, and one that is fulfilled.

But what did it cost? Honestly, the entire rest of the film took the blow as a result of this decision.

It was mainly a monster film, with human characters doing insignificant things in the background as an afterthought. The only real use of the characters was to give exposition. The script shamelessly told the audience of what was happening with unnatural dialogue instead of attempting to show them. Storytelling like this is so incredibly boring, especially in a film as lengthy as this one. I believe that it initially was shorter than the filmmakers wanted it. The inclusion of an almost 30 minute side story was certainly forced in for filler that could have been wiped out, with an end result that would not have changed the slightest.

The real loss has to be the characters. The emphasis on the monsters made no room for any of the underutilized talented cast. It is so difficult to be concerned over what happens to said character when they are not fleshed out in the slightest. This film knows this is true, too; the death of two major characters is so quickly glanced over that you can tell the writers did not pay worthwhile attention to them. How is a person supposed to connect with a film when there is no character to do so through?

Well, at least there were monsters because there was nothing else. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is undoubtedly a monster film, a bad one at that. The scary disease of “sequelitis” sadly strikes again, leaving what Godzilla leaves in its path: a wreck.

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