Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Review Roundup: What Do the Critics Think?

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, and the latest film in the “Monsterverse,” following 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. It hits theaters on Friday, May 31.

As the title suggests, the movie features several other classic giant monsters, including Mothra, Rodan, and the terrifying King Ghidorah. In terms of the human cast, it stars Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring), Kyle Chandler (Game Night), Millie Bobbie Brown (Stranger Things), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Ken Watanabe (Inception), and O’Shea Jackson Jr (Straight Outta Compton). It’s directed by Michael Dougherty.

Ahead of the movie’s release, reviews have been published online. We’re collecting excerpts here to help you get an idea for if the movie is worth your time and money. For more on the critical reaction to the film, head to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters
  • Directed By: Michael Dougherty
  • Written By: Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields
  • Starring: Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobbie Brown, Sally Hawkins.
  • Release Date: May 30
  • Runtime: 132 minutes

GameSpot

“Simply put: It’s fun. It’s fun to sit around and root for Godzilla to come save us, even if he’s completely obliterating whole cities in the process. King Of The Monsters knows this in its bones, and that’s what it wants to deliver. It’s a kaiju movie where the kaiju themselves are the stars and that’s what makes it such a great ride.” — Meg Downey [Full review]

The Wrap

“Whereas 2014’s Godzilla made us wait too long for the monster-movie money shots, this one offers a family story made all the more heartfelt thanks to committed performances by Millie Bobbie Brown, Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler, not to mention a constant stream of the kind of rock-em-sock-em action that makes you want to see a film like this in the first place.”– Alonso Duralde [Full review]

AV Club

“When they fight each other, or scream in triumph over the smoking ruins of various world capitals, it’s difficult not to fist-pump a little. However, to Dougherty’s presumed disappointment–and to this movie’s ultimate detriment–you can’t just have two hours of kaiju slapping each other around like a gargantuan WWE highlights reel.” — Katie Rife [Full review]

Empire

“What you’re left with is a catastrophically dumb, thunderously boring blockbuster as numbing and unsatisfying as the worst Transformers movies–even one hilariously nutty sub-aquatic development can’t liven things up.” — Ben Travis [Full review]

The Hollywood Reporter

“The old monster has a grand time in Michael Dougherty’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Easily the most satisfying of his Hollywood-produced adventures and a respectable cousin to the long string of Japanese ones, the sequel to Gareth Edwards’ admirably serious but dullish 2014 film is the first to suggest any promise for what Legendary is calling its ‘MonsterVerse'” — John DeFore [Full review]

Indiewire

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters never met a sci-fi film it didn’t want to rip off–brace yourself for a dramatic sequence that pulls so liberally from “Armageddon” that we can only assume Michael Bay is readying a lawsuit–and the result is a sloppy, stitched-together offering with no sense of self.” — Kate Erbland [Full review]

Variety

“[Dougherty] gets the job done, staging a movie that, at its best, makes for a giddy and satisfying clash of the titans. You won’t feel cheated; at stray moments, you’ll feel the wonder. But for every high point, there’s a moment when the thrill threatens to leak away.” — Owen Gleiberman [Full review]

Screencrush

“I’m not sure what happened here, but something went very wrong along the way to the multiplex. The characters–particularly poor Vera Farmiga’s monster scientist–behave so irrationally that Godzilla and his simple, clear motivations feel downright human in comparison. The last movie this big saddled with a story and characters this bad was Independence Day: Resurgence. Not that it matters. Legendary’s “Monsterverse” will roll on anyway.” — Matt Singer [Full review]

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