Worry not, Godzilla is here to provide some
old-fashioned summer spectacle, no
CliffsNotes required.
It’s a low bar, sure, but at least Godzilla
is comfortable with its place in the
blockbuster ecosystem.
The filmmakers have even helpfully shifted
the focus to another family entirely for this
installment, from the inert Brodys (Aaron
Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) to the
Russells, a now-broken family of scientists
who lived in San Francisco during the 2014
attack. There are a few holdovers though,
mostly employees of Monarch, the secret
multinational organization that studies the
titans, like Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr.
Graham (Sally Hawkins), who are being accused
of hiding Godzilla from world governments
who’d rather just destroy them all.
As far as the newcomers go, Dr. Emma Russell
(Vera Farmiga) also works for Monarch and has
developed a machine called the Orca, which
simulates the sounds of the various titans. She
believes this can be used to help manage them.
Emma lives with her 14-year-old daughter,
Madison (“Stranger Things’” Millie Bobby Brown
in her first major film role), who is precociously
enchanted by her mother’s work and admires
the primordial creatures.
Madison’s father Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler,
whose intensity is at level 10 for most of the
movie) is not really in the picture, having left
after the San Francisco incident, but is drawn
back in when Emma and Madison (and the Orca)
are kidnapped by some militant eco-terrorists
led by Jonah Alan (Charles Dance).