Godzilla: King of the Monsters – Headed for Hibernation?

If there is one thing that the MCU can be blamed for, it's the rush to build a movie universe. DC tried, mostly failed, and had to soft reset; Universal's monsters went back into the vault only one film in; and now, sadly, Godzilla: King of the Monsters may have taken this burgeoning franchise down that same path.

Unlike its 2014 predecessor, which was heavily criticized for its reluctance to show the titular monster, King of the Monsters doesn't only double down, it essentially quintuples down—stuffing the film with enough Titans (their moniker for the Kaiju) to fill a host of sequels to come. There's only one issue: That presumes there will be many sequels to come.

In that way, it put the cart far ahead of the horse; whether you liked this film or not, it's undeniable that it is a flop. Of the three movies so far in the Monsterverse—2014's Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island being the others—this was the least successful, grossing almost $100 million less domestically than the film it was meant to be bigger and better than. Worldwide, it hasn't fared well either, lagging far behind both Kong and Godzilla (2014).

Even worse, it wasn't just a disappointment financially. It was panned critically. Comparatively, at just 41%, its reviews were exactly 34% less favorable than the other two. Therein lies the problem. In attempting to course correct for 2014's methodical approach, it overshot. And it continued to bungle the other central element that plagued the first—the humans. Why, in a movie filled with incredible CGI creations, do we spend so much time with them?  

Believe me, it pains me to write this. Over a decade of my childhood is deeply intertwined with this character. As I've mentioned on the pod, I owned every VHS through 1995's Godzilla vs Destroyah. I desperately wanted this to work, so we could get the promised—and hopefully more proper—*Godzilla and King Kong showdown. 

Alas, it may not come to pass. If Kong vs Godzilla fares similarly, I fear the franchise is not long for the world. 

But, hey, it's not all doom and gloom. Join us as we take you through all the highs and lows of King of the Monsters, and if you love Godzilla, you may just learn a thing or two. So sit back, grab a Tricerahops Double IPA from Ninkasi Brewing, climb aboard the broad back of Monster Zero, and enjoy as I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), and Chumpzilla flee in terror from a whole host of titanic monsters with an environmental agenda!

This Week's Segments:

• Introduction – We break down this epic monster throw down. (00:00)
• “Am I full of s**t or not?” – Chumpzilla attempts to debunk or confirm facts I discovered while investigating the interwebs—both about the film, as well as about the legendary character's history. (45:55)
• Name That Kaiju – Can Chumpzilla name the Kaiju from Godzilla's rich stable with simply a description of my own construction? (1:03:50)
• Recommendations – We offer our picks of the week. (1:08:45)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter (@HopsandBOFlops) to check out all the interesting factoids—Godzilla's dust up with Sir Charles, his obsession with caffeinated drinks, and more—from this week’s episode!

*The original Toho version is bad even by people stomping around in rubber suits standards; that's not my Kong.