Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Let’s start with a review of the past and try to keep the spoilers to a minimum. In 1973, we learned about Monarch, an agency searching for MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) since the end of World War II and found Kong on Skull Island. In 2014, Godzilla and other MUTOs fought around the world, with the final, devastating battle in San Francisco. Afterward, Godzilla departs and the public hasn’t seen him since.

Now it’s 2019, and the nation is coming to grips that “monsters exist”. The Monarch Agency is under intense scrutiny from the US government as to what it knows about Titans (the new name for the MUTOs) and, more importantly—what are they doing about them.

The story gets going when scientist Emma Russell and her daughter, Madison, are kidnapped as the Titan Mothra changes into a larva. Jonah Alan, a terrorist, wants to use a device Emma has invented as part of his dastardly plans—while Emma’s ex-husband, Mark works with Monarch to try and thwart Alan’s grandiose plans for the Titans.

As with King Kong movies, I had watched the original 1954 Godzilla movie (and many of the sequels) growing up, so I’m familiar with the characters and franchise. This 2019 version is part of the franchise and is intended to continue the path leading to the 2020 movie, “Kong vs. Godzilla.”

Some thoughts on the production. I think the CGI is great, but many of the scenes are very dark, and things are hard to make out. I kept comparing many of the Titans to the 1950s and 1960s movie versions and didn’t have any problems with the updated Titans.

The plot is thin, and the dialog pretty predictable. However, there is one good twist that the movie carefully kept from the audience until it was revealed, but, after that, it was back to a predictable monster movie.

There are many characters that you’d expect to see from the franchise’s previous movies, such as Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Graham, along with many other generic characters that you’ve seen in previous movies—the military gung-ho troops (very diverse cast in this movie), the scientists, the politicians—all pretty much the standard casting call from previous movies.

The language is a disappointment, with multiple uses of profane language— • J*sus (7) • Chr*st • G*d d*mn (4) • For G*d’s sakes • Oh G*d • My G*d • H*ll (12) • d*mn

Vulgar/Crude language: • f-word (1 or more) • middle-finger displayed • s-words (10+), including bullsh*t • men referred to as horny • gonorrhea • son of a b*tch • B*tch

Sex/Nudity: In a surprise, there are ZERO issues with nudity or sexual situations. Not even inappropriate clothing, which I appreciated.

Violence: As with any movie of this type, the issue of violence in movies has to be considered. This is not a movie where deaths are hidden, but are often clear and right in front of you. Violence is heaped on violence; it’s a monster movie with people being killed in a multitude of ways.

There are multiple themes in the movie, but all lead back to a single strand—the God of the Bible is not a part of this movie universe. There is a shot where a large volcano is exploding in the background, with a Christian cross in the foreground. I thought about the symbolism, and my initial take was that the director was showing that the cross of Jesus Christ was small and impotent in light of the volcano exploding—I look forward to how others would interpret that scene. The movie is not constantly anti-Christian, but it is mostly silent on the God of the Bible.

Please remember Psalm 14, and compare it to the worldview of the movie.

“The fools says in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.”

There are many instances where the Titans are referred to as the first “gods” or that Godzilla is “god”—along with a comment in the movie that we should have faith in Godzilla. Some comments talked about how people once saw the Titans as sacred, divine creatures and redemption was offered by them, and that we are healed by making peace with our demons (not referring to the Titans, but internal pain).

There is a comment that Godzilla was killed by men, and we are to be saved by bringing him back to life—a pretty close allusion to Jesus’ crucifixion by sinful men, and the salvation offered by his resurrection.

The movie is filled with the constant drumbeat of extreme environmentalism, with the planet having been harmed by man, and that the Titans are part of the solution to healing the planet. The message is that man is now irreparably harming the planet and nature needs to be rebalanced, and Jonah Alan and those working with him are well aware of the impact on mankind, as the planet is “rebalanced.” The environment is spoken of as almost something that is “alive” and should be accorded treatment as a person [similar to the New Age Earth concept of Gaia]. In contrast, in Genesis 1:28-31, man is to subdue Earth and have dominion over Creation. However, man’s dominion is warped by sin, as Creation was also impacted by Adam’s sin.

Governments are also depicted as “bad” and unwilling to see the Titans as anything but a threat. And don’t forget—aliens.

Setting aside the “willing suspension of disbelief,” there are issues that many deal with today: divorce, dealing with the loss of a loved one, and the impact of a parent on the next generation. These issues are dealt with by characters with an impact on how they interact with one another and make certain decisions in the movie.

I particularly was struck with how the decisions of a parent had an impact on a child, and this should be a reminder that parents have a duty from Proverbs 22:6 that they are to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Parents have a responsibility to raise children in a God-fearing manner and to understand that the child is always watching—actions are often more important than words. A child who is well-taught from the beginning will have a mature understanding of God as they grow older—conversely a child will drift if their teaching is not deeply rooted.

The Bible is clear that the world is at war with God. Although I appreciated the lack of direct attacks on Christianity, Christians will understand that the lack of a direct attack is still not a neutral position. Jesus is quoted in Matthew 12:30 saying, “Whoever is not with me is against me… .” Simply because a movie is relatively silent on Christianity does not make it neutral—it is either glorifying God or not.

Can I recommend the film? No, I cannot. As much as I’d like to relive the days of old movies, I can’t separate a movie from the worldview that it represents. Christians understand that things are never as simple as the “good old days”—and we need to have our eyes open, ready to discern what we’re seeing and allowing into our minds and allowing our children to see (yes, there were some fairly young children in this movie).

The blasphemy in the movie is enough for me to not recommend it. I also feel the worldview and the violence shown is enough for me not to recommend it. There will always be a conversation on when is it too violent or when does it have too much language—and for that I would desire that potential viewers prayerfully ask for discernment. Remember that the employment that God has provided for you pays for the movies you watch, and we should be sensitive to whether a movie glorifies God or not.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” goes too far for me, and, as much as I wanted to have a good-old fashioned time at the movies, I have to recommend you forego the movie.

• Violence: Very Heavy
• Profane language: Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy
• Nudity: None
• Sex: None
• Occult: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

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