Hollywood's 2019 Godzilla sequel honoured the man inside the original rubber suit
Godzilla: King of the Monsters pitted Legendary's giant lizard against the three-headed King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan. It was dedicated to Haruo Nakajima, who wore the monster costume in 1954, yet despite admired effects it earned $387.3 million worldwide, the lowest take of any Monsterverse film.
A follow-up got the green light during the opening weekend of the 2014 Godzilla, with Gareth Edwards expected to direct a trilogy. Edwards departed in May 2016; Michael Dougherty and his co-writer Shields reworked the script that autumn, and Dougherty was confirmed as director in January 2017. Filming ran from June to September 2017 in Atlanta. Alongside Nakajima, the film honours executive producer Yoshimitsu Banno, director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah; both men died in 2017. It is the third Monsterverse entry and the 35th Godzilla film overall.
Kyle Chandler plays Mark Russell, a former Monarch scientist who blames Godzilla for his son's death. His ex-wife Emma, played by Vera Farmiga, co-created the Orca, a device using bioacoustic signals to lure or calm the giant creatures called Titans. When eco-terrorists led by an ex-British Army colonel seize Emma and daughter Madison, played by Millie Bobby Brown, it emerges that Emma is working with them, convinced the Titans can heal an environment damaged by humans, and she releases a creature codenamed Monster Zero from Antarctic ice. Monarch identifies it as King Ghidorah, an alien bent on remaking Earth, who takes command of the other Titans.
The plot deliberately echoes the 1954 original. A military weapon named the Oxygen Destroyer appears to kill Godzilla, and Ken Watanabe, reprising his Monarch scientist Dr. Ishirō Serizawa from the 2014 film, sacrifices himself with a nuclear warhead to revive the monster. The climax unfolds around Fenway Park in Boston, where Mothra gives up her energy so Godzilla can destroy Ghidorah, and the other Titans bow to him.
Released on May 31, 2019, the film won praise for its visuals, action, cinematography and score, but critics faulted its plot, pacing and characters. Against a production budget of $170 to $200 million plus heavy marketing, it disappointed, though it did slightly better abroad. Godzilla vs. Kong followed in March 2021.
Source: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)
