Godzilla II: King of the Monsters

"Godzilla II: King of the Monsters is the darkest film I’ve seen for a while. No, not thematically, but in a Pacific Rim “let’s shoot everything gloomily so you can’t bloody see it” kind of way. Static images and production design sketches may look cool and moody and stuff when they’re ominously lit, but I expect most people like to be able to actually see the movies they watch."

"It’s a royal rumble of titanic monsters, as the iconic Japanese sea creature Godzilla confronts a slew of giant prehistoric foes and some very confused humans. There’s a degree of spectacle but it’s a misshapen movie."

"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."

"If you go to these things to see cities flambéed and flattened, you won't leave disappointed. At the same time - almost impressively - director and co-screenwriter Michael Dougherty is savvy enough to make the human drama monster-shaped."

"It's rather beside the point to note plot goofiness in a Godzilla picture, but this one does push its luck now and then."

"Within minutes of the film itself expectations start to dissipate, quickly replaced with crushing disappointment."

"Uninvolving, needlessly complicated and far too talky."

"A kaiju-sized step up from the monster's 2014 Legendary Pictures debut."

"...if you're in the mood to see skyscraper-sized monsters smacking the everloving shit out of one another, you're absolutely going to have a good time..."

"An overload of repetitive, joyless destruction that mistakes volume and demolition for actual excitement."