It’s pretty much confirmed with “King of the Monsters” that the producers are going for a monster universe fitted for the more general audience. Director Michael Dougherty is back in this sequel to 2014’s bold “Godzilla” that pretty much establishes the kaiju movie universe for this era. Established as “Titans” the movie monsters from the classic Godzilla movie series all make appearances in some form or another, and boy are they terrifying. While the original monsters were all pretty scary, the way that director Dougherty visualizes them is just downright mind blowing. The monsters are all specters and reapers of the apocalypse, all unmatched in their power that are back to basically reclaim the planet for themselves.
Tag Archives: Science Fiction
You Have to See This! The War of the Gargantuas (1966)
Currently Streaming on: MAX, Pluto TV, and Amazon Prime Video
Something of a pseudo-sequel to the Kaiju monster movie “Frankenstein Conquers the World,” Ishirō Honda’s follow up is a movie that’s begging to be remade. It’s a great film all on its own, but there are so many scenes here that would look incredible on a modern screen, including one moment when a fisherman looks in to the deep water only to look down at the massive monster Gaira who is lurking at the very bottom. That said, “The War of the Gargantuas” is a movie that thankfully doesn’t require too much foot work from the original film to understand what’s happening. Even though the monsters Gaira and Sonda are referred to as “Frankensteins,” they’re two sides of the same coin.
Child’s Play (2019): Collector’s Edition [4K UHD/Blu-Ray]
Now Available from Scream Factory.
I will die on the hill that “Child’s Play” from Lars Klevberg isn’t just a good remake, but it’s also a great one. Sure, it’s a last ditch effort from the studio to keep the “Child’s Play” license, but it’s also a damn good re-imagining of the concept that fixes the entire premise in to more modern times. And while the original film did address complex ideas about mental illness and Andy’s inherent loneliness from being what used to be described as a “latch key kid,” Klevberg’s remake is all about genetics, and whether our violent natures can be by nature or nurture.
Lost in the Sky (2023) [Cinequest 2024]
Director Simon Öster and his team really do deliver an accomplishment of cinema, it’s a short film about the power of companionship and the classic tale of a species ending war that might not have resulted in the best outcome when all is said and done. “Lost in the Sky” revolves around a scavenger robot who has spent what we can only assume is an enormous amount of time in the aimlessness of space looking for humanity of any kind.
Bounce House (2023) [Cinequest 2024]
Callie + Chris’s short apocalyptic film watches like if Wim Wenders decided one day to direct his own post-apocalyptic flick. And I mean that as a compliment because while “Bounce House” isn’t too concerned with action, it does deliver to us the idea of what monotony would look like at the end of the world. Once it’s all gone down and you’re alive: then what? Do you keep living or find something else. “Bounce House” is more about the absurdity of the end of the world and basically waiting around for some kind of new development that may or may not ever come.
Automation (2019)
A robot brought into the workplace to assist becomes a killer once he finds out he’s set for termination.
Dune (2021)
Frank Herbert’s lengthy scifi trilogy are a series of books that Hollywood has tried again and again to conquer since their initial release. From Alejandro Jodorowsky’s mythical attempts, to David Lynch’s less than stellar effort, and so on, “Dune” is that one series of books Hollywood has been aching to grab some money off of. For Denis Villeneuve, he’s the perfect director to film such an elaborate, complex, and exhaustive science fiction story. “Dune” never quite turns out as great as it has every bit of potential to, but it’s saved primarily thanks to the stellar performances from an all star case and Villeneuve’s remarkable direction.