Top 10 Things To Remember Before Seeing Godzilla: King of the Monsters

While the 2014 Godzilla movie introduced a slew of characters, only a few are returning for the sequel. Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa will be back, as will Sally Hawkins’s Dr. Vivienne Graham, and David Strathairn’s Admiral William Stenz. Chief among the new faces are the members of the Russell family. Millie Bobby Brown of “Stranger Things” fame plays young Madison Russell, while Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler portray her parents - scientists with ties to secret government agency Monarch. Farmiga’s character has been a big part of the trailers, setting her up for a pivotal role. Charles Dance of “Game of Thrones” fame is also among the cast, playing an eco-terrorist, while Bradley Whitford plays a “crypto-sonographer” at Monarch.

An official prequel to “King of the Monsters”, this upcoming graphic novel will help set the stage for the massive monster showdown. The story will focus on Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell, a Monarch researcher racing to avert disaster in the form of MUTO Prime - the mother of the two monsters from the 2014 film. “Aftershock” is sure to provide more insight into Monarch, as well as the movie’s characters, by delving deeper into the Russell family’s backstories. It may also reveal more about the world’s response to the events of “Godzilla”. Given that there’s a five-year gap between the 2014 film and “King of the Monsters”, some filling in of the blanks would be welcome.

The first film in Legendary's MonsterVerse had Godzilla squaring off against two all-new monsters, called MUTOs - Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms. However, the sequel will draw more heavily from the franchise’s past. Joining Godzilla on the screen are at least three familiar figures: Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah, with other Titans teased in the trailers. While Ghidorah is most definitely a villain, it’s hard to say how Mothra and Rodan will be portrayed. The new films position the Titans as natural organisms, rather than the deities or mutants of the original films - so “King of the Monsters” could take them in new directions.

While the “Monsterverse” only has two films so far, and they take place in vastly different time periods, they’ve been connected by one important thread: the organization known as Monarch. This shadowy agency, staffed by the likes of Dr Serizawa and “Skull Island”’s Bill Randa, is dedicated to studying giant, ancient creatures like Godzilla. They’re basically the Monsterverse’s equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D, a secretive organization that helps to tie all the films together into one cohesive universe. Dr. Emma Russell works for them as a paleobiologist; while her ex-husband Mark was formerly Monarch’s animal behavior and communication specialist. These positions put them at ground zero in the events of “King of the Monsters”.

Godzilla and other giant monsters have proved time and time again that tanks, jets, and other conventional weapons aren’t much use against them. So us humans have had to get creative! We probably won’t be seeing Mechagodzilla on the big screen for a while yet, but that’s far from the only anti-Godzilla weapon out there. 1984’s Return of Godzilla introduced this flying vehicle, a state-of-the-art war machine intended to succeed where conventional weapons failed as a Godzilla deterrent. Trailers and promotional images have revealed a massive flying vehicle that could be a new version of the craft, probably developed after the events of the first film.

A common criticism of the 2014 Godzilla film is that it didn’t deliver as much actual Godzilla as some moviegoers wanted. Part of the problem was the film’s tendency to cut away just as soon as Godzilla and the MUTOs started fighting. The studio seems to have taken this criticism to heart, as director Michael Dougherty has stated that the big guy will have much more screen time in his movie. And given the film’s abundance of other monsters, it seems like a safe bet that King of the Monsters will deliver on the abundant monster action that fans of the genre felt was missing from the first film.

Being a giant moth, Mothra is more than just a pair of wings. Throughout all of the insectoid monster’s appearances, she’s been depicted as having a life cycle that begins in a caterpillar like larval form. While slow and ungainly, this form is able to spew large amounts of tough silk to entrap foes. But eventually, Mothra has always entered a cocoon, only to emerge as the giant, fluffy moth we all know and love. It’s been confirmed in the trailers that both of Mothra’s forms will be depicted in the film, though it’s likely she won’t be going into combat before entering her second stage. After all, what’s a giant larva going to do against a three-headed dragon?

Since her very first appearance in 1961, Mothra has been accompanied by two tiny priestesses referred to as the Shobijin, which translates to “tiny beauties.” The pair are remnants of an ancient civilization that worshiped Mothra as a goddess, and frequently serve as her interpreters. More importantly though, they’ve also awoken Mothra using ancient songs, and were played by a singing duo called The Peanuts. The idea of having two tiny women speaking for Mothra might be a bit too out there for some audiences, but there’s been some speculation that Shobijin could be alluded to in the form of Millie Bobby Brown’s character, who seems to have a connection to Mothra.

While Godzilla has faced off against many opponents over the years, his most iconic rival is without a doubt this gigantic three-headed dragon. First appearing in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, he presented a threat big enough that Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan had to team up to defeat him. Since then, he’s appeared in every major era of Godzilla films, almost always in an antagonistic role. The post-credits scene of Kong: Skull Island also alluded to a history of rivalry between Godzilla and the three-headed monster, with a cave painting depicting them locked in combat. With this in mind, it seems that “King of the Monsters” won’t be the first time they’ve faced off in Legendary's MonsterVerse.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” may be the next Godzilla movie to hit screens, but it won’t be the last. A film that will pit Godzilla against King Kong, last seen in “Kong: Skull Island”, is set for release in March of 2020. Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler will return, this time under director Adam Wingard. No other films have been announced yet, but that may change if “King of the Monsters” does well at the box office. With this in mind, it’s safe to assume that the film will have more than a few teases setting up future movies, Godzilla vs Kong in particular. So as always, stay after the credits.