--- title: "Godzilla: King of the Monsters: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters" critics_score: 49 critics_reviews: 27 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 49 from 27 reviews: 3 positive, 13 mixed, 11 negative. Most critics arrive at the same place: the monsters are the point, and the people are in the way. The reviews lean mixed to negative, but even the harsher ones set aside a line for the creature work. Mothra’s glowing, translucent rebirth and Rodan’s destructive flight are singled out repeatedly, and the sheer scale of Godzilla and Ghidorah’s clashes is credited with delivering the shock the title promises. Almost nobody has a kind word for the human story, which is described as thin, overlong and clumsily written. Where they part is on whether the fights themselves can be followed. The Wrap finds the battles clearly staged and excitingly edited; Vulture and The Guardian say the night-time action is so murky it is often impossible to tell who is winning. The spread is wide, from a near-rave at The Wrap to Empire calling it catastrophically dull, and the British press is noticeably colder than the American trade titles. ## The Hollywood Reporter — John DeFore Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2019. DeFore finds the film a satisfying step up for the MonsterVerse, despite thin character work and dialogue. He praises the beautifully designed CGI monster action and the film’s effective balance with its family story. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/godzilla-king-monsters-review-1213953/) ## Screen Daily — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2019. The accessible page labels this a review but hides the critic’s assessment behind a registration wall. Its standfirst says the Monsterverse returns forcefully, but provides no specific praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review/5139955.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2019. The URL identifies a review of the specified film, but the page content is inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/movies/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Rating 2.5/4. 29 May 2019. Cole finds the film frustrating because its bleak ideas give way to conventional human perseverance. He praises the overwhelming, nightmarish spectacle of Godzilla and Ghidorah’s battles. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 3/5. 31 May 2019. O’Sullivan finds the film patchy, with its human story and soundtrack falling short while the spectacle delivers. She particularly praises the monsters’ scale, vivid visuals, and thrilling clashes. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review-patchy-but-this-supersized-blockbuster-delivers-a4156001.html) ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Rating 3/3/3. 29 May 2019. Bitel finds the film entertaining but ultimately overblown, with its spectacle risking an abstract clash of titans. He praises the city-destroying monster battles for delivering shock and awe. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters) ## The i Paper — Nick Hasted Rating ★★★. 29 May 2019. Hasted finds the film often great fun, though its narrative sense falters amid the monster battles. He praises the spectacle and adventure-romance of the creature scenes, while faulting the script’s clunky dialogue. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review-rating-296332) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 3/5. 27 May 2019. The critic says the film delivers on destruction but advises lowering expectations. Its destructive spectacle is singled out as satisfying, while the overall experience falls short. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters) ## Total Film — Rob James Rating 3/5. 29 May 2019. James finds the film an enjoyable, exhausting monster spectacle, though the human story remains hard to care about. He praises the creature introductions and Dougherty’s energetic set-pieces. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review-as-the-scale-of-the-carnage-becomes-bigger-and-bigger-the-humans-feel-less-relevant/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2019. Gleiberman finds the monster clashes entertaining but says the sequel lacks the original’s balance of schlock and awe. He praises the kaiju spectacle, while criticizing muddy nighttime battles and an overlong, muddled human storyline. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review-1203224659/) ## Radio Times — Jamie Healy Rating 2/5. Jamie Healy finds the film a lumbering mess that fails to deliver on its promise. The review faults its failure to make good on the spectacle of its monster battles. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-djq0sd/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters/) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 2019. Newman finds the human drama and dialogue dull, repeatedly interrupting the monster action. He praises the moments of monster magic, especially Rodan’s destructive flight and Mothra’s rebirth. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/godzilla-king-monsters-review-ho-hum-humans-hobble-magical-beasts) ## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee Rating 2/5. Lee pans the sequel as a hollow, badly written and chaotic blockbuster. He singles out occasional impressive imagery, but says the monster fights are confusingly choreographed and the visuals cannot redeem the film. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/28/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-film-review) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2019. Lane finds the film earnest but unsure of its purpose, with its human characters given little to do. He singles out Millie Bobby Brown’s knowing smile at Godzilla’s approach as the film’s standout moment. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/10/rocketman-and-the-art-of-the-acceptably-outrageous) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2019. Walsh finds the film emotionally flat and overloaded with human drama, leaving too little room for the monster battles. She singles out the generic dialogue and indistinct locations as weaknesses, while noting that the monsters’ drama is more compelling. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review-20190530-story.html) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Rating 1/5. 29 May 2019. Robey finds the film dull. He singles out its rampaging three-headed lizards as a source of that dullness. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/kong-skull-island/) ## Empire — Ben Travis Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2019. Travis finds the sequel catastrophically dull, overloaded, and dramatically lifeless. He singles out Mothra as a rare source of beauty amid incoherent monster battles and poor human storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/godzilla-king-monsters-review/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2019. Edelstein condemns the film as an incoherent visual mess. He particularly faults the murky monster action, saying it is often impossible to tell who is fighting or winning. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-2019-review.html) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2019. The critic finds the film a sensational, highly entertaining monster movie. They single out the clear, excitingly edited creature battles and the committed performances that give the family story heart. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-film-review-2019-millie-bobby-brown/) ## Den of Geek — Lou Thomas Rating 3 out of 5. 29 May 2019. Thomas finds the film an entertaining, silly diversion despite its weak human characters and overlong runtime. He praises the spectacular monster fights and destruction. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review-fantastic-beasts-ridiculous-plot/) ## Paste — Dom Sinacola Rating 6.9/10. 30 May 2019. Sinacola finds the film narratively muddled and weighed down by boring human characters, but ultimately a pretty good Godzilla movie. He praises the monster fights for their grandeur, gorgeousness, and overwhelming scale. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 6.5/10. 28 May 2019. The review finds the film visually impressive but dull, with lifeless human characters and monster fights that lack excitement. It praises the striking, painterly imagery of the Titans’ destruction. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/566688/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a captivating, smile-inducing spectacle despite its garbled storytelling. The grand monster battles and visuals are its main strengths, while the human elements feel neglected. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C-. 30 May 2019. Goldberg finds the film bloated and weighed down by its human characters, despite its modest success as a monster spectacle. He praises the wide-shot kaiju battles and the creatures’ blockbuster renderings, while faulting the pacing and choreography. [Read the review](https://collider.com/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2019. Worthington finds the film caught between philosophical ambition and dumb monster-movie fun, making it less effective as either. He praises the chaotic kaiju fights and Toho-inspired reverence, but faults the thin human characters and uneven pacing. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2019/05/film-review-godzilla-king-of-the-monsters/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2019. Nayman finds the sequel overloaded, exhausting, and visually uninspired. He praises the occasional striking creature image, especially the glowing, translucent Mothra, but faults the muddled action and pushy human drama. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2019/05/31/movies/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-review) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2019. The critic finds the film confusing and its plot incoherent. They single out its muddled storytelling and dark visual palette as disappointments. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-2019-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/godzilla-king-of-the-monsters.md