Can ‘Godzilla: Planet of Monsters’ start 2018 with a roar?

After dominating our movie screens for nearly 65 years, Godzilla is coming to the small screens here in the United States with “Godzilla: Planet of Monsters” on Netflix. Not only is this the first ever animated film in the long-running film franchise, but it’s also the first of a trilogy of animated Godzilla films that will each be debuting worldwide on Netflix after theatrical runs in Japan. So how does the 30th Japanese Godzilla film stand up to the rest of this mighty series?

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has fled to space after monsters have made Earth an inhospitable wasteland, in particular Godzilla, who has a seemingly indestructible unquenched thirst for devastation. The remaining humans living in space are forced to head back to Earth, finding no livable planet to colonize. Leading this team is Hauro, a testy fighter who has a personal obsession with wanting to destroy Godzilla. From there, it becomes a mad mission to take down a powerful Godzilla and try taking back their home.

What easily stands as the highlight of the film is how it takes advantage of its animation. While the flat, 2D-inspired anime character designs sometimes clash with the smooth, 3D character animation, it doesn’t distract too much throughout the film and still pulls off some great expressions. The designs of the world and monsters, however, are where the visuals truly shine, giving off a real sense of size to this world.

Similarly, the action sequences are like nothing ever seen before in a Godzilla film. Taking advantage of the animation allows for exciting camera angles, movements and powers from the monsters that are the most riveting moments throughout the film.

The stunning visuals, as well as the powerful musical score, help give a heavy sense of dread throughout. The strong reds, dark blues and greys that populate this film’s color palette, combined with the foreboding music, lend an exciting, yet haunting tone that stays consistent throughout. Even with the monsters off the screen, these elements help give them a great sense of presence and buildup.

What ultimately hurts this film are some of the elements that should be driving the story. The premise, on its own, is very predictable. Despite much of the strong aesthetic components, the story and characters surrounding don’t stand out much.

Harou is the closest we have to an interesting character given his emotional, yet cliched, backstory. His fiery personality gets annoying over the course of the film and his character lacks any development. The surrounding cast is largely forgettable, often just spilling out exposition or cliche dialogue.

The story itself, while having plenty of potential for interesting world building, is much more concerned with remaining a fast-paced action adventure. After the first act where we learn about some these characters and their situation, the rest of the film becomes a big battle against Godzilla and the other monsters with hardly any breathing room. While intense and full of great action, there is not much that sticks out about this film that separates it from others of its kind.

Overall, “Godzilla: Planet of Monsters” is certainly an interesting turn for this franchise while still keeping much of the essence of a true Godzilla movie, but still has its problems with its bland characters, predictable story and uninteresting world building. Nevertheless, for those looking for an exciting visual experience with some fantastic action and music, this is definitely worth your time.