The radioactive lizard’s back, and this time he’s got friends. With this fortune cookie synopsis, director Michael Dougherty and the visual effects companies unleash the mega pixels. Advertised as a monster scale Royal Rumble, I found Godzilla: King of the Monsters as sporadically unspectacular as its predecessor.

It’s hard not to feel bad for composer Bear McCreary, this being the type of blockbuster to secure him better bites of the pie. His music -- bass heavy, at times oddly reflecting Akira Ifukube’s themes -- has to fight its own war: the sound mix. Whether it’s being drowned out by helicopter rotors, splintering debris etc., it all comes out as white noise. Shame.

However, the biggest pawns must be the actors, some getting the shortest shrift imaginable. Also, there’s no point going into the radioactive debate. These people spend so much time standing by nuclear radiation I doubt many will survive the fallout. 

By comparison, Roland Emmerich’s 1998 picture Godzilla remains abandoned and misunderstood. Yet the humour still resonates with me. The closest Godzilla: King of the Monsters gets to being funny involves Kyle Chandler. He’s as funny as a triple migraine followed by open heart surgery.

Ultimately, Emmerich knew how to give his monster personality and a touch of silver screen stardom. Meanwhile, Dougherty has to content himself with a goofy faced jobbie bearing spikes on its back more akin to an iron lung. (Capsule review)

Released by Warner Bros./ Legendary Entertainment/ Toho Company and rated “PG-13” for sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some language.