After a five-year hibernation, Godzilla is making his return, and he's bringing some other titans along with him in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The first trailer for the film debuted at San Diego Comic-Con over the summer, and it teased a positively gorgeous epic full of large-scale action. Now we know that despite what I assume will be mass destruction and death, Godzilla: King of the Monsters will still boast a PG-13 rating. The reasoning for the PG-13 rating is as follows:
For sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some language.
Fans of the franchise probably expected a blockbuster like Godzilla: King of the Monsters would score a PG-13 rating, and the reasoning stands as well. This film will feature no shortage of violence and destruction, as is the case when leviathans clash for supremacy. What we've seen from the trailer indicates that the destruction will be even more, well, destructive, than the last Godzilla film-- which makes sense with much greater threats like King Ghidorah on the board. Godzilla: King of the Monsters will also feature some language, maybe people understandably shouting curse words when confronted with the chaos of skyscraper-sized monster battles.
Comparing Godzilla: King of the Monsters' rating from Filmratings.com with its predecessor, we do see some differences. Godzilla from 2014 netted its PG-13 rating for "intense sequences of destruction" as well as "mayhem and creature violence." So that sounds a lot like the same sort of reasoning using different wording, although there might be more foul language this time around and perhaps less mayhem.
Judging by the absolutely killer first trailer, Godzilla: King of the Monsters looks like a very dark and serious film, with intense emotion and very high stakes. This would be more in keeping with its predecessor than Kong: Skull Island, which felt just a bit more like an adventure romp, especially with John C. Reilly's character, than the Godzilla films. By comparison, the Godzilla franchise is generally more apocalyptic in tone. And unlike the 2014 Godzilla, King of the Monsters isn't holding back it's creatures, with the first trailer giving us plenty of Godzilla as well as the other contenders for the throne, including a small glimpses of King Ghidorah. So my guess is there is less of a slow burn this time around and the monster mayhem will start early and not let up.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is one of the most exciting blockbusters of next year, so this PG-13 rating, the sweet spot for blockbusters, will allow the most people to see it with the hopes of delivering a titanic box office. The next chapter in Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse is directed by Michael Dougherty and stars Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins and Kyle Chandler.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters roars into theaters on May 31, 2019. For all the biggest movies still to come this year, check out our release calendar.
