King of the Monsters: Film vs Novelization Differences

[Apgigan]

I feel like they should’ve introduced the Oxygen Destroyer in the senate meeting at the beginning of the movie. They could’ve said something like “We are making this weapon that can basically kill anything so give us a reason why we shouldn’t shut down Monarch and kill all of the monsters” or something like that. It wouldn’t have the same thematic weight of the original OD but at least it wouldn’t be so out of nowhere.

[BlankAccount]

I feel like they should’ve introduced the Oxygen Destroyer in the senate meeting at the beginning of the movie. They could’ve said something like “We are making this weapon that can basically kill anything so give us a reason why we shouldn’t shut down Monarch and kill all of the monsters” or something like that. It wouldn’t have the same thematic weight of the original OD but at least it wouldn’t be so out of nowhere.

Hopefully they cover it in Godzilla vs Kong in another senate meeting. For once Monarch would have ammo saying "you almost doomed the planet cause you assumed a space alien needed oxygen to live." Also call them out for destroying the island's fishing market, making locals resort to selling titan DNA to terrorists on the black market.

[Xx_The_Masquerade_xX]

The Oxygen Destroyer is worse than a nuke. Look at how it's handled in the original movie. Dr. Serizawa is hesitant to let anyone know it exists, let alone use it. He wants to find a peaceful use. When he is eventually convinced to use it, he destroys his blue prints and kills himself. And when it's finally used on Godzilla, it's not quick, it's not pretty or humane. It kills him in a long and painful death that is drawn out.

And KOTM just drops it in like no big deal. I like KOTM, but I don't like that scene. Someone said they should have just made it a big maser bomb, I agree. It's not like Godzilla hasn't been harmed by other weapons like ANEB or cadmium. Heck just make it a cadmium bomb. Even in future movies that use the Oxygen Destroyer as a plot point, such as Destroyer and Kiryu, Toho never fully brought it back.

Thank you, I also felt the OD just uses it like it's nothing and doesn't explain to the GA exactly how dangerous it actually is. My friend who isn't really a Godzilla fan was confused when that took out Godzilla but then they revived him with a nuke.. He didn't understand the difference.

As someone else posted I also feel they should have demonstrated the effects of the OD during the senate hearing earlier in the film, I actually hated the entire senate hearing sequence and thought it was pointless but that would have actually made it an important point of the plot and made the sequence when they actually fired it at Godzilla and Ghidorah very tense.

[BlankAccount]

My friend who isn't really a Godzilla fan was confused when that took out Godzilla but then they revived him with a nuke.. He didn't understand the difference.

Easy way to explain it to him.

nukes = nuclear power weapon (duh)

Oxygen Destroyer = chemical weapon.

It doesn't help though that the damn thing made a mushroom cloud. Maybe show the fish disintegration?

[GojiDog]

I don't think a full explanation of the Oxygen Destroyer was needed because that would feel kind of forced, especially since the military would want to keep the weapon secret.

But one line of dialogue to foreshadow it during the senate meeting would have done the trick.

As is, in the film, its like "By the way, OXYGEN DESTROYER" and everyone is like WHAAAAAAAAAAAT. lol.

[daveblackeye15]

Well I'm about 2/3rd the way out of the book. With these novelizations you get some nice details and there are parts I like. Such as as the sub starts to go down Mark realizes he's way out of his element and prefers open spaces. I also like the little moment Sam says where he promises he'll keep his ears on the shelters for Madison's name.
An annoying part about these book fights is they are a bit less clear on stuff and to be fair I'm sure the writer is only given a few notes and so on. I did like how the underwater battle went at least but the Antarctica one was a little lacking. Oh a good moment was Serizawa remembering Graham's time with him and he misses her.
There is a difference I don't quite like with Jonah. He reveals his daughter was murdered and I like that detail but Emma just sort of ignores it, though a page later Madison mulls over that. While Jonah claims they can live like kings in the post monster worl. That I dislike. He's more interesting as a genuine save the Earth extremist than he wants to be king of even a ruined world. Then again I guess it could explain why he'd want Ghidorah's head. After all the Titan's are now out and helping much of the planet so he might be needed anymore according to his views.

[Stump Feet]

Does anyone remember if Stenz dies during the Washington D.C. battle? I feel like I might just be remembering things incorrectly but I could have swore there’s mention of Ghidorah or Rodan attacking his ship.

I don’t believe we ever see him in the film after the Godzilla revival scene so I’m not sure what his fate is.

Anyway, I really enjoyed getting Ghidorahs motives in the novel, we find out exactly what he aims to do with the Earth and all the Titans which wasn’t exactly clear in the film.

It was also interesting to get a subtle hint as to why Ghidorah was on Earth to begin with, sounded like to me he was dethroned and chased here by something else, but what? It’s a good mystery.

[G2000]

Does anyone remember if Stenz dies during the Washington D.C. battle? I feel like I might just be remembering things incorrectly but I could have swore there’s mention of Ghidorah or Rodan attacking his ship.

It’s sort of ambiguous but it’s implied he dies. Last we see of him he tries to get a video message through to the Argo but it’s all distorted, with the only thing apparent is that the interior of the submarine he’s using as his command ship is filling with smoke and water and “rocking crazily” before the signal is abruptly cut, and it’s suggested that the sub exploded.

[BlankAccount]

I don't think a full explanation of the Oxygen Destroyer was needed because that would feel kind of forced, especially since the military would want to keep the weapon secret.

But one line of dialogue to foreshadow it during the senate meeting would have done the trick.

As is, in the film, its like "By the way, OXYGEN DESTROYER" and everyone is like WHAAAAAAAAAAAT. lol.

An interesting development would have been if Sierzawa knew about it for years and has been protesting it's development and use, equating it to being the chemical weapon equivalent to a nuke.

As for how he would know, well, government secrets are only as safe guarded as the loosest lips around, and G-Team comes off as accidentally spilling the beans in places where they could be overheard. They seem to be more relaxed around MONARCH than other military personal.

Does anyone remember if Stenz dies during the Washington D.C. battle? I feel like I might just be remembering things incorrectly but I could have swore there’s mention of Ghidorah or Rodan attacking his ship.

It’s sort of ambiguous but it’s implied he dies. Last we see of him he tries to get a video message through to the Argo but it’s all distorted, with the only thing apparent is that the interior of the submarine he’s using as his command ship is filling with smoke and water and “rocking crazily” before the signal is abruptly cut, and it’s suggested that the sub exploded.

They probably did left it ambiguous cause they weren't sure if they could get the actor again for Godzilla vs Kong.

[rob559]

I just finnished the book and liked it alot. It did add some details that were missing from the film as well as charactor motivations that helped clarify plot details. I would like to have a series of Monarch books that explore the universe that the Monsterverse is creating. Not just involving Godzilla/Toho kaiju, but the new Titans as well and how the world is changing since the events of the past films have happened. Anyone else interested in this?

[Stump Feet]

The biggest question the novel raised for me was, what exactly was so big and bad enough to chase Ghidorah away from wherever he came from for him to find refuge on Earth?

Maybe an even bigger Ghidorah?

The way I preceived it, he went against whatever hierarchy was in place on his planet and was exiled.

[BlankAccount]

The biggest question the novel raised for me was, what exactly was so big and bad enough to chase Ghidorah away from wherever he came from for him to find refuge on Earth?

Maybe an even bigger Ghidorah?

The way I preceived it, he went against whatever hierarchy was in place on his planet and was exiled.

I never got he was running away,I just assumed he came to Earth to cause trouble, like most incarnations of the character.

[Stump Feet]

The novel hints otherwise.

[Godzillian]

The novel hints otherwise.

how does it hint that?

[Stump Feet]

The novel hints otherwise.

how does it hint that?

I don’t exactly have photographic memory so I can’t rememeber where it was but there was a sentence describing something similar that peaked my interest after reading.

Anyone willing to take one for the team and reread it?

[Olzh26]

I wonder how ordinary animals responded to the call of Ghidorah. In the novel, this topic was not raised?

[Stump Feet]

No.

The Orca can be used on animals but not Ghidorah's call.

[shadowgigan]

The OD should have inspired dread.

[Olzh26]

No.

The Orca can be used on animals but not Ghidorah's call.

but leafwings responded to his call

[Gigantis]

No.

The Orca can be used on animals but not Ghidorah's call.

but leafwings responded to his call

but leifwings aren't really "normal" animals though.