When director Michael Dougherty took the reins for the 2019 sequel to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla , he didn’t just raise the bar—he thermonuclear-tailed it into low Earth orbit. This isn’t a gritty war movie with a lizard cameo. This is a four-legged, radioactive opera. The story follows the Russell family—Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) and her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown)—who have invented a device called the Orca, which can communicate with Titans. Naturally, this falls into the hands of eco-terrorist Alan Jonah (Charles Dance), who wants to release all the monsters to “restore balance” to a polluted planet.

But here’s the thing— King of the Monsters knows what you paid to see. And when the Titans finally clash, the film delivers the most gorgeous, apocalyptic monster brawls ever committed to film.

It respects the lore: Ghidorah’s hiss, Mothra’s song, Godzilla’s role as the balance of nature. It’s a film that treats Titans as gods, not animals.

I fall firmly into the second camp.