The Fog Horn (2018 film)

The Beast is a 2018 American science fiction giant monster film and a remake/reboot of the 1953 film, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

“The Beast” was secretly filmed to be in conjuction with Legendary’s MonsterVerse, and was released on June 13th, 2018 as a Netflix Original on the streaming platform to commemorate the 65th anniversery of the original film. The film uses both CGI and Practical Effects and the story was given a complete overhaul and was reworked similar to how Kong: Skull Island reintroduced Kong with a brand new backstory and mythos.

The film is essentially an interquel, taking place in the year 2016, two years after the events of Godzilla, and three years before the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Plot
The film opens up in the year 2014. After San Fransisco is completely demolished by the battle between Godzilla and the two M.U.T.O’s, the general public is now aware of the existence of the giant super species that Monarch has been studying and keeping secret for years. As a demand from the President of the United States, and after the destruction in Japan, Las Vegas, Hawaii and San Fransisco, a meeting is held with the United Nations and Monarch, where the organization goes over the list of quarantine areas that have yet to show any activity, but show evidence of a super species within, such as a volcano in the center of Isla De Mona and a temple within the mountains of China. For for physical evidence of the dormancy of these creatures and many more like it, Monarch Executive Leona Nesbitt (Jessica Lange), brings to the podium what appears to be some sort of cryogenically frozen egg measuring four feet tall, and eight feet wide, that was found on the beaches of Skull Island, during their second expedition in 1995. She goes on to ominously say that another breach of Monarch’s facility is highly improbable.

Two years later, a paleontologist named Dax Elson (Chris Pratt) who has just started working for the secret Monarch facility located on Ellis Island, has been assigned by Doctor Serizawa himself, to watch over the egg and report any changes, he brings along his nephew Barry Elson (Tom Holland) who is eyeing an internship for Monarch. During the course of a few days, Dax notices subtle changes with the egg itself, such as a strange glowing within, and when he uses a sthethoscope against the shell of the egg, a rapid heart beat is heard.

Elsewhere, scientist and assistant to Dax, Lee Hunter (Sarah Paulson) arrives on Isla De Mona to update Leona on the status of the egg. She deduces that the egg has been exposed to more radiation with each and every test they put it through, allowing it to slowly stir to life. She also proposes a third trip to Skull Island, hoping to find some sort of aid into the creature’s identity, but Leona tells her that after the two failed expeditions, they can never bother “Him” again, only if they truly need “Him.”

Back at the lab, Barry, who is watching over the egg while Dax is in a meeting, notices that the crystalization within the egg is starting to deteriorate and the creature is starting to hatch. Lee, who has just returned back to Ellis Island, arrives just in time to see the hatchling escape it’s egg, showing a rather large quadripedal, reptilian like monster with a neck akin to large Sauropod. The creature causes massive panic and mayhem as it escapes the facility through an underground sewage system and into the Upper New York Bay. Dax orders a high priority search for the creature, while Lee and Barry run tests on the blood samples that were left behind during the monster’s escape.

Over the next few days and course of the search, news reports broadcasted throughout New York City talk about fishing ships that have been brought down in the Hudson River, and an unknown contagion sweeping the city, causing the infected to be quarantined on Staten Island. Barry comes to the conclusion that the creature’s blood contains a prehistoric pathogen that was most likely used as a defense methods against larger predators of Skull Island, namely the Skull Crawlers which caused the complete purge of the species, now identified as Rhedosaurus, and now the creature is making the island of New York it’s new home, namely to start reproducing offspring to preserve it’s species.

The Rhedosaurus now 100 feet tall, and 100 feet long, makes landfall, and attacks the city, causing mass hysteria and panic within Manhatten. After creating death and destruction throughout the city and its neighboring bourough’s, the Rhedosaurus arrives at Coney Island, destroying the Ferris Wheel and other notable areas. Colonel Jack Stone (John Krasinski) who works closely with Monarch, arrives with the U.S military to New York, where they effortlessly bombard the monster with various missles and gunfire, spilling small fragments of it’s blood onto the streets. Dax, Lee and Barry arrive in time to notify the Colonel about it’s pathogenic blood, and that in order to fully kill the creature, they must burn it from within.

Jack, Lee, Dax and Barry, lure the monster back to Coney Island, and while there, find that the Rhedosaurus had starting making a nest. Jack creates a plan in which to shoot a missle from his RPG into the monster’s mouth, hoping to destroy its innards, while Dax and the others destroy the next. They agree and Jack grabs the monster’s attention, and tricks it into following him to the roller coaster, where he climbs to the top and waits. The creature follows, and when Jack tries to shoot into it’s mouth with the RPG, the weapon jams, causing his plan to fail. In a last minute effort, he removes the clips from one of the grenades in his belt, but the monster devours him quickly.

Lee, Dax and Barry run over to the nest, and douse it in gasoline, lighting a flame and destroying the nest for good. The creature rushed over to the nest, cornering the three scientists. As the Rhedosaurus prepares to consume them, an explosion within his stomach (set off by Jack’s grenade belt) ruptures to creature’s innards, effectively and finally killing it off. The three rejoice as sirens are heard, hailing their rescue from the burning and destroyed amusement park.

In a post-credits scene, set two months after the events of the main film, Lee Hunter meets with Leona, and Doctor Vivienne Graham in Antarctica, where they have discovered a 400 foot tall monster frozen deep within a glacier of ice. Lee compares the monster with the photos of cave paintings that Corey Brooks had managed to obtain. Leona asks if it’s the same creature as the one depicted in the paintings, and Lee agrees, saying that the Volcanic Pterosaur they found in Isla De Mona, and the enormous Moth found in China are also in the paintings, along with Godzilla, fighting this monster. Leona lights a cigarette, and says “It’s all coming together now”, while Vivienne agrees, stating that “The Devil has Three Heads.”

Cast

 * Chris Pratt as Dax Elson, a scientist working for Monarch.


 * Tom Holland as Barry Elson, a young scientist who is looking for an internship at Monarch and is Dax’s nephew. On acquiring the role, Tom Holland said “I’ve always, always, always wanted to do a giant monster movie. Godzilla [and the giant monster movie genre] has been a huge part of my childhood and getting to be in one of these films is really a cross on my bucket list, but I do hope that my resumé has a Godzilla film on it.”


 * Jessica Lange as Leona Nesbitt, the executive of Monarch, and the head of operations on Isla De Mona. Lange had expressed great enthusiasm on portraying “such a powerful, enigmatic character” once again, and gave the character the same personality from a previous role, Fiona Goode of American Horror Story: Coven.


 * Sarah Paulson as Lee Hunter, an assistant and paleobotanist working for Monarch and for Dax Elson.


 * John Krasinski as Corporal Jack Stone, a monster enthusiast and military personell. On being cast, Krasinski stated, “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was one of the first movies I remember seeing, I couldn’t say no to it, even if I did die.”


 * Sally Hawkins as Vivienne Graham, a chief scientist of Monarch, and an assistant to Serizawa. She appears in a post-credits cameo which depicts her find of King Ghidorah.

Production
The film secretly went into production on September 29th, 2017. It was filmed largely at Pinewood Studios Toronto and some scenes in New York were filmed on location. The scenes depciting Coney Island were filmed at the Santa Monica Pier in California, with the New York backgrond digitally altered in. Filming concluded on January 28th, 2018.

Reception
The film was categorized as the most surprising Netflix release for an original film or series since the surprise release of “The Cloverfield Paradox” after the end of Superbowl LII.

The film was met with positive reviews, and has a 77% certified “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Much praise was towards the familiar ensemble cast, Lange’s performance, and the effects of the Rhedosaurus and it’s path of destruction. Overall response towards the story was also positive, citing the weaving inclusion of the story into the Monsterverse as “Phenomenal” and the references to a wider cinematic universe was also praised.