The Fog Horn (2018 film)

The Beast is a 2018 American science fiction giant monster film written and directed by Brad Bird 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 a remote island near Skull Island. 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) has just started working for a secret Monarch facility located on Plum Island with microbiologist Eugene Laurie (Victor Garber); he has been assigned by Doctor Serizawa himself to watch over the egg and report any changes. Dax 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. Barry accidentally causes the animal to escape, but is quickly recontained. MONARCH hospitalises Barry back home as it studies the animal, which they codename the Rhedosaurus. Barry's skin becomes highly ill as his skin literally rots away.

Six months later, the rhedosaur has reached subadulthood. However, the facility suddenly finds itself under attack by a paramilitary group known simply as PMAAT, led by a man named Horace Colton (Steve Buscemi), managing to snag samples of the hatchling's blood. In the confusion, several Monarch specimens are let loose. After escaping, the rhedosaur causes massive panic and mayhem as it escapes the facility through an underground sewage system and into Long Island Sound. The president, conversing with Serisawa orders a high priority search for both PMAAT and the rhedosaur, while Lee and Barry run tests on the blood samples that were left behind during the monster’s escape. They discover that it contains a highly dangerous pathogen in it which they dub; Laurie hypothesises it was most likely used in a symbiotic relationship as a defense method against larger predators of Skull Island, namely the Skull Crawlers which caused the complete purge of the species. A SWAT team, meanwhile, manages to raid PMAAT's headquarters and arrest Colton. During his interrogation, he reveals that he has placed several bombs containing the pathogen

Over the next few days and course of the search, the pathogen sweeps New York and Long Island, causing the infected to be quarantined on Staten Island. Laurie and Dax announce to the military about the Rhedosaur's blood, as the president orders the eastern seaboard be evacuated until a cure is found and the monster leaves. After running more tests, they conclude that the only way to cure the pathogen would be to let the rhedosaur reabsorb it all and then barrage it. A task force led by Colonel Jack Stone (John Krasinski) agrees to find and lure the Rhedosaurus out.

The Rhedosaurus now 75 meters tall and 105 meters long, is found in the Hudson Trench via satellite imagery. It is lured to the surface and to Manhattan its neighboring bourough’s, absorbing the toxin. 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 missiles and gunfire designed to neutralise the MUTO's blood.

The rhedosaurus slinks off into the ocean after sharing one last look at Dax, its 'father', before swimming off into places unknown.

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 saurian 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.
 * Victor Garber as Eugene Laurie, a microbiologist studying the microbiota of MUTOs
 * 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.
 * Steve Buscemi as Horace Colton, the leader of a paramilitary group that seeks to destroy all MUTOS.
 * 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.”
 * 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 under the name of "Sedna". 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 mixed to positice positive reviews, and has a 73% certified “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Much praise was towards Lange’s performance, and the effects of the Rhedosaurus and it’s path of destruction. Overall response towards the story was somewhat mixed, citing the weaving inclusion of the story into the Monsterverse as “rushed” and the references to a wider cinematic universe were also noted/criticised.