A troubling talking point has become commonplace in the past decade, coinciding with the release of movies like Pacific Rim, Rampage, and Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise. I refer of course to the popular turn of phrase, “No one cares about the humans in these movies.” This specific rebuttal is bandied about recklessly and thrown at most criticisms of the latest crop of kaiju features when reviews and critics make a note that the elements of these movies focusing on the actual people in the narrative are lacking. It’s a defensive response from the fan’s perspective, and it’s understandable. “Why would that affect how I feel about the movie when what I am interested in is seeing the monsters beat each other up?” The answer is clear, though. Despite an inclination for the city destroying mayhem of these franchises, the human element of these stories is often the most important part, and takes up the most room.
