Godzilla: Now with a Meth Kingpin…

Hello everybody! Today we have a sequel/remake of the classic monster film Godzilla.

GODZILLA

STARRING: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston

GENRE: Science Fiction, Monster

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United States

In 1999, the Janjira nuclear plant was mysteriously destroyed with most hands lost including supervisor Joe Brody’s colleague and wife, Sandra. Years later, Joe’s son, Ford, a US Navy ordnance disposal officer, must go to Japan to help his estranged father who obsessively searches for the truth of the incident. In doing so, father and son discover the disaster’s secret cause on the wreck’s very grounds. This enables them to witness the reawakening of a terrible threat to all of Humanity, which is made all the worse with a second secret revival elsewhere. Against this cataclysm, the only hope for the world may be Godzilla, but the challenge for the King of the Monsters will be great even as Humanity struggles to understand the destructive ally they have.

Instead of relying on massive CGI fights to sell the film, Edwards makes smart use of interesting human stories – which lead viewers through increasingly revealing looks at Godzilla and other threats. Edwards’ movie isn’t just about Godzilla or military might, it’s a captivating tale of people (at all levels) as we encounter natural forces outside of our control. Moviegoers expecting two hours of CGI monster beat downs may be underwhelmed by the amount of Godzilla in Edwards’ reboot. However, the director has actually delivered a much more ambitious and memorable experience, blending a crowd-pleasing return for the titular star, poignant human drama, thought-provoking cautionary themes, as well as fun Toho series nods (like monster battles on TV) – all with entertaining blockbuster spectacle and a third act brawl that sets a new bar for the beloved King of the Monsters.

I can’t say I’ve seen every Godzilla film, but I’ve seen quite a few of them and I’ve enjoyed most of them quite a bit. However, Godzilla (1998) left a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including myself. So it’s no wonder that Hollywood waited this long to take another stab at the franchise. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds since the late 90s and it was once again time to give Godzilla a chance. Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing moments in the third act. There are moments that will make you scream and shout and cheer on Godzilla like he was your favorite local sports team. There just isn’t enough of it. And that is the biggest flaw of the film. Godzilla just doesn’t have as much screen time as he should in his own film.

PROS:

•  Interesting human stories.
• Godzilla is back.
• Character design.
• Bryan Cranston isn’t making meth in this movie.

CONS:

•  Run time.
• Not enough Godzilla.

SCORE: 7.0 / 10

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