After a total of 28 movies all portraying a slightly altered version of "the King of the monsters", British director Gareth Edwards takes it back to the start with a Godzilla that is presented in a similar way to the Japanese original.
After a radiation leak at the nuclear plant he works for, tragically killed his wife, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) becomes hellbent on explaining the reasons behind the devastation that day. 15 years later and embroiling his now grown son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) into his investigations, father and son soon realise that it wasn't just a freak accident but rather the start of something much, much bigger...
It sounds harsh but it seems like the cast is split in half for the entirety of the film; one half that can act and the other that cannot which is a huge detriment to what could have been a near perfect film. The first hour or so, jointly led by Cranston and Ken Watanabe is truly superb but unfortunately for viewers, it's not long before Taylor-Johnson becomes the main protagonist and the acting becomes nothing but wooden. Luckily, small bit actors and the sideline presence of Watanabe's Dr. Serizawa keep the film from going south fast.
Possibly the most impressive thing that Edwards does with this adaptation, is this Godzilla is so befitting of what cinema-goers like today. In wake of the summer remake, the '98 version of the film has been getting a bashing but at the time of it's inception, was it really that bad? Probably not. But now, audiences need something a little more serious, a little less blockbuster cheese and more mind-blowing effects and something, which at it's base, is more fleshed out story-wise. We are no longer satisfied with a hammed-up, popcorn movie, we all seem to want something that is not only going to entertain us but at least attempt to make us think.
When comparing the two, it's easy to mock Roland Emmerich's interpretation as silly because against the 2014 film? It is. Back then it wasn't trying to make a statement on society or nature, it was just trying to bring in the big bucks and deliver a typical Hollywood disaster movie with a non-intelligent monster.
This film is very different and like the very first Godzilla film, Gojira (1954) wants to draw attention to the negative aspects of today's culture, not only obvious things such as nuclear testing but more simply, human reaction and interaction. Also, the idea that there are forces larger than us beyond our control despite our beliefs, and Edwards goes most of the way to fulfilling this.
It's evident from the very beginning that Edwards wanted to make his 2014 re-imagining of Godzilla not only a monster movie, not only a well-executed visual masterpiece but at it's heart, a character study film. (It's just a pity that the amazing actors he did cast weren't in it all that much leaving it to the less than talented ones).
Edwards has been quoted saying that his intention was to depict the giant reptile as “a force of nature, like the wrath of God or vengeance for the way we’ve behaved” and this is extremely obvious throughout the whole piece. His clear decision to not overindulge on Godzilla shots was a brave one but reiterates this idea of an omnipotent presence that you can't always necessarily see well. The idea that you know he's there but can't really see him despite his ginormous size makes for more harrowing scenes too.
Despite understanding the reasons behind why he did it, it still would have been good to see a LITTLE more of the big guy. Cutaway scenes just as the action's amping up are great when building tension but when that's actually all you get until the last scene, it can become a little tiresome and frustrating. Especially when the CGI is as breath-taking as it is here.
At the end of the day, the fact is that Godzilla is an iconic figure that everyone has either heard of or would recognise his appearance and without sounding terrible pun-ny here, this film had awfully big shoes to fill. Apart from some actors not really achieving the level of gravitas that Edwards so obviously wanted to exude here and let's be honest, not enough screen time for the title creature, the only real downside to Godzilla is the cheesy ending.
You'll have to watch it to see exactly what is meant by that but let's just say, it didn't really fit with the feeling of impending doom that the rest the movie had. We know you were trying to hark back to the Godzilla created back in 1954, but frankly, it would have made for a more exciting ending, if you hadn't, Edwards.
Apparently, creators are already in talks about a Godzilla sequel that may see the likes of Mothra returning as the monster's nemesis! So maybe that will go towards redeeming the unexpectedly "happy" ending that this one unfortunately finished on.
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