Godzilla (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
In 1954, Japanese collaborators created the iconic sci-fi creature called Gojira. Over time, the name Gojira turned into Godzilla. 28(!) different Godzilla films have come out over the years. I am a bit embarrassed to say that I had never seen a Godzilla movie before reviewing this 'Godzilla' (directed by Gareth Andrews). Having now seen it, and understanding that the last major film incarnation from 1998 was a disaster, I can now say that: I understand the lore, I 'get' Godzilla now. This film begins with a terrific opening credit sequence utilizing 'archival' footage from the earlier movies. Then the narrative skips to 1999 as we witness the discovery of an enormous skeleton found in a Philippine mine and an ensuing investigation by 2 crypto-zoologists (Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins).
We are introduced to an American family living near a nuclear energy plant in Japan. There's loving father, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), concerned by some inexplicable rhythmic tremors. We meet his loving wife (Juliette Binoche), who also works at the plant. We also meet their cute little son, Ford. Joe has a hard time convincing his bosses that what he's hearing/reading is not your typical earthquake tremor, but something ... else. And before you know it, tragedy strikes, the plant collapses, a government cover-up ensues, & the entire community is contaminated/quarantined/shut down. The narrative then jumps to 2014 in America where Ford (now played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is home from a military deployment. After reuniting with his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) & young son ... he gets a call.
His father, Joe, has been arrested back in Japan, where he is still obsessed with finding the truth about what happened at the nuclear plant 15 yrs. prior. Ford thinks his dad has lost his mind. But he's about to find out that his dad is right about his supposed nutty findings. A HUGE insect-like monster ("Muto"), mutated by radiation, rises up in scintillating fashion & wreaks havoc before going in search of its mate. And an enormous, strangely revered, but still completely terrifying creature out in sea, attracted by the monster activity, starts to make his way toward land. Ahem, that be Godzilla. Perhaps only a prehistoric beast like Godzilla can save humanity. The Philippines, Japan, Hawaii, Nevada, & San Francisco end up in the pathway of all of these creatures. And mayhem finally ensues in the last act.
All the ingredients are here in 'Godzilla' for a rollicking summer monster flick. 1) Officials in helmets & hazmat suits running around. 2) A seemingly crazy scientist pleading with military officers to trust him ... and he turns out to be right in the end. 3) Confusing, expository mumbo-jumbo about radiation. 4) Visual teasing of the monsters. 5) Corporate/government cover-ups. 6) People saying things like, "There's been a breach!!" or "I'm going to find the truth ... whatever it takes!" 7) Collateral damage. i.e., skyscrapers will be destroyed, a bridge (or two) will collapse. 8) Thousands of innocent people will die. 9) Traffic will be at a standstill during ill-informed evacuations. 10) Iconic skylines & huge military ships will be smashed to bits. Need I say more? Because I could, haha.
'Godzilla' offers a slow-burn build-up before we get to the crux of the action: awesome monster-on-monster action. That provides us with A LOT time to get to know the various human characters before the monsters go on the rampage. Unfortunately, the script lacks some narrative clarity, & we're saddled with some un-engaging characters. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the 'good guy willing to sacrifice himself'. He's capable in that role. He looks the part. But he doesn't really bring anything memorable to the role, either. And script-wise, I found it irritating how his character just happened to be at every single calamity going on to save the day.
Juliette Binoche makes the most of her limited screen time. Bryan Cranston, despite looking awful in a wig, is the most interesting character, yet he hams it up a bit much. Elizabeth Olsen, soon to join The Avengers with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is completely wasted as Ford's wife; allowed to do little more than look worried. And both Ken Watanabe & Sally Hawkins, as the zoologists, do little more than look concerned & spout occasional bursts of confusing exposition. Honestly, all these actors serve their purpose. But how can you cast such credible people like Binoche, Cranston, David Strathairn, Watanabe, & Hawkins and then waste them in the script? I'm glad they are in this blockbuster. But why give them next-to-nothing to do? Irked me.
Now, let me revel in what I LOVED about the movie. The initial "Muto" attack reminded me of Jurassic Park when the T-Rex snaps the wires & breaks out of his holding cell. I loved the craziness that ensues in Hawaii. The Muto attack in Vegas had me giddily laughing at the fun absurdity of it all. There's a harrowing Muto attack on a monorail. There's an attack on two bridges that scared the heck outta me. I loved seeing Godzilla fire his blue Atomic Breath unto the Mutos. There is a stunning sequence where the military descend from a high altitude parachute jump into a chaotic San Francisco. As mentioned before, Godzilla is given reverential treatment; which made me kinda sorta love him, & be terrified by the Mutos! The CGI is incredible; ditto the sound work. Alexandre Desplat's score serves this epic monster story very well. And despite the weak script & characterizations, Gareth Andrews does great job handling the massive scale that this film requires.
And so, there's a lot to admire and not admire about 'Godzilla'. I liked the introductory 30 minutes. There are interesting developments. But then ... the script halts the atmosphere & vibe it had going on; and the film becomes a glorified 'lets follow the monsters around the world' journey. Much has been said of the fact that we don't see much of Godzilla til the 3rd Act. It didn't bother me because we see glimpses of him, we feel a sense of dread, & we're terrified of the Mutos throughout. Really, it's the muddled story & cardboard characters which prevents me from giving 'Godzilla' effusive praise. I wanted this to be as mind-blowing as Jurassic Park was 22 yrs. ago with its engaging characters & classic terror -- it isn't. But I did enjoy the movie; particularly the directorial flourishes.
We are introduced to an American family living near a nuclear energy plant in Japan. There's loving father, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), concerned by some inexplicable rhythmic tremors. We meet his loving wife (Juliette Binoche), who also works at the plant. We also meet their cute little son, Ford. Joe has a hard time convincing his bosses that what he's hearing/reading is not your typical earthquake tremor, but something ... else. And before you know it, tragedy strikes, the plant collapses, a government cover-up ensues, & the entire community is contaminated/quarantined/shut down. The narrative then jumps to 2014 in America where Ford (now played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is home from a military deployment. After reuniting with his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) & young son ... he gets a call.
His father, Joe, has been arrested back in Japan, where he is still obsessed with finding the truth about what happened at the nuclear plant 15 yrs. prior. Ford thinks his dad has lost his mind. But he's about to find out that his dad is right about his supposed nutty findings. A HUGE insect-like monster ("Muto"), mutated by radiation, rises up in scintillating fashion & wreaks havoc before going in search of its mate. And an enormous, strangely revered, but still completely terrifying creature out in sea, attracted by the monster activity, starts to make his way toward land. Ahem, that be Godzilla. Perhaps only a prehistoric beast like Godzilla can save humanity. The Philippines, Japan, Hawaii, Nevada, & San Francisco end up in the pathway of all of these creatures. And mayhem finally ensues in the last act.
All the ingredients are here in 'Godzilla' for a rollicking summer monster flick. 1) Officials in helmets & hazmat suits running around. 2) A seemingly crazy scientist pleading with military officers to trust him ... and he turns out to be right in the end. 3) Confusing, expository mumbo-jumbo about radiation. 4) Visual teasing of the monsters. 5) Corporate/government cover-ups. 6) People saying things like, "There's been a breach!!" or "I'm going to find the truth ... whatever it takes!" 7) Collateral damage. i.e., skyscrapers will be destroyed, a bridge (or two) will collapse. 8) Thousands of innocent people will die. 9) Traffic will be at a standstill during ill-informed evacuations. 10) Iconic skylines & huge military ships will be smashed to bits. Need I say more? Because I could, haha.
'Godzilla' offers a slow-burn build-up before we get to the crux of the action: awesome monster-on-monster action. That provides us with A LOT time to get to know the various human characters before the monsters go on the rampage. Unfortunately, the script lacks some narrative clarity, & we're saddled with some un-engaging characters. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the 'good guy willing to sacrifice himself'. He's capable in that role. He looks the part. But he doesn't really bring anything memorable to the role, either. And script-wise, I found it irritating how his character just happened to be at every single calamity going on to save the day.
Juliette Binoche makes the most of her limited screen time. Bryan Cranston, despite looking awful in a wig, is the most interesting character, yet he hams it up a bit much. Elizabeth Olsen, soon to join The Avengers with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is completely wasted as Ford's wife; allowed to do little more than look worried. And both Ken Watanabe & Sally Hawkins, as the zoologists, do little more than look concerned & spout occasional bursts of confusing exposition. Honestly, all these actors serve their purpose. But how can you cast such credible people like Binoche, Cranston, David Strathairn, Watanabe, & Hawkins and then waste them in the script? I'm glad they are in this blockbuster. But why give them next-to-nothing to do? Irked me.
Now, let me revel in what I LOVED about the movie. The initial "Muto" attack reminded me of Jurassic Park when the T-Rex snaps the wires & breaks out of his holding cell. I loved the craziness that ensues in Hawaii. The Muto attack in Vegas had me giddily laughing at the fun absurdity of it all. There's a harrowing Muto attack on a monorail. There's an attack on two bridges that scared the heck outta me. I loved seeing Godzilla fire his blue Atomic Breath unto the Mutos. There is a stunning sequence where the military descend from a high altitude parachute jump into a chaotic San Francisco. As mentioned before, Godzilla is given reverential treatment; which made me kinda sorta love him, & be terrified by the Mutos! The CGI is incredible; ditto the sound work. Alexandre Desplat's score serves this epic monster story very well. And despite the weak script & characterizations, Gareth Andrews does great job handling the massive scale that this film requires.
And so, there's a lot to admire and not admire about 'Godzilla'. I liked the introductory 30 minutes. There are interesting developments. But then ... the script halts the atmosphere & vibe it had going on; and the film becomes a glorified 'lets follow the monsters around the world' journey. Much has been said of the fact that we don't see much of Godzilla til the 3rd Act. It didn't bother me because we see glimpses of him, we feel a sense of dread, & we're terrified of the Mutos throughout. Really, it's the muddled story & cardboard characters which prevents me from giving 'Godzilla' effusive praise. I wanted this to be as mind-blowing as Jurassic Park was 22 yrs. ago with its engaging characters & classic terror -- it isn't. But I did enjoy the movie; particularly the directorial flourishes.