By Luis Petty |Staff Writer|
The king of monsters, returns in the 2014 reimagining of the iconic “Godzilla” setting the standard for titan monster fights.
With a convoluted narrative that is simple enough for unfamiliar viewers to follow, Edwards reinvents Godzilla’s original story, while keeping him relevant to the modern world and demonstrating that he is a force to be reckoned with.
“Man vs. Nature is the predominant theme of the film, and I always tried to go back to that imagery. Godzilla is a force of nature,” stated Edwards in an interview by The DailyBeast.
He is referred to as the “Alpha Predator” by Japanese scientist Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, played by Ken Watanabe. Godzilla is a pre-historic predator who lived during a time where Earth was still highly radiated and this radiation served as the source of food for the giant savior.
The opening of the film is very cryptic showing secret files and newspaper articles hinting at previous encounters with the mysterious beast in the Pacific.
Bryan Cranston leads the film as scientist Joe Brody and brings a solid performance as a Geologist and loving family man. He bears a commanding presence as a scientist and shows genuine empathy towards his family.
Cranston only appeared in the film for the first 50 minutes as the main protagonist, which may have been a huge disappointment to Breaking Bad fans who may have gone to see “Godzilla” solely for Cranston.
Although we may have not gotten enough of Cranston, the film made up for it with state of the art graphics to create some of the most jaw-dropping monster fights in quite some time. Metropolitan destruction and cataclysmic events are some of the elements that are brought into this cinematic experience.
Another strength of the film is its storytelling and it’s ability to portray cautionary themes like science, and the arrogance of man.
The sound effects are beyond amazing and strengthen the movie immensely, from the explosions caused by the monstrous hulks, to the omitting of sound to add dramatic effect, to Godzilla’s first roar.
The film’s build up to Godzilla’s first full body appearance did not disappoint. His new look has sharper features and a more animalistic appearance. His body is thicker and more muscular with an overall appearance that brought all the viewers to a roaring applause.
However, there are some elements that hinder the movie. There is an annoying attempt to marginalize
Godzilla from his own film by pushing human relevance into the narrative. Minor characters like Watanabe and his assistant had unimpressive performances that perhaps deemed them unnecessary.
Misleading trailers and posters set high expectations that are not met in the film. Cranston is cut from the movie very early on when the trailers suggest him as the main character and posters exaggerate Godzilla’s actual size.
Perhaps the biggest weakness is that there is not enough Godzilla in the film. Godzilla is hardly shown throughout the 123 minutes and instead we have to settle for the generic, unmemorable monsters that Godzilla later has to fight.
Though the film falls short in some aspects, it hardly takes away from the overall cinematic experience. The movie delivers over-the-top cinematic visuals, and solid performances by the head cast.
I recommend “Godzilla” to viewers who enjoy action-packed movies and monster fights in the Japanese tradition.
I give this film 4 out of 5 paws.
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