GODZILLA
(Gareth Edwards, 2014)
(Starring: Aaron-Taylor Johnson; Bryan Cranston; Ken Watanabe; Elizabeth Olson; Sally Hawkins)
First, a word about
Pacific Rim, since apparently every review for
Godzilla feels the need to compare/contrast the two films: I
hated Pacific Rim.
Hated it, hated it, hated it. I know it's cliché to use the video-game analogy, but, in the case of
Pacific Rim, it's appropriate. Unless there is a controller in my hand and I can press A-B-X-Y to make the robot on the screen hit an awesome combo, I have no interest in watching giant robots fight giant monsters for two hours in what is essentially the equivalent of watching someone else play a video-game. From the first few seconds of
Pacific Rim, when the voice-over narration started talking about Kaijus and Jaegers, my eyes glazed over. You know how a trained warrior, during a moment of torture, can place his mind elsewhere so that he doesn't feel any pain? That's what I did during
Pacific Rim. It was the only way I could make it out of the experience alive.
So, after hearing that
Godzilla featured giant monsters besides just our titular lizard, I worried that I'd have to resort to my ninja mind tricks to make it through the two-hour run-time. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Instead of trying to be the cinematic Ritalin for modern audiences,
Godzilla forces the audience to sit and wait for the payoff. Director Gareth Edwards doesn't pull a Michael Bay. He doesn't throw constant action at the screen and pile CGI spectacle on top of CGI spectacle. Instead he lets the story grow on its own by allowing the movie to breathe and build toward an actual climax. The anticipation grows stronger by the minute. The tension steadily escalates. Whereas most blockbusters only give you a quick handjob,
Godzilla spends a hour and a half on foreplay before delivering us to a toe-curling orgasm in the last act.*
(*Forgive the crude sexual analogies. I guess giant lizards get me all hot and bothered.*)
(A reminder to always have your giant lizards spayed and neutered.)
I've heard a lot of people--- probably the same kind of people who loved
Pacific Rim--- complain that they wanted more Godzilla in their
Godzilla movie. But I admire Edwards approach. I like that he teases the audience to the point of frustration. We get glimpse after glimpse, making the ultimate reveal all the more satisfying. When the camera finally pans up and reveals Godzilla in all his scaly glory, just in time for the monster to deliver his trademark roar, it's a breathtaking sight. This is the most impressive and awe-inspiring Godzilla has ever looked. No matter what anyone says about the film, nobody can criticize the special effects. The movie looks
amazing.
Unlike Roland Emmerich's 1998 abomination, which featured a story that was an insult to the original movies and a Godzilla that looked more like an over-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex than the King of Monsters, Edwards's
Godzilla features a loving, honorable, reverential portrayal of the titular monster. It's clear that the people involved with the making of the film are fans of the Japanese films. This Godzilla is essentially a God in reptilian form--- a protector of the earth. Yeah, he might level entire cities while vanquishing a foe, but even the Man of Steel does that nowadays, so who's to judge?
("King Kong ain't got nothin' on me!")
For a movie like this to transcend to greatness, however, there has to be a captivating human interest. Judging by this film and his debut feature
Monsters, Edwards understands that approach. Unfortunately, both films have contained flat-as-paper characterization. With the exception of Bryan Cranston, every other character in
Godzilla is just fodder. Elizabeth Olson only exists to clutch her child and run. Sally Hawkins does nothing but spout exposition. Ken Watanbe mostly just stares into the distance and mutters "Godzilla" in his thick Japanese accent. And the lead, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, doesn't do much but give the camera something to center on as he continuously finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. This, along with a few plot holes, is the film's biggest flaw.
Perhaps my bar has been lowered when it comes to modern day blockbusters, but I don't expect great characterization when I visit the theater during the summer months. All I ask is to be entertained and thrilled, and
Godzilla delivered that in spades. This is the kind of spectacle that deserves to be seen on the big screen with a bucket of popcorn on your lap and a cold soda in your hand.
Godzilla might be cinematic junk food, but it's mighty damn tasty!