Godzilla

Finally sat down to watch this movie today. After all the hype it had had it's fair share of great moments but in the end felt something was missing. I'll agree with many that Godzilla wasn't shown as much as he should have and maybe that was what missing or maybe it wasn't. Needless to say even though Godzilla doesn't make many appearances in this movie it still is a rather good movie with a an interesting story line. The best way to go into this movie is to not buy into Hollywood's hype because if you go into it like that you will be disappointed greatly. Overall I was satisfied with Godzilla. Great story, special effects, and even the acting was pretty solid. Worth the 2 hours for sure. Sit back, grab some popcorn and beverage and enjoy!

Scenario 1: If you are going to see this film because you really enjoy classic Godzilla movies and you hope the music and campy theme of those films are represented in this one, you absolutely should go see it. Godzilla here looks much more like the beloved behemoth than it did in the '98 movie, the music hearkens to the classic Japanese overtures of the old Gojira film era, and the camera work has the comically silly nature of Sam Rami's Spiderman series.

Scenario 2: If you are really excited to see a deep, human film with camera angles and writing that really tell a story that is thematically transcendent such as "District 9" and the Korean film "The Host," this is not your film. The script is filled with overtly simplistic rhetoric and one dimensional characters (intentionally,) the scenes somehow manage to have very little tension (even for me, the pilot episodes for most sitcoms seem more tense than Gozilla,) and as stated above, the camera-work is intentionally hammy. It should also be noted that to add a human element, the director overuses children to the point that it ends up feeling very obvious, as though he did it to be intentionally campy.

Scenario 3: If you are one of those people who really just want a fun popcorn flick such as Pacific Rim, with some solidly choreographed action like in the over-the-top bulletfest Battle:LA, I would say proceed with caution. The fight scenes are less intense and more majestic, like any classic monster movie, and as such the human aspect of the combat is relatively insignificant, less so than any other monster movie I've ever seen. There are no little monsters for anyone to shoot at, if that's your thing.

Scenario 4: If you are interested in this film because you love the talented work of Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, and/or Aaron Taylor- Johnson (three of my favorite actors) and are excited to see what they bring to the table, you should probably sit this one out. Bryan Cranston's role in this film garners far less screen time than advertised, Ken Watanabe spends literally every second walking through the scenes with the pained expression of someone who just walked in on their parents, and all three of the actors give off the vibe that they are very much aware of how cheesy their lines are. Everyone else's performance was similarly forgettable.

Honestly, I'm a stickler for deep, human storytelling, but I've also had a softspot for the classic, silly fun of many Godzilla movies, including my favorite, Godzilla vs. Destroyah. All told, depending on which camp you fall under, this will be an entirely different movie for you. As Godzilla movies go, I'd give it a B. As darker, more serious monster movies go, I'd give it a D+.

During the 1950s, creatures are awaken from the deepest depths. Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) believes that ancient creatures exist that lives in radiation. As the radiation faded from the earth's surface, these creatures retreated to the lower depths. In 1999, miners uncover a vast cavern with a giant skeleton in the Philippines. They also find one of the spores broken open. In Japan at the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant, manager Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) loses his wife in a freak incident. Fifteen years later, Joe is still investigating the incident with the city around the plant quarantined. He is arrested once again for trying to breach the quarantine. His son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has to leave behind his wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) in San Francisco to go pick him up from jail in Japan. Joe convinces Ford who is now a US Navy ordnance disposal officer to join him to go to the plant. They discover that there is no radiation leak. Instead the spore from the Philippines named MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) has settled in the plant sucking up all the radiation.

This is always going to be a great monster movie. The CGI is terrific and Godzilla has a great time smashing things up. That part seems like a no-brainer. I still give director Gareth Edwards credit for doing a great job. He doesn't disappoint. The problem is once again the human story. The beginning is just too long before it gets to a monster. The Joe Brody story doesn't have the bite. In another movie, his story would be a fun mystery. The problem is that the audience knows it's a monster even if it's not Godzilla. So there is no tension from the mystery since it's not really a mystery. The other problem is that Ford just happens to be at the right place in all of those situations. It's a situation that a lesser movie would rely on. I hoped for better. The final problem I have is that the movie cuts away from the monster action time and time again. It's funny the first time but it gets annoying quickly. Despite all the problems, there is still a fun monster movie and lots of stuff get smashed.

Oh, the trailers looked so good. I had hope, and, for the most part, my only criterion was that it be better than Pacific Rim, Hollywood's attempt at the kaiju genre last year. I liked that one, but was disappointed (with Guillermo del Toro, I expected something with a little more meat). Godzilla does not clear that hurdle. It has the same major problem that all these kinds of films do: the human element is lacking. Severely here. And what a fantastic cast to waste! Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe! Every single one of them utterly wasted. Hopefully they all got a big check. We have all these people, but instead we're saddled with charisma black hole Aaron Taylor-Johnson (of Kick-Ass fame), who isn't even adequate. Thankfully, the big monster fights deliver, for the most part. There could maybe be more monster action, but when it's there, it's a lot of fun. I also thank the filmmakers for restraining themselves and keeping the film at only two hours (it runs a tad over that if you stay through the credits).

In 1998, Roland Emmerich attempted to reignite the eponymous film franchise by creating the critically-panned flop 'Godzilla', 16 years on and we are now faced with one of the best adaptations of the iconic monster's adventures. Gareth Edwards created 'Monsters' in 2010 on a mere budget of £500,000, barely 4 years on and Warner Brothers offered him the chance to create a $160 million adaptation of 'Godzilla'. All the aspects from 'Monsters' are employed in this action/sci-fi adventure, but on a much grander scale. This is a treat for all Godzilla fans and a very respectable adaptation that stays true to the 1950s Japanese classic rather than wandering away like Emmerich's one did. Packed with stunning cinematography, vast special effects and a sweeping spectacle of giant monster battles, 'Godzilla' has been a fantastic start to 2014. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's performances are outstanding and there is a certain chemistry that makes their relationship that bit more believable. Whilst at time there are some cheesy and over-the-top scenes, 'Godzilla' is nonetheless an enjoyable action romp that restores the franchise's original glory.