Godzilla Film Review

Godzilla
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Written by Max Borenstein and Dave Callaham
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence

WARNING, the following review contains SPOILERS. If you have not yet seen this film, go and see it first, then come back and read. Otherwise, happy reading!

On the 60th anniversary of Earth's most beloved monster, director Gareth Edwards attempts to reboot the franchise with updated visuals, and a darker plot which ultimately redeems itself from the 1998 flop, yet struggles to deliver anything original or unique.

With every advertisement for this film, I found myself growing highly anticipated for this year's monster flick. Not being much of a fan of films such as Transformers or Pacific Rim, it was refreshing to see actors and producers talk up Godzilla as a unique film filled with dynamic characters and very sentimental themes. Much to my surprise, Godzilla did not deliver as was promised. With dull, flat characters, and a thin, convoluted script, Godzilla managed to make me utter words I never thought I would say during a movie; "When are the monsters going to fight?"

This movie was boring. The creature Godzilla was on screen for probably a grand total of ten minutes. Gareth Edwards cites Steven Spielberg's Jaws as an inspiration for his take on Godzilla in that, "the film does not immediately show the beast, but rather build up to its appearance while still delivering an eerie and terrifying off-screen presence." This concept might have worked had there been anything else about the movie which was somewhat enticing.

My first and greatest complaint of this film is its complete lack of character charm or development. One of my favorite aspects of cinema is watching what a great actor can do with a great script, and one of my biggest frustrations is when a film delivers an 'A' list cast with a script so bad that they are limited from performing to their full potential. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Savages) and Elizabeth Olsen (Oldboy, Silent House) are both on the rise to becoming some of the next greatest actors of their generation, however both of their characters were so poorly written, that they were dull, bland and boring. Even the great Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception) struggled to bring his character to life in multiple dimensions. The gem of the bunch was, not surprisingly, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Argo). Perhaps because everything he touches turns to gold.

Cranston's performance as Joe Brody was riveting. He was deeply emotional, strong and vulnerable. He would have been enough to save this movie, had he been in it for more than twenty minutes. Killing off his character was as stupid as it was meaningless. Cranston being in this movie provided nothing towards the plot. His only use was to lure fans of Breaking Bad into theaters, and to give the audience a brief glimpse of beautiful acting, only to be followed by two hours of pan faced actors who look like they are reading from cue cards.

The writing in this story was tedious, forcing you to endure scene after scene of Aaron Taylor-Johnson conveniently traveling wherever the chaos is occurring and joining with random platoons of soldiers to help them carry out their missions (By the way, that is not how the military works). Watch as Ken Watanabe and David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum, Lincoln) having a seemingly hour long discussion about whether or not Godzilla is bad, which seems redundant as they both are inclined to believe he is good, and whether or not they should kill him, which is futile as we all know that humans cannot kill him.

However boring and dull this movie was, there are still some redeeming qualities. It is apparent that Gareth Edwards is a visionary. Just when you feel like walking out of the theater, he delivers a haunting and enthralling sequence that pushes you to the edge of your seat (i.e. the railroad scene with the flaming train, and the sky diving sequence). These scenes were beautifully shot and made for some iconic sequences, regardless of how random and unavailing they were.

Visually, this film is a masterpiece. Godzilla and the monsters looked terrific. I cannot remember a single point in the film when I thought, "That looks fake." The fight sequences between the monsters, however short, were captivating (It was nice to see a return to Godzilla's atomic fire breath). The score by Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2) was majestically woven, securing the tone of each individual scene.

Overall this film was, for me, a step forward from Roland Emmerich's 1998 atrocious remake. However, it was still a letdown, and with such a brilliant cast and such an iconic figure, this film had the all of the elements to make for a great film. It is just a shame it was wasted on such a poor script. I give this film a 6/10.

If you have anything you wish to add to my list of complaints, or you disagree with me on any of my points, feel free to comment below. The beauty of film, and art everywhere, is that it makes for such intriguing discussion.