REVIEW: GODZILLA (2014)

 The iconic movie monster from Japan, Godzilla, returns to the big screen in another adaptation made by a Hollywood studio. This would be the second Hollywood adaptation after a Roland Emmerich directed Godzilla in 1998. The 1998 version was met with much negativity and was not favourable among critics and fans. This year’s Godzilla film has been labeled as a reboot in order to reignite the franchise again.

At the helm of the director’s seat is Gareth Edwards, who is just making his second feature film effort with Godzilla. The film cast include Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass), Elizabeth Olsen (Red Lights), Ken Watanabe (Batman Begins, Inception), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Legacy), Juliette Binoche (The English Patient), and Bryan Cranston (Argo, Drive, and TV’s Breaking Bad). The new adaptation is co-produced by the company Legendary Pictures who last year gave us Pacific Rim, another movie involving giant monsters. Legendary Pictures is also famous for producing all Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, the Hangover films series, and Man of Steel just to name a few. Warner Bros. Pictures is the other co-producer.

How will this film fare up after a disastrous adaptation 16 years ago? Do read on…

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson play father and son in the film

SYNOPSIS:

In 1999, a pair of scientists (Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins) discovers a monstrous egg-shaped capsule hatched in the Philippines. At the same time, an American engineer (Bryan Cranston) working at Japanese nuclear power plant suspects that some unusual pattern of earth tremors may not be earthquake related but are dismissed by his colleagues. The nuclear power plant is hit by the tremors and the American engineer loses his wife. 15 years later, army personnel Ford Brody (Aaron-Taylor Johnson), the son of the American engineer, heads to Japan to bail out his dad who has been chasing for clues as to what happen on the fateful day his wife died. After both Ford and his father were caught trespassing at the town of the ill-fated power plant, they encounter the pair of scientist who have been monitoring another hatched egg near the town. Soon, they all discover that an ancient creature has awoken and could potential threaten society. To fight this ancient creature, they depend on another monstrous creature named Godzilla which was awaken during nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and his existence has been covered up by various governments.

Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins as scientist who are aware of the existence of Godzilla

SCRIPT:

Thin and light. The script is not too strong. There were several plot holes and unfinished storylines. However, I find the script understandable and it does not try to confuse the audience with too much scientific or military jargon. There were many weak points to the storyline but as soon as the film progresses, the plot really functions as merely connecting the dots between one major act to another major act. A little too much drama and talking but I feel this was to explain the origins of Godzilla and his purpose as a creature. Characterization was not strongly developed for the lead roles but the supporting roles were reasonably good. Don’t expect an intelligent script but it is still okay and relatable.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as husband and wife

ACTING:

Aaron Taylor Johnson who plays the lead Ford Brody and Elizabeth Olsen who plays his wife did not show their true potential, They were merely there just for bit and pieces. Their characters were not really put through horrible obstacles as I would expect a disaster film would do. I feel this resulted in the acting being showcased less to the public. On the other hand, the supporting roles played by Ken Watanabe and Bryan Cranston brought some balance to the film as their performance were not too bad. In this case, the veteran actors triumphs over the younger generation.

Award-winning actress Juliette Binoche plays a small role in the film

FILMING:

I feel director Gareth Edwards did a great job in creating the look and feel of the movie. He made the film dark and slightly mysterious. When it comes to depicting monsters on screen, it is important to showcase the scale of how big a monster would look like. In this case, I feel Edwards has achieved in making the monster look gigantic compared to its surroundings. The visual effects were really good and did not disappoint. I would have loved to see more action scenes of the monsters but I understand that this in an ‘origin’ story which could potentially set-up future sequels. For a director who is only making his second feature film, he should be commended. However, Edwards still needs to work on developing a good story too.

On set with director Gareth Edwards and actor Bryan Cranston

PACING:

Slightly draggy from the beginning but gradually ascends to a nice climax in the end. The film focuses on the human element so aspect more talk.

TONE (MOOD):

Various factions of human civilization come together to battle ancient creatures threatening cities in the United States under time constraints while being helped by an unexpected ally.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ford Brody

DOWNSIDE:

Poor script but one can’t expect much from a Hollywood summer movie. Too much talk and less action overall might be a turn-off to some.

UPSIDE:

When the action sequences and CGI appear on screen, they look awesome! 

Ken Watanabe as a scientist with David Strathairn as a military commander

OVERALL:

A pretty decent adaptation that honours the Godzilla in its true character. Despite a poor script, it is an enjoyable popcorn movie. The film might satisfy those who are fans of monster films. When Godzilla appears, he does not disappoint. I intentionally did not upload pictures of Godzilla so you can see it for yourself on the cinema screen. By the way, in case you are wondering, this film is much more better than the 1998 adaptation directed by Roland Emmerich.

RATING:

7.5 out of 10