14 DAY TRIAL // Depending on what you expect from Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla,” you will either find it the best monster film made so far or a hilarious (quite unintentionally so) movie that fails to deliver on the promises made to fans in the many, absolutely breathtaking trailers released before it dropped in theaters.
This is what you should probably decide first before even considering to see this year’s most hyped monster flick, the latest in a long series of films drawing on the kaiju genre, the Japanese Gojira monster in particular.
For a fan of “Godzilla” films, Edwards’ take is definitely a spectacular feat: the director, who has plenty of experience in visual effects and cinematography, delivers a monster that is equally dangerous, impressive and a thing of beauty, while also building tension towards the big reveal in a way in which few other movies today can do.
Edwards’ film, unlike many Hollywood productions, strives to and actually succeeds to bring back a sense of awe that we seem to have forgotten when we go to the movies. Through smart camera angles (Edwards’ favorite is the over-the-shoulder angle because he always has the camera positioned on the ground, with the human characters) and the creation of absolutely beautiful visual tableaux, Edwards shocks the viewer into silence and, yes, awe.
For a fan of end-of-the-world movies with an emphasis on the human story, this “Godzilla” is a hit-and-miss because the human story arcs, the dialog and the acting are unintentionally funny at best, completely ridiculous at worst.
The story is the classic one: there is a giant monster lying at the bottom of the ocean that man has tried to kill ever since we can remember, or have written records of, at least. His name is Godzilla and he feeds on radioactive materials but, as viewers find out sooner into the film than they actually get to see him, he is not their biggest problem.
“The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around,” Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) says at one point. Through his sheer arrogance, under the guise of easily explainable scientific curiosity, man brings back to life two monsters that are bigger, meaner and way deadlier than Godzilla.
If Godzilla was a problem for mankind before, three such giant monsters with the power to wipe out entire cities with a stroke, are… well, thrice the problem. This is the perfect opportunity for Edwards to show off his skills in creating the aforementioned visual tableaux, of such beauty for the heartbreaking devastation they present that they manage to stay with you for much longer after you’ve left the theater – and perhaps even longer than you’ll remember the story.
Based on a script by Max Borenstein (from a story by Dave Callaham), “Godzilla” the movie hardly stops to pay attention to the human characters thrown into this chaotic universe, except to use them to highlight Godzilla and the other two monsters and – we’ll say it! – to fill in the space in between monster sightings.
That would have been a trifle if Edwards hadn’t gotten on board this film some of the most talented actors of today – Bryan Cranston, Watanabe, Juliette Binoche, Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson – all of them wasted on a script that is mediocre at best.
Perhaps aware of the material they’re working with, all of them are obviously slumming it, though Cranston does deserve a medal for really bringing it home, despite the short screentime he actually gets. Don’t worry though: if you go to see this film for the first reason mentioned above (because you’re a fan of the genre), you will hardly notice this.
“Godzilla” runs for 123 minutes and is rated PG-13 for images of violence and some language. It opened on May 16 in the US and most international territories, will arrive in China on June 13, and will end its run in Japan, starting July 25.
The Good
Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla” has some of the most beautiful images seen on film in recent years. Godzilla the monster, more like the original Gojira than ever before, had the entire staff’s undivided attention, from the director to the tech guys who created him in post-production – and you can tell when you watch the film.
Outstanding visuals, a solid score and the most epic clash between monsters ever are some of the biggest recommendations for “Godzilla.”
The Bad
As with every other monster film, there is a problem with keeping to the proportions of the monsters; however, it’s nothing too blatant.
The Truth
“Godzilla” is a solid monster movie but it lacks humanity completely: it’s gorgeous and plays out on an impressive scale in all respects, but it’s ultimately devoid of meaning. Whether it’s a must-see or not depends entirely on what you expect from it.
