Godzilla Movie Review

Godzilla Movie Review

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During my childhood, I loved Godzilla. I could not get enough of the old, Japanese Godzilla monster movies. I would set my VCR timer to record as many of the movies as I could during the Godzilla marathons on television. I even enjoyed Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla in 1998 starring Matthew Broderick. However, I was 13 years old back then. I am now 15 years older and wiser. Accordingly, I was very skeptical that a Godzilla movie could be made that would still meet my enhanced expectations for a great movie. However, I started to get excited about the film once I saw that the early response to the film was favorable. After seeing it myself, I am thrilled to say that Gareth Edwards’s new Godzilla exceeds all my expectations. It is a brilliantly re-imagined Godzilla that brings the legendary monster to a new generation. While it is a monster and action movie, I really like that it does not forget to build an intriguing plot and develop its characters. I also like how the film teases Godzilla and an epic, all out battle before culminating the movie with an exhilarating monster brawl. The movie also has a strong cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, and Ken Watanabe. While the film could use a little more Godzilla and action, I appreciate that it is not Pacific Rim’s half ass attempt at a plot to fill in between all its soulless battle scenes. Of course, there are plenty of fans of Pacific Rim. If you are a fan that is hoping to see a similar movie with all action and minimal plot, it is not a film for you. If you want to see a great story around the mythos of Godzilla, I highly recommend this summer blockbuster.

The movie begins in 1999 with scientists, Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins), flying to a site of a mining accident in the Philippines. At the site, they discover a massive skeleton resembling a dinosaur. Moreover, there are two eggs and one has hatched. They discover a trail left by the creature that leads to the ocean. It makes its way to a nuclear power plant in Janjira, Japan. Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) and his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) work together in the power plant. The arrival of the creature causes the plant to meltdown. Sandra sacrifices her life in order to seal the plant and protect the city from radiation exposure. Nevertheless, the entire city, including Joe and his son Ford, is immediately evacuated. Fifteen years later, Joe’s life is consumed by the death of his wife and the incident. He cannot move on and believes there is a cover up. Naturally, he is deemed crazy for his conspiracy theories. On the other hand, his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has grown up and is an explosive ordinance disposal officer and lieutenant in the United States Navy. He has a family which includes his wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and son. While he loves his father, he wants to move on from their tragic past. Nevertheless, Ford is thrust back into the past when his father is arrested for trespassing into the quarantine zone in Janjira and Ford flies to Japan to bail out his father. While Ford is initially hesitant in rehashing the past, he cannot run from it and also needs to know the circumstances that led to his mother’s death like his father. As such, he agrees to join his father into the quarantine zone. Eventually, they uncover the truth.

The truth involves the prehistoric creatures, Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism or MUTO, that date back to the time of the dinosaurs. In the past, these creatures fed on radiation. As the Earth was much more radioactive in the past, they were able to exist on the surface of the Earth. However, they retreated underground towards the center of the Earth in order to feed on radiation. Eventually, human beings discover atomic and nuclear technology. The existence of these sources of radiation lures these creatures back to the surface. The purpose of the original Godzilla film is a metaphor for the horror of nuclear weapons after the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Accordingly, I like that the film gives a modern and different take on that theme. The creation of nuclear weapons and nuclear power is the reason these creatures can exist on the surface again. From my perspective and consistent with the original film, it is nature’s punishment for man for creating horrifying, destructive weapons. While two MUTOs appear and cause destruction from Japan to Hawaii and the west coast of the United States, their presence also brings on Godzilla, who has hunted them in the past. Of course, the existence of these monsters, including Godzilla, is a danger to everyone in their path. Accordingly, it is the priority of the United States military to hunt these monsters. They engage Ishiro to help since he is an expert on the creatures. Ford is also thrown into the middle of the events since his father has research that can help and he is an active member of the military with special skills regarding explosives.

I love that the movie focuses on developing the story rather than trying to only have multiple monster fights. In fact, they only tease the monsters fighting throughout film until a spectacular, final battle scene in San Francisco. While fans hoping to see an action film like Pacific Rim for two hours may be disappointed, I really like the buildup and anticipation as well as the human storylines leading up to the satisfying conclusion. The film is primarily from the perspective of Ford. The tragedy at the beginning of the film has terrible consequences on his life as it destroys his family. He loses his mother and his father cannot move on with his life. As an active member of the military who has special expertise in weaponry in the present, he becomes crucial to the military’s plan to stop the monsters. As a husband and father, he also needs to worry about his current family, which comprises of his wife and son, who are in the path of the destruction of the creatures. I also like how the film fully develops the story from the perspective of his wife, Elle. She is committed to her work as a nurse and helping people during the crisis but is also a wife that worries about the well being of her husband as well as a mother that needs to protect her son. I also like that the film shows the thought process of the military as they try to handle the difficult situation. Since the MUTOs emit an electromagnetic pulse (“EMP”), it complicates the problem and limits what the military can do to fight them. I definitely appreciate that the film details the logic of the military’s decisions. Unlike a film like Transformers: Dark of the Moon, this movie ensures that you understand the rationale behind the daring maneuvers and action sequences instead of just putting spectacular scenes in it that look great but make no sense.

In addition, I really like that the film still stays true to the themes of the Godzilla franchise. The MUTOs are forces of nature that cause destruction only because of the creation of nuclear weapons. The technology has also been adapted to provide nuclear power which these creatures feed on. While nuclear energy is a very important power source, the use of nuclear weapons is an unthinkable option in the modern world. As such, I like that the MUTOs are nature’s punishment for man conceiving these weapons. Moreover, Godzilla is also a force of nature. In his initial feature film, he is nature’s punishment for man using nuclear weapons as he is spawned by the radiation. Over the course of the franchise, he has also been a protagonist in helping man fight the other monsters that are spawned by the radiation. Consistent with the franchise, Ishiro tells the military that he believes that Godzilla is a force of nature that is trying to bring balance back to the world by fighting and trying to kill the MUTOs. Of course, the military cannot afford to step aside and allow Ishiro’s belief to play out. In addition, Godzilla maybe another creature that is on the Earth to punish human beings for their sins. He causes as much if not more damage than the MUTOs. In a perfect scenario, the military will be able to kill Godzilla and the MUTOs to eliminate all three threats. I also like that the film presents the pros and cons of the use of nuclear weapons. Obviously, the MUTOS and Godzilla are immensely powerful creatures. Accordingly, conventional weapons are like mosquitoes to them. In order to kill them, nuclear weapons need to be on the table. The thought is fully developed because the use needs to be considered in a dooms day, apocalyptic scenario but it still needs to be the last resort because it will cause immense collateral damage.

The cast of the film is also superb. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has really matured as an actor. He is great in Kick-Ass as the protagonist, Dave Lizewski. However, his role as Ford Brody is much more mature and he delivers a great performance. When I watched the movie, he looked familiar but I did not even realize he is the same actor that plays Dave Lizewski until I looked it up online. It is a testament to his progression as an actor. His wife, Elle, is played by Elizabeth Olsen. She does very well portraying the worried wife that needs to worry about her husband who is in danger from the monsters. However, it is the norm for her since he is an active member of the military. Moreover, she is a strong woman that needs to move forward in her daily life despite her concerns for the well being of her husband. She has responsibilities as a nurse and a mother of a young son. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are also cast as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch for Avengers: Age of Ultron and teased in the end credits scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Accordingly, we will be seeing them on screen together again. Bryan Cranston is known for his roles on Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad. He is very good as a frenetic Joe Brody whose quest for the truth has made him misinterpreted as a raging lunatic. I like the character and my only wish is that we could have seen more of him in the movie. I am also a big fan of Ken Watanabe. He is brilliant as Katsumoto in the Last Samurai. He is also excellent as Ra’s al Ghul’s proxy in Batman Begin and Saito in Inception. In Godzilla, his character Ishiro is the wise, voice of reason. He understands the nature of Godzilla and feels strongly against using nuclear weapons. He also has a lot of great lines in the movie: “The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around.”

Again, I am thrilled with this version of Godzilla. It reintroduces this great character to a new generation. It does a great job concentrating on an intriguing story rather than just having 2 plus hours of pointless monsters brawling. I also approve its great cast. I definitely recommend this summer blockbuster to all Godzilla fans as well as anyone looking for an action movie with an excellent story.

Pat Wong

About Pat Wong

Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.

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