GODZILLA
(2014)
Directed by- Gareth Edwards
Written by- Max Borenstein, David Callaham
*Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche
Godzilla starts off tremendously well.
With minimum exposition and maximum backstory being conveyed through terrifying images of nuclear 'testing', it expertly plants the seed of its plot.
The follow up with Bryan Cranston playing the slightly crazed scientist and Ken Watanabe as the 'man who believes in monsters' is interesting and just when the film seems to be finally getting everything right it takes a nose dive due to its poor choices and a botched up narrative.
Gareth Edwards commits a fatal error in choosing Aaron Taylor-Johnson AND his character as the human anchor to his monster saga.
Not only does the actor wear the same, worried frown throughout the film but even his character, an aimless drifter Lieutenant, lacks perspective and any real participation in the story.
I would have loved if Edwards had chosen to follow either of Cranston or Watanabe's story arcs. Not only were they more interesting characters with some personal investment but they both also shared a connection with the monsters.
Another grave mistake was making it a military movie with a big chunk of narrative pertaining to the American military's counter-actions to the monsters, which by the end of course prove to be futile.
I did like the way Edwards played the Kaiju fight scenes and restrained on principle from fully revealing the King until the end. The tease is half the fun, right? No.
Because as much as I understand and appreciate his boldness (especially in today's times, which are ruled by trailer-made money shots) his deliberate refrain *almost* fails due to a completely lackluster subplot to balance it out.
There is not a shred of empathy between the viewer and Aaron's Lt. Brody. None.
But the faulty human element aside, Edwards' direction is ace.
Some of the fight scenes are very well choreographed and the way his camera floats and tilts and swivels around the action is delightful.
The MUTO were decent nemeses to the supremely overwhelming Godzilla who took over the screen and silenced the audience every time he made an appearance.
And his final blow, that dazzling, decapitating atomic breath was just the 'finisher' you needed to see. A colossal pay off that ultimately redeems the movie.
An interesting allusion a friend of mine made was how Godzilla was actually a Western cowboy hero who comes out of his retirement to save a people, doesn't much care about and is misunderstood by them, then almost dies saving these people and just when we think he's perished, picks himself up and walks away with his back turned on us, fading into the distance. A perfect fit!
Awesome in parts, not so much in others, Godzilla is overall a pretty satisfying experience which pleases you with its fresh take on how to make a film about gigantic fighting creatures. Not to mention how to do a damn fine Gojira!
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