The big-budget, special-effects driven monster movie is sure to be successful in this day and age. People who may have loved the older versions, despite lackluster visuals, will find much to enjoy with the new one, if the film is done right. And the latest update of “Godzilla” is sure to please both new and older fans of the classic movie monster.
Director Gareth Edwards’ reboot is faithful to the original Japanese story. Godzilla is a prehistoric dinosaur-lizard that has been slumbering deep underwater, and thrives off of nuclear radiation. He, along with other moth-like creatures called Mutos, have been recently awakened by human activity. Rather than reveal too much of the story, the tagline of this movie may be all that you really need to know: “let them fight.”
The most positive attribute of “Godzilla” is, ironically, not the action itself. It is the way that director Gareth Edwards presents the monsters that makes them most frightening. Rather than just immediately having full-on battles from the start, he instead slow-plays it, giving you only glimpses of the beasts throughout the film. But by the conclusion, as Godzilla and the Mutos full-on battle it out within a mostly demolished San Francisco, “Godzilla” finally delivers. It may be a little while to wait, but it does not disappoint.
The solid casting of the film consists of Bryan Cranston as a nuclear physicist named Joe Brody, who is the one that predicted of the destruction that would come. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays his son, army Lieutenant Ford, and Elizabeth Olsen is Ford’s wife. Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins round out the cast as two scientists that study Godzilla and the Mutos. There is just enough time spent on the development of these characters so as to make the story just as engaging as the action. Such emphasis makes the film darker and more realistic than the representations of Godzilla in the past, despite a still wildly unbelievable premise.
To be fair, “Godzilla” does have its weaknesses. There are some interactions that are unnecessarily thrown in, such as some between Ford and other side characters that do not really progress the story. Ford himself is less-than-heroic, as he tends to get conveniently saved at the most opportune moments, and actually does little to save the day. The film could also be lighter at times, perhaps with a few more homages to the original 1954 version. With the intention of giving this reboot a gritty, modern feel, Edwards sometimes ignores the very cheesiness that makes Godzilla movies so enticing.
Ultimately, though, “Godzilla” is a feel-good, action-packed, entertaining monster film. It is, hopefully, a sign that Hollywood has finally found the balance between impressive visual effects and good stories to go along with them. Much more than just a throw-away monster movie, “Godzilla” is, without a doubt, a rockin’ good time.