Godzilla (2014) Review

Godzilla (2014) Review

Gareth Edwards' debut film, Monsters, is an incredible piece of filmmaking. A smart, character driven and allegorical subversion of the classic monster movie. It currently ranks as my 8th favourite film of all time, ahead of The Godfather. So, when I heard Edwards would be directing the big-screen return of Godzilla, I was over the fire-blazen moon. I was, perhaps mistakenly, expecting a masterpiece.After seeing the finished product, I am disappointed. Don't get me wrong, Godzilla is no Les(hit) Miserables. It's more... God(damn good) Zilla.

Godzilla (2014) follows the world's most famous monster as he's pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. We follow Joe and Ford Brody (a balls-to-the-nuclear-safe-zone-wall Bryan Cranston and crushingly dull Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a father and son pairing, left estranged by a family tradegy 15 years prior. After another family tragedy (these guys can not catch a break), Ford must leave his wife and child (Elisabeth Olsen, a bizarre mix of apathetic and likable) to join the fight and save San Francisco. Sounds like the set-up for a fun, Pacific Rim-alike action flick, doesn't it? Unsuprisingly, Edwards has higher ideas in mind (where else?)...

The original 1954 Gojira was intended as an allegory of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, with the titular monster representing "the bomb". Edwards' reboot follows in the original's massive footsteps, this time creating images and scenes reminiscent of the Fukushima disaster in 2011. One scene in particular seems a direct nod to the accident, and is perhaps one of the most heart-wrenching and emotionally ambitious scenes in any modern blockbuster. If you don't cry, you're either lacking a heart or a giant lizard. Another key touchstone is, inevitably the 9/11 attack. I saw you rolling your eyes! Yes, it's you I'm looking at! Don't give me that excuse! Ahem, excuse me. In any other blockbuster, your groans would be justified, but for a franchise that prides itself on allegory the images are a perfect fit. 

A common complaint leveled at Monsters is "there's not enough action and explosions because I'm too dumb to watch anything not produced by Michael Bay, duh". Luckily, for the less demanding audience member, there are some truly excellent action scenes. Edwards has a keen eye for scale and this may be the first time that Godzilla has felt like a force of nature. The creature design is also a highlight, with some incredible detail and many delightful touches. 

Edwards chooses to tease the audience with brief glimpses of the monsters, before the big reveal an hour in. He has cited Jaws as a key influence for this technique (which also explains the surname Brody) Steven Spielberg expertly used the power of suggestion to build tension and anticipation for the shark. It worked marvelously and is a key reason Jaws is remembered as a classic to this day. What made Jaws so special was that, even with Bruce out of the picture, it is a seriously engaging movie. The audience is still riveted by the character dynamics, island politics and numerous subplots. Unfortunately, Edwards fails to create quite the same effect. The problem here is the script by newcomer Max Bortenstein.

Bortenstein's script fails at making most of his characters engaging. Bryan Cranston's Joe gets the best backstory and emotional core, but is exits early on. The only other highlight is Ken Watanabe as Dr Serizawa, a Japanese scientist inflected with Watanabe's usual grace and power. The two main characters, Taylor-Johnson's Ford and Olsen's Elle, are as interesting as wet tissues. Olsen scrapes by on natural charisma, but Ford is so uninteresting, Taylor-Johnson has no hope of redemption. Given Edwards' desire to stage the colossal events from a human perspective, his film falls foul to the underwritten nature of his characters. What we're left with is a somewhat cold and distant movie.

What the film lacks in character depth, it makes up for in themes and messages. The key idea behind Godzilla (2014) is encapsulated by Serizawa's line "The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around". Godzilla isn't a monster, he's nature's way of restoring balance. Sadly, this is reversed in the truly terrible closing moments in which (without giving too much away), the tititular character is presented as something of a hero. Not only is this ridiculous in it's own right, it completely negates the overarching theme of the movie.

Overall, Godzilla is a smart, effective blockbuster that suffers from an amatuerish, occasionally laughable script. But, Edwards' keen eye for direction and the excellent turns from Cranston and Watanabe make it an intriguing and entertaining movie with some smart ideas. It's not quite on the same level as Monsters, but neither is The Godfather...

Five Word Verdict: The disappointing, yet impressive, sibling

Score: 3½/5