Few movie franchises are as well-known as Godzilla. That being said, going into a Godzilla movie comes with a few expectations. Lots of action, lots of nonsensical dialogue and monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.
Gareth Edwards’ recent addition to the 60-year-old franchise, the aptly titled, “Godzilla,” tries, and partially succeeds, to meet the expectations it sets up for itself.
The movie begins by jumping around to different years and different locations affected by the monster before focusing on the plight of nuclear physicist Joe Brody (played by a wig-wearing Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”). Brody is continuously attempting to prove that the nuclear power plant explosion that caused the death of his wife was not a natural disaster. His bomb-disarming soldier son, Ford (played by the perpetually confused but attractive Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Kick-Ass”), reluctantly agrees to help him find evidence in an attempt to mend their strained relationship.
Parts of the film lean more towards family drama than action flick, with the viewer constantly bombarded with random characters and plot twists that haphazardly come together to support the Brody family narrative. Characters appear only to give campy one-liners or rambling monologues as a way to give viewers unnecessary exposition. The script went through 12 different writers before it was finalized for shooting and the winding plot line reflects that.
Aside from the gaping plot holes, Edwards successfully creates an eerie mood throughout the entire film. “Godzilla” is visually stunning, with graphics and lighting that at times are on par with Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” Edwards created the best-looking Godzilla by far while still remaining true to past renditions of the monster. He is still just as big, scaly and deadly, but the film’s CGI makes him appear untouchable. The visually stunning effects in “Godzilla” make up for any shortcomings in the script, and for Godzilla fans out there, Edward’s “Godzilla” is worth seeing for the final fight scene alone (hint: nuclear breath). The sound effects successfully heighten the serious tone found throughout the film and emphasize the terror of Godzilla when he finally does attack in full force.
Along with Godzilla, his enemies in the movie, two prehistoric predators simply referred to as MUTO – “Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms” – are terrifying but lack the satisfaction the that the King of the Monsters has on camera. When it comes to monsters, the characters in the movie focus more on defeating Godzilla’s enemies than on Godzilla himself, which is confusing to viewers who came into the movie expecting two hours of in-your-face Godzilla action. The title would be more true to the plot if it was “MUTO versus Godzilla,” or even “People Reacting to Godzilla Coming” than simply “Godzilla.” Whether or not Edwards intentionally deceived the audience with a Godzilla-filled trailer then presenting them with a movie largely missing him, “Godzilla” is not an entire disappointment.
While to some it may be a relief that Edwards chose to stray from the typical military versus monster action movie for more dramatic narrative territory, “Godzilla” may leave viewers wanting more. For the movie being named after him, Godzilla is rarely shown until the last half hour of the film. Edwards successfully builds suspense by only showing glimpses of Godzilla up to the climactic final fight scene, but by then it may be too late. Whether or not Edwards was trying to do too much at once instead of sticking with a non-stop Godzilla fight fest, “Godzilla” is an enjoyable watch for both the Godzilla fan and amateur.
