The King has Returned

Rating: 10/10 (22 June 2014)

If you are one of the people who say that this film isn't up to par with other blockbusters, then I have serious concerns for the future of Hollywood. First off, many people say this film is bad because they themselves lack patience. I praise this film for that. It brought me right back to the first time I watched Jaws. The anticipation of seeing the creature was just killing me. The constant teasing of the title character throughout the film was perfect. Second, when people say that Godzilla is barely in it, they make it seem like nothing is happening when he's off screen. The MUTOs keep a balance between the humans and Gojira. Speaking of the MUTOs I've also heard the complaint that they have nothing to do with Japanese culture. While I understand that Godzilla originates from Japan and the terrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this is an American interpretation of the character. That is not a requirement for this interpretation. I've also heard that the 98 version is better than this version. While Godzilla isn't on screen for very long, it is better than the 98 which lacked the character entirely. You can argue that the 98 Zilla is an American interpretation of Godzilla. But Zilla lacks certain characteristics of the Japanese version to even be considered the American Godzilla. Now I won't defend the acting of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. Taylor-Johnson was stoic and mostly boring, but what can you expect from a script written for a marine character. And Olsen really didn't contribute much to the film other than the dramatic reunion at the end. Offsetting that would be Bryan Cranston's powerful and driving acting and Ken Wantanabe's Gojira obsessed scientist character. While I will admit that there are some stale and cheesy moments that isn't enough to justify calling it a bad film. The good definitely outweigh the bad, and I hope to see The King of the Monsters again in American theaters.