Rinji News O Moshiagemasu - Godzilla Ga Ginza Hoomen E Mukatte Imasu !

Rating: 7/10 (10 June 2014)

In 1999, a strange spike of seismic activity causes a disaster at a Japanese nuclear power plant. Fifteen years later, when the same patterns recur, Ford Brody returns to the plant to seek answers, only to discover the authorities are keeping a terrible secret ...
I love old monster movies and Toho Studios' classic Gojira is one of my favourites. This new blockbuster version is a terrific modern-day retelling but with a cool old-fashioned sensibility; heroic good guys, non-stop action, terrific story, family friendly, serious but fun entertainment. Even better, it doesn't make the mistake so many blockbusters do and play dumb - the drama and the tragedy are played straight, without detracting from the epic or crazy aspects of the story. Edwards creates moments of horror, tension, spectacle and relief within the fantasy context, reminiscent of Spielberg's early work, with a keen eye for atmosphere. He also brings out the themes exceptionally well - the tragic disaster scenes have real bite and recall the all too recent catastrophes of the Indonesian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. Dr Serizawa (Watanabe) sums it up perfectly when he says, "The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control, and not the other way around.". Godzilla has always been a metaphor for natural justice and the movie exploits it to the hilt, all the while bombarding us with dogfights, nuclear bombs, tidal waves, helicopters, exploding trains, mass panic, not forgetting of course the super-scary Mutos (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms). Technically it's equally fabulous, with great photography by Irish cameraman Seamus McGarvey, superb visual effects by Jim Rygiel and wonderful sound effects by Erik Aadahl - if ever there's a film to see (or rather hear) in a cinema, it's this; only a full-on sound system can do justice to Godzilla's roar. Best of all is the stomping, menacing score by Alexandre DeSplat, which rampages along with the story and leaves us gasping with intensity just as much as the visuals - there's an amazing, almost ethereal sequence, where Ford parachutes into the smoking hell of San Francisco to the eerie chorale from Gyorgy Ligeti's Requiem which is like nothing I've ever seen before. The cast are good, particularly Watanabe (Tampopo, The Last Samurai), Cranston and Strathairn; youthful beefcake lead Taylor-Johnson does well too but flounders occasionally at the scale of events. The movie is not without some flaws - the last half-hour particularly is needlessly dark and dingy, and the script takes a few lurches in continuity which could have been smoothed out. These quibbles aside, this is a cracking great monster flick, beautifully crafted, with thrills aplenty, a perfect movie for a ten-year-old boy or anyone (like me) who has never really grown up much beyond that. Hail to the King Of The Monsters.