CGI so good, you'd think its a man in a suit.....

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2014)

Edwards got this gig on the strength of his very impressive movie 'Monsters' a film that wasn't about monsters you'd expect, but the metaphorical ones that use and abuse their fellow man.
And now comes Godzilla, Emmerich had a shot at it in 98, and missed the target by miles, and its ironic how this film begins in 1999, and Edwards delivers the goods in droves.
Nuclear is the word of the day, from references to Hiroshima, to a reactor being destroyed, then to the literal Nuclear family, Godzilla is a different beast when it comes to spectacle.
After a prologue involving much destruction, we are sent to the present day, where Bryan Cranston is in deep trouble as he has been arrested for being on a restricted area he used to call home, so Johnson goes to help.
And then from there its a blast from beginning to end, Johnson's desperation to get back to his wife and son, but all the while doing the right thing and trying to help others.
Edwards also focuses on the family as a whole, and its evident in several scenes, especially when the young boy gets on the train by mistake, and then later reunited, which is a touching moment in all the chaos.
And then there is the spectacle. The film does bring to mind other blockbusters. It has the feel of 2005's War Of The Worlds, it has an eerie atmosphere throughout, and a strange sense of dread.
And comparisons to Pacific Rim are there, but this film appreciates its characters and makes them involving. Del Toro messed up big time with that movie, and in the end it was just Robot Jox with a big budget. It's as if 2014 is making up for last summer.
And finally we get to the man himself, Godzilla. And he's a marvel to look at. It's as if Edwards has almost made a CG man in a rubber suit. He's not in it much throughout the film, but when he appears, it's truly awe-inspiring, and when he roars, blimey, does he roar.
With some wonderful support from Strathairn, Watanabe, and Hawkins, Godzilla is a wonderful start to what looks set to be a truly wonderful summer.
And even though its a pretty serious summer movie, come the final shot, you know you've seen a good old fashioned summer blockbuster.
Well worth seeing, 3D isn't amazing though.