nuclear proliferation has more than a few dangers

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2014)

Obviously it was going to be hard for any future version of "Godzilla" to be as bad as the infamous 1998 movie. Much of this new version's strength lies in its look at nuclear proliferation. The opening credits show the various and sundry tests that the US carried out in the Pacific - many of which resulted in birth defects among the Pacific Islanders - accompanied by credits made to look like censored documents. And then the incident with the nuclear power plant in Japan is a pretty clear reference to the Fukushima explosion and subsequent cover-up (such as a controversial State Secrets Act). Another thing that makes this version interesting is that the title character isn't just some giant lizard going around wreaking havoc, but in fact has to contend with another set of monsters.
I will say that the movie goes a little overboard on all the stomping and smashing, but the look at excessive reliance on technology makes up for that. If an electromagnetic pulse occurred and knocked out all the electricity in a certain radius, people would probably go nuts, with or without a monster to create more terror. I enjoyed the movie, and I hope that it spawns more debate about the safety of nuclear weapons.