Finally Godzilla gets the cinematic treatment he deserves

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2014)

It's seldom when a summer blockbuster is able to have a truly emotional and visceral impact when so many modern action films have become consumed by their own relentless cacophony. Finally, Gareth Edwards has succeeded where so many others have failed. He has delivered a carefully paced blockbuster that takes its time slowly unveiling the King of the Monsters through teasing glimpses and escalating action. The movie gradually turns the tension screws until the epic showdown at the end, resulting in one of the most gratifying and euphoric finales I've ever seen in a big-budget film.
Edwards, unlike Emmerich (who struggled with balancing monster vs human geography), knows how to deftly employ the camera to suggest Godzilla's weight, power, and overwhelming presence via framing. He understands that proper use of scale is vital toward enabling the audience to identify with Godzilla as not just a destructive creature, but as a real character with emotional depth and power.
Many critics have criticized the movie for focusing too much on the human story lines and not enough on Godzilla himself. Instead, Edwards focuses on the real-world ramifications of these primordial creatures through the limited lens of the human perspective. Unlike most action directors today who attempt to bludgeon the audience with endless fast cuts and nauseous editing, Gareth Edwards frames the action through a ground level human perspective, which gives us a sense of Godzilla's sheer physical enormity. Often times Godzilla is either partially out of frame or shrouded in smoke or clouds until the final battle when all hell breaks loose. While this teasing approach may irritate some moviegoers, I appreciated this return to an older style of filmmaking that emphasizes subliminal wonder and an unraveling sense of scope rather than just empty, aimless bombast. The film's dark tone and atmosphere lends the monsters a real sense of menace. As they exist mostly out of frame, it emphasizes the human struggle to comprehend forces far beyond our myopic understanding.
Alexandre Desplat's excellent score features many percussive elements and traditional Japanese sounds that harken back to the classic monster movie tradition, which should please die-hard Godzilla fans. Its oppressive themes bring out the tension in each action setpiece, while taking a backseat during the quieter moments in the plot. In the acting department, the performances were mostly solid across the board. Cranston adds much-needed gravitas to his brief role, thereby establishing the human stakes that are later eclipsed by the epic proportions of Godzilla's conflict with the MUTOs. Aaron Taylor-Johnson gives a serviceable performance as the lead protagonist; he merely serves as the audience's entrypoint for understanding the geography of the monsters' movements and fights. The background actors sometimes veer into hammy territory, but it works for this type of movie (a throwback to the classic kaiju genre).
I had an absolute blast watching this movie at the cinema. People were nearly stomping on their feet by the time Edwards delivers the climax we were all waiting for. It's one of those rare films that knows what the audience wants, but doesn't squander its potential to inspire awe and wonder in the audience by overstuffing itself with mind-numbing action and self-serious drama. Gareth Edwards has proved himself to be a hugely talented director with this seamless transition from independent to blockbuster filmmaking with real heart and soul.