A worthy update

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2016)

There is a lot to criticize about the most recent reboot of one of the most iconic movie monsters in film history. The basic premise concerning ancient giant creatures that feed on radiation is preposterous, the human characters are thin and behave in ways that don't make sense, the coincidences the story asks us to swallow are almost as big as the title creature, and the tonality of the performances is all over the map. Bryan Cranston cranks himself to 11 (his scenes with a natural talent like Juliette Binoche demonstrate how outclassed he is as an actor), Ken Watanable spends a lot of time staring wistfully and forlornly into space, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson seems set on sucking the life out of any scene he's in. Even the score by the usually reliable Alexander Desplat is forgettable. Yet despite all the flaws, this film has one awesome quiver in its bow and it knows how to use it, making it eminently watchable and entertaining. This is a super-sized Godzilla largely indifferent to humans and humanity, and as such is perfect update to the anxieties explored and exploited in the Toho original. In place of fears about unleashing the destructive power of the atom, now we quiver in the shadow of natural forces we monkey with but don't completely understand, forces capable of wiping us out while barely noticing us. Director Gareth Edwards and his army of visual effects and sound design gurus make sure that Godzilla lives up to his name and legacy. Yes, it could be a better film if the humans had more depth and the story wasn't so contrived, but it wouldn't be worth anything if that thrilling roar wasn't so convincing, the blast of hot breath so exciting, and the earth-shaking power not so awesome. The film delivers in a big way on the one character that really matters.