An uneven, but entertaining film that suffers from lack of Godzilla.

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2014)

Godzilla is one of the most well known and recognizable movie characters of all time. His name and image has been ingrained into our pop culture vocabulary for decades. Even people who have never seen a Godzilla film, know the name. That's the definition of an iconic character.
With that being said, I fall into the category of people that has never actually seen a Godzilla film. Although I'm passionate about cinema, I've just never been particularly interested in the story. Sure, I've seen parts of the original 1954 Japanese film, but that's about it.
Despite being an iconic figure, it wasn't a nuclear bomb that almost killed Godzilla, it was Hollywood. In 1998 Roland Emmerich's Godzilla was released starring Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno. The film is now a Hollywood punchline and infamous for being one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. The 1998 version of Godzilla is also known for possibly killing more careers than its titular star kills civilians.
The good news is, nothing ever truly dies in Hollywood - it's just reborn. Boasting some of the best trailers you will ever see, Godzilla once again took a strong grip on pop culture. The trailer spread like wild fire through social media making Godzilla the must-see movie of the early summer. Godzilla is perfect blockbuster escapist fare and a perfect night out for anybody looking to turn their brain off for two hours. There's not a ton of great dialogue or character development. It's a Godzilla film, this is to be expected.
The film starts out with a quick montage showing us what happened to Godzilla in 1954. We are soon introduced to Joe Brody, played by Bryan Cranston, in an effort to capitalize on his post Heisenberg high. Brody is a scientist working at a Japanese nuclear power plant. The film quickly fast forwards 15 years and Cranston's brilliant scientist has now been disgraced and reduced to a jittery wacko. Or so he seems to everybody else. Like with any disaster film, Cranston isn't crazy; in fact, he knows something is about to go horribly wrong but nobody will listen to him.
As usual, Cranston is on top of his game. You can see the desperation in every wrinkle of his forehead and can hear it in every word he utters. Unfortunately, the focus soon shifts to Brody's son, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Taylor-Johnson really hasn't done much. I enjoyed him in the Kick-Ass films, but he's never struck me as a particularly strong actor. When a gigantic CGI lizard has more facial expressions than your male lead, there's a problem.
The more of the film Taylor-Johnson is asked to carry, the faster it starts to go downhill. Another unfortunate part of the film is how they waste Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Taylor-Johnson's wife. Like many female characters in films like this, Olsen's character is reduced to sitting at home wringing her hands waiting for news about her husband. Elizabeth Olsen is a great actress, but she's not going to break away from the shadow of her famous Full House siblings if she keeps choosing roles like this. Got it, dude?
Maybe the biggest grievance I have with the film is the fact that Godzilla has his own film hijacked from him by two creatures most people have never heard of. While the two massive insect-like creatures are creating havoc, Godzilla is riding the pine. I paid money to watch Godzilla stomp on buildings, not to watch two over grown insects have sex.
I know it sounds like I didn't like the film, but that's not the case. The first half of the film is especially strong. Godzilla also features some of the best music you will hear in a film all year, as well as some truly breathtaking special effects. The film also boasts a satisfying climax. It's so awesome, it made me wish there was more of that throughout the film.
With Godzilla's success at the box office, it's safe to assume that he will stay in our current pop culture landscape for a little longer. I just hope Godzilla gets to flex his muscles more in the next film.