Size matters

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2014)

It's not that there aren't other things in this movie worth talking about, but the most talked-about aspect must be the size of this latest rendition of the world's (here I venture a speculation) best known "monster" at its 60th birthday (or thereabout).
What Hollywood had done 15 years ago bastardizing this iconic Japanese folk hero is redeemed today. Godzilla is restored to the stature of a force of nature that, while formidable and potentially devastatingly destructive, provides a balance in savior-of-the-world proportions, in a titanic battle against a pair of fiendishly hideous-looking spider-based monsters.
As devastations of all kinds imaginable (and unimaginable) successively turn into rubbles Manila, Tokyo and Honolulu, our explosive-expert hero played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson seems to be caught in each and every one of these disasters while his lovely wife (Elizabeth Olsen) with their little kid awaits in San Francisco where the three creatures will eventually converge. From the Pacific, with small skirmishes along the way, come Godzilla and the male spider-like evil that can spread out wings like a pterodactyl. Emerging from the bowels of Nevada is his mate, the female with no wings but larger (almost as large as Godzilla). I'll leave you to guess what this pair is up to. I suppose one could fault Godzilla for this mischief of trying to spoil a good romance.
Filling roles that do not require their level of acting are four Oscar–caliber actors, three nominees and one award recipient, as listed below in chronological order. Juliette Binoche took home a supporting Oscar in 1997 for "The English Patient". In 2004, Ken Watanabe got a best supporting nomination for "The last samurai". Next came David Strathairn's best supporting nomination in 2006 for "Good night, and good luck". For this year's best supporting, Sally Hawkins got a nomination for "Blue Jasmine". But then, she made her mark in 2009, taking home best acting Golden Globe (comedy or musical) for "Happy-go-lucky".
But at the end of the day, it is the superb cinematography and special effect that make this movie worth seeing. And, of course, size.