Exactly What I Expected: A Competently Made Movie About A Giant Monster

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2014)

After first seeing a preview for Gareth Edward's reboot of Godzilla, I was fairly excited. With an obvious respect for the source material and capable lead actors (most notably Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe), this new installment seemed determined to do justice to the epic monster from the original Japanese tokusatsu films. Despite decidedly mixed reviews, I was still hoping for the best as I sat down a few hours ago to watch the film.
So, was it as good as I hoped it would be? No, but it was pretty much exactly what I expected; a competently made movie about a giant monster. The film did a lot of things right, and it definitely had a few missteps, but ultimately, the good far outweighed the bad in this summer blockbuster.
Let's start with the good. Most importantly, the enormous eponymous kaiju actually looks like Godzilla. This beast is definitely nothing like the 1998 incarnation. Furthermore, every scene with Godzilla on screen is absolutely electric. He demands your attention; his humongous stature and deafening roars radiate energy, and provide far more excitement than any other CGI creation I've seen in recent blockbusters. I also really enjoyed Bryan Cranston's role. In the short time he had on screen, he effectively added a human element to a story that otherwise focused on fairly one-dimensional monsters. The pacing of the movie is also excellent, slowly building tension and teasing the audience with brief monster appearances before releasing all of the built-up energy in an explosive and electrifying climax. Although the final fight is a little lengthy and predictable, the cinematography was masterful. The massive billowing clouds of smoke surrounding the fight served as an interesting backdrop, and also allowed for frequent breaks in the action as the monsters weaved in and out of the audience's sight.
And now, the bad. Aside from Bryan Cranston, the human characters are very one-dimensional. This is a little disappointing, and it definitely detracted from the film. Aaron Taylor-Johnson struck me as particularly static. His character's story arc simply didn't resonate with me; we've all seen that story countless times before. That being said, the film needed a solid hero to bring the audience closer to the action, and in that regard, he definitely succeeded. Aside from this, my only other criticism is of the MUTO's, which are the monsters that oppose Godzilla in the film. Given the vast array of classic monsters in the series, such as Mothra, Destoroyah, and King Ghidorah, I would've preferred a more interesting antagonist. Of course, the MUTO's serve exactly the same purpose as these other monsters, they just aren't nearly as awesome.
Put simply, this film is better than most monster movies I have seen in recent memory. Most importantly, it doesn't fall into the trap that countless blockbusters have fallen for in recent years. In this film, the CGI augments the story, it doesn't replace it. Yes, the film provides the audience with massive monsters, but it doesn't let these beasts dominate every scene. Instead, it carefully works them in, and saves the all-important massive fight for the climax. By using this approach, the film was able to preserve the awesome energy of Godzilla throughout the entirety of the film, and never let the monster become saturated and boring.
All in all, this is a good movie. I think the reason that many others haven't enjoyed it as much as I did is because of false expectations, on two separate fronts. First, do not expect this movie to be a flat-out action movie. The film is equal parts drama and action, and I think this surprised and bored a lot of people in the audience. Second, don't expect it to be groundbreaking, as many others seem to have done. Instead, expect a competently made movie about a giant monster. You won't be disappointed.
RATING: 7/10