Fun to Watch, Even with the Flat Characters and Plot

Rating: 6/10 (22 May 2014)

Have you ever expected something totally different than what you got when seeing a movie? I have on several occasions, the most recent being Godzilla. The first trailer I saw for it was very involving and well- done and made me want to see the film until I saw the title. I know next to nothing about the legendary monster and was not very eager to learn anything about him either. However, after noting the goals for the tone and feel of the film, I decided to give it a go.
I could not have been more surprised with what I got. I expected the military to be hunting Godzilla, trying to destroy him before he destroyed the entire eastern seaboard. Instead the plot almost acknowledges Godzilla with the reverence of a god. Ken Watanabe's character, Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, has been searching for him for quite some time and constantly urges the military to let Godzilla be the hero (spoiler: they do) and kill the two MUTOs, or massive unidentified terrestrial organisms, that have been terrorizing various cities in their search for radioactive material to feed on. He also believes that Godzilla is a balancing force of nature, not a destroyer. This is shown when he is on his way to San Francisco to confront the MUTOs. The military practically escorts Godzilla in an effort to control him; in return he never attempts to antagonize the military and always tries to not take human life. This antihero presentation of the monster is in stark contrast to the little knowledge I had of him; however, I greatly prefer this story treatment to the classic man versus monster plot. It allows for some epic monster versus monster battle scenes that destroy most of Honolulu and San Francisco that allow the audience to almost sympathize with Godzilla.
However, the story does fit many of the stereotypical characteristics of monster movies, particularly in the characters. Nearly all of the characters and their respective actions are two-dimensional and incredibly predictable, with only two notable exceptions. Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, who has been previously discussed, is one exception. Ken Watanabe's acting is appropriately mysterious and complex and is easily the standout performance of the film. The other exception is Bryan Cranston's performance as Joe Brody, a nuclear physicist and conspiracy theorist. His suspicions about the incident at the nuclear power plant he managed are confirmed, and Cranston adds enough emotion and depth to make a standard character enjoyable. However, he is not in the film long enough to correct the poor acting of the rest of the cast. Aaron Taylor- Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, in particular, are far too flat to be enjoyable. The fact that they are the two predominant actors on screen does not help their mediocrity at all. The story shares these same sentiments on the whole, remaining slightly interesting while never really jumping out as anything more than mediocre.
The visual effects are, as expected, the best seen in any Godzilla film thus far. The monster himself seems akin to the original Toho version in design rather than Roland Emmerich's version from the late 1990s bomb. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the various scenes showing how large Godzilla really is, particularly while the military is monitoring him on the ocean. He is massive and quite impressive to view. The MUTOs are very original and resemble something out of Jurassic Park. Overall, the creatures are very intricate in design and fun to watch, even if they do tear down most of downtown San Francisco. The rest of the film's visual appeal is high and retains a realistic and serious tone throughout. It differs from the original Toho films almost as much as Batman Begins differs from the 1960s Batman TV series, adding a heaping of grit and really helping the story along.
Overall, I enjoyed Godzilla. Though it feels extremely flat in the story and character departments, the new take on the legendary monster and the impressive visual effects make him come roaring back to life. This film is definitely not all it could be, but it feels exactly like what it should be. A couple story flaws don't completely tear it down and set the stage for a future franchise. I just hope that it does not turn into the monster versus military conflict that so often occurs in the older Toho films.