Interesting nod to the iconic monster but not altogether perfect

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2014)

I like to think I had moderate expectations when it came to this newest iteration of "Godzilla." I saw some people comparing it to Pacific Rim and excited because of that. I thought Pacific Rim was very near garbage so I was definitely hoping for more than that and I did indeed get more than that. There are some really good things about this summer blockbuster. The Special effects were very impressive. I wasn't annoyed or found myself rolling my eyes once at the CGI. That, in itself, is a miracle. The CGI and monsters and destruction were all excellent. I saw this in 3D IMAX and it was a lot of fun seeing it in that aspect. Another good thing is the fact that this hearkens back to the old school 70's and 80's "Disaster films." It introduces you to the characters, establishes the story and you feel the tension building as you know the disaster is coming. As many reviewers are saying the tension builds...verrrry slowly. It takes a long, long, long time to get to Godzilla. I'm all for establishing story but they do take too long to get around to what everyone is there to see. They do it well and the anticipation is good but its just a tad too long.
The cast are all good. This is a bit of a con to the film. They are good...not great...in fact no one really stands out in the cast. The best of them would be Bryan Cranston in his first post-Breaking Bad role as a driven and obsessed scientist determined to convince people of the impending disaster. Cranston is very good and then...well...spoiler alert...they write him off like cheap trash. I was very nearly angry that they just completely cut him off from the film without any real good explanation and with very little emotion. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is really the focus of most of the movie and he is just okay at best. He's come a long way from KickAss fame but he just feels almost bored in the role and lacks the charisma to carry the movie. Elizabeth Olsen was so impressive early in her career with Martha Marcy Mae Marlene and then just seems to flap around looking for where she belongs ever since. She is sort of whiny and annoying in this and isn't in it much and the chemistry between her and Johnson is okay at best. One of the best roles and the least used was Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. I would have rather he carried the entire film because at least he showed proper intensity. His only expression was intense fear and it worked for the most part.
Surprisingly Gareth Edwards is fairly new to directing projects but he has a long history with special effects. He has created something that is impressive for a number of reasons besides the special effects. This iteration of Godzilla did what 1998's reboot did not even try to do and that is pay homage to the origins of this iconic character. Godzilla is inadvertently heroic, there are hidden easter eggs throughout (Mothra's tank for instance) and the fact that Godzilla is not pitted against the humans but rather other beasts and humans are just in the way. It is a massive battle unlike anything I have seen in a very long time. It was like Man Of Steel's hour or more long final battle only this made sense because you had several massive creatures destroying the city. Godzilla is ultimately pure fluff but it was entertaining and a great popcorn flick. It would be a great movie to see curled up in your car at the drive in. It was entertaining but lacked real depth and a good cast which holds it back from being truly great. I look forward to seeing a sequel but I expect this series will only struggle to really take off. 7/10