Fell Short of My Expectations

Rating: 5/10 (29 September 2014)

I grew up with the Gojira films. There was a monumental amount of hype surrounding Godzilla (2014) throughout the fanbase, and it was contagious. I went into the theaters excited beyond belief for what I would be presented with, but the film didn't have the impact I had hoped for.
While the movie looked AMAZING down to every last detail, the story fell short. There was too much emphasis on the human characters with how uninteresting they were. I wouldn't have been disappointed by this if the main character (Ford, even though the trailers left me believing his father - the only interesting character in the movie - would be taking us through the story) had been interesting and engaging, but he just wasn't. I don't believe it was the fault of the actor, the character was just lackluster and more suited for a side character or a background character than the lead, in my opinion. His father would have made for a much more interesting lead character and the film would have been much more enjoyable if he had taken us through the story.
Godzilla himself didn't get much screen time, and up until the ending, the majority of his shots were quick cutaways, teasing glimpses, or obscured by darkness or smoke. He looked amazing in what shots he was clearly visible, but there weren't enough of them to keep me satisfied. It was frustrating to watch this film and get teased with almost being able to see him clearly, or to almost see him fight the MUTOS, only to be cut away just as the action was beginning. With how incredible the ending fight was (especially the atomic breath!), it just didn't make up for the rest of the film. The film seemed to focus more around the MUTOS than Godzilla himself, which would have worked out fine if it were a sequel and Godzilla had already had his introduction. As it was, this version of Godzilla hadn't been introduced to the audience before this film, and having this Godzilla treated as a side character in his debut film just didn't satisfy me.
Despite my complaints, I don't necessarily dislike this movie. Its fine... but only fine. I have seen it multiple times and did purchase the DVD, but I wont be watching it very often. Of the American Godzilla films, my DVD of Godzilla (1998) will be seeing much more use than Godzilla (2014). This just didn't live up to the hype and I was left overall disappointed. I might have enjoyed it more had I not been so hyped up and excited going into the theater with such high expectations.