Review of Godzilla (2014) by Ahnehnois — 18 May 2014

It's an enjoyable movie. More than most remakes, it remains very true to the original concept. Since the original concept involves rock 'em, sock 'em fights between giant monsters as puny humans watch their cities crumble in the crossfire, there's a limit to how auspicious this new film can get. It's pretty close to that limit.

The concept is revised for modern times, cleverly and disturbingly working in some of our modern experiences with nuclear energy. Some of the film's strongest work is a visit to the ruins surrounding a destroyed power plant in Japan, a chilling reminder of recent history. It's good enough to keep your attention while you wait for the monsters to appear. The movie builds suspense for a while, but don't worry. The mayhem is coming.

The effects are very strong, and seeing this movie in a good theater with IMAX and/or 3D is advisable. This being an American production Godzilla seems to be illustrating our obesity problem, but he works. The score is a bracing homage to early film music, with a bit of Japanese flavor sprinkled in. There isn't a great deal of ceremony or sentimentality. The tone is very appropriate and conveys a sense of cosmicism. That is, the lesson of Godzilla is that the universe is bigger than us.

There are some fetching lines of dialogue, but the human characters aren't particularly developed. The Bryan Cranston character is probably the most compelling one in the movie simply because he is trying to do something productive, while the others occasionally act but spend most of the film sitting and watching the larger goings on. Which, to my way of thinking, is fine. You're not going to see a movie called "Godzilla" for the people in it. Ultimately, the film's suspense and action, summoned skillfully by a surprisingly newfound director, make it worth seeing.