Godzilla - Review
British director Gareth Edwards pays respect to the 1954 original, but undersells the star of the show
In Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong we waited almost an hour before getting our first glimpse of the gargantuan gorilla. That was a lot of character, scene and suspense building - but it felt appropriate. For Kong has always been more than just an overgrown ape with an aversion to planes. Kong is a cinematic legend who demands a suitably enormous introduction. When he was eventually revealed, it evoked the perfect reaction from the spectator: widened eyes, shivers up the spine, hair stood upright and the huge inhale of air in preparation for... The roar. So, considering Godzilla has an equally high standing in cinema, the giant lizard should be given the same treatment, right? Well that's where Gareth Edwards's reboot of the 1954 classic goes wrong.
This version pays huge respect to the original story with nuclear power playing a pivotal role. There's even a brilliant opening title sequence with shots of Darwin's evolution chart and video clips of atom bomb tests, only, they're not tests. They're trying to kill something.
That's the kind of suspense Edwards needed to build upon. Instead, the first half hour sees Joe Brody (Brian Cranston) obsessively investigate the cause of a disaster, which led to the destruction of a nuclear power station and the death of his wife. At this point the motives to drag the plot forward are perfect, but this only leads to the introduction of a giant insect-like thing called a MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism). There are actually two of these creatures and it feels like they get a bigger welcome than Godzilla. They also have more screen time.
The MUTOs feed off radiation, hence the attraction to nuclear hot spots, and eventually meet up to mate. Godzilla's job is to 'restore a balance' to nature by killing them, making the rambunctious reptile a sort of, hero.
Sure, there's plenty of shots of Godzilla roaring, but you can't help but think it's a cry for attention, as it battles for stardom in its own film. Even an impressive cast list is wasted by the sheer fact that the humans have absolutely no influence on the fight between the giant monsters. Joe Brody’s son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) practically has to stand by and watch as the ancient creatures tear each other apart in the streets of San Francisco.
In fact, the one involvement the humans do have - a nuclear bomb armed to wipe out the MUTOs - is rendered useless almost immediately, and Ford is left having to disarm it before it kills hundreds of thousands of civilians. Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) is the only one who wants to let nature run its course and allow Godzilla to do his thing.
"Let them fight," he says in one of the many pro-environment homilies he repeatedly throws at the other characters. In another he preaches, "Nature has an order, a power to restore a balance. I think Godzilla is that power". In essence, these somewhat clichéd lines are fitting, but at the same time expose the film's biggest flaw: the emphasis on Godzilla is not strong enough.
Just like the 54 original, Edwards is devoted to warning us about our impact on the environment. So much so, that his film barely needs a 300ft lizard. He's more interested in using Watanabe to deliver dramatic lines like: "The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way round."
Godzilla is a confused concoction of social realism and monster mashing. Particularly in the first half hour, it takes on vibes of Nolan’s Dark Knight with a sub story that brilliantly ties in the human interest. This element is soon thrown away out of necessity, so it can get to the action. Cranston really gives the film a lift, but when Taylor-Johnson takes the lead, it feels like we’ve gone back to the 1998 flop with Matthew Broderick.
Expectedly, the CGI makes up for most of this. Crumbling buildings and huge scaly limbs are convincing enough. You should remind yourself however, that this is a film about gigantic monsters fighting in heavily populated areas. On that basis, it does exactly what it says on the tin.
Verdict
Godzilla is a confused film. It wants to be realistic and address deep social and environmental issues, but then it remembers it’s about a 300ft lizard. ‘The King of Monsters’ struggles to be the star of its own show, but fortunately is rescued by some beautiful animation and memorable IMAX action scenes.
Ideal person to take to this film: An environmentalist and sadist would enjoy this film for complete opposite reasons.
Worst person to take to this film: Someone who expects to see 12 Years A Slave every time they pay for a cinema ticket.
You can find this review on The Northampton Herald and Post here.
Follow Chris @CynicalCME
