Hello guys and welcome to a new throwback review! Now after deciding to look at some DC movies in celebration of Zack Snyder’s Justice League I will now jump into another series of reviews this time related to the release of Godzilla vs. Kong which has been kicking butt at the box office these past few weeks and has gotten a lot of strong buzz. So what better time there is than to look back at the previous entries in the Monster-verse franchise which started all the way back in 2014 with Godzilla and continued with Kong Skull Island and Godzilla King of the Monsters (the latter of which I have already reviewed) and maybe I’ll throw in an extra review that’s related to the topic of these two titans. But anyway on to the kick off entry it was indeed a very big hit back when it first released and got solid notices from critics yet audiences were less enthusiastic about it for a number of reasons (a lack of constant monster mayhem, misleading marketing regarding Bryan Cranston’s character, etc.) and it ended up having horrendous staying power in the U.S. Honestly it’s not hard to see why it was so divisive as it certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea however I actually find a lot to appreciate about this one and it’s a movie that I feel improves upon further re watches (it sure did for me on this most recent one). Now without further ado let’s get ready as we get to witness some destruction by the iconic King of the Monsters himself in a brand new way!
After an opening credits montage that showcases old footage of Godzilla and the attempt to kill him with a nuclear bomb we cut to the year 1999 where in the Philippines under a collapsed mine with uranium, a skeleton of a monster that bears resemblance to Godzilla is founded by the research group known as Monarch. They also find two giant spores with one that has been hatched with trail leading out to sea. Meanwhile in Japan at the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant, unusual seismic activity occurs which leads supervisor, Joe Brody, to send his wife, Sandra, to the reactor to check out the problem which unfortunately leads to him having to seal her and her team inside as a huge breach happens and the plant crumbles. 15 years later we meet Ford Brody, Joe and Sandra’s son who is now grown up and works in the Navy while also having a loving wife and son. He heads to Japan to check on his father who has become obsessed with finding out what really happened on that day which then leads to his son reluctantly agreeing to accompany him to check out their old home which has been under quarantine ever since. From then on one thing after another happens and now there are dangerous insect like monsters referred to as MUTOS on the loss and the ancient creature known as “Godzilla” has returns to help take them down, but can the humans trust this mysterious beast and can the MUTOS be stopped before it’s too late?
Every time I watch this movie I come to appreciate more and more the direction Gareth Edwards and company went with and they mostly nail what they’re going for. I really like how they are trying to make this movie about giant monsters roaming the Earth but through the storytelling lens of a natural disaster movie from the perspective of those on the ground. We get to see what it would be like to be in the middle of these catastrophic events and the movie does a nice job of capturing the confusion and uncertainty that is present in the situation that can make the movie suspenseful to watch. Adding to that is that there is a good deal of build up in the beginning that does a good job of setting up the situation and giving us the information we need with the right amount of exposition to understand how these MUTOS exist and what they are while also giving us some nice teases of the main attraction, Godzilla himself. Speaking of which there have been many complaints regarding his screen time in the film and in my eyes I think the creative team was smart in only giving us brief glimpses of the iconic monster for a good chunk of the run time and I think it worked in creating tension and making the moments when he came up onscreen in full all the more awesome. Plus it is neat to see that his nuclear origins remain and it does have that commentary on the dangers of nuclear weapons that that the franchise is known for while also presenting some interesting ideas and concepts such as these monsters taking their rightful place on the Earth (something that is present throughout the movies in this universe). There are still a couple of problems that do hold it back a little for me namely how the movie does lose a bit of it’s momentum in some parts as it feels like after Godzilla’s appearance in Hawaii it feels like the movie just falls into a certain pattern of one intense sequence after another with occasional exposition thrown in to move the plot along. While it can feel like they ran out of story a little bit and it can get a little repetitive, the sequences in question are still very well done and investing and it does seem like the writers were more intent on creating this as more of a grounded and somewhat realistic experience of seeing how it would be like if monsters showed up for the first time from the perspective of those on the ground and in that regard the movie succeeds more often than not.
One thing that all of the MonserVerse movies have in common is that they each have great VFX work and distinct tones and styles of filmmaking to them. This one is now different as Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography and Edward’s direction go hand in hand as the film has this grand sense of scale to it whenever the monsters show up and as I mentioned it truly feels like we’re watching this from the perspective of those on the ground and it made for some genuinely intense sequences like when the MUTO hatches from the egg, or when Godzilla shows up at the Golden Gate Bridge to fight a MUTO. While there are some parts in the climax where it can be a little difficult to see what’s going on due to the darkness, the stuff that is shown is pretty darn cool. There are also some really cool shots that also do a fantastic job of conveying the grandness this movie is going for (Godzilla’s first appearance in Hawaii and the HALO jumping scene come to mind). As for the special effects they are truly phenomenal as the artists were able to bring all of these monsters to life. Godzilla himself looks great with a really well done updated design that is nice take on the classic monster and he shows himself to be a true destructive force of nature throughout as when he shows up he leaves a great impression and it is just spectacular to watch (that scene involving his atom breath always get me hyped every time). Also adding to the scenes is the score composed by Alexandre Desplat which adds a lot to certain scenes and makes things even more intense. As whole the film on technical level fires on almost all cylinders and it is a treat to watch visually.
The main criticism that is often thrown at this franchise is that human characters tend to be rather uninteresting and fail to leave much of an impression. Yes I’ll admit this can be the case in some cases (King of the Monsters I feel is the one that suffers the most from this) but I will admit that there are actually some that I do have some sort of investment towards. In the case of this movie I thought Joe Brody was a really compelling character whose grief regarding his wife’s death leads him to become obsessed with seeking the truth of what really happened that day and you have an actor like Bryan Cranston who does such a great job capturing that sorrow and desperation… which makes it all the more surprising when he get killed off about half an hour in. Now I definitely understand people’s frustrations with this as it Cranston was so good in the role but I can also see why that decision was made in order to really show the stakes and in developing Ford played by Aaron Taylor Johnson. He may not be as interesting as his father or is the most dynamic character but I feel that was done on purpose in order to make him into an audience surrogate for the audience to latch onto as we experience these cataclysmic events unfold firsthand and in that regard he works well enough and Johnson is pretty good with what he’s given. Could he have been done a little better, sure but he gets the job done and I did appreciate that the movie spent some time showing his relationship with his wife and son as Elizabeth Olsen (yes insert Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch joke here) is very good in the role even if she mainly exists to be the wife character who worries about her husband. Other than the Brody family I did really like Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins as Doctors Serizawa and Graham respectively as I think they are both engaging actors and Watanabe always gives his all delivering any line of dialogue and David Strathairn also does good work as Admiral William Stenz the commander of the operation. What I really appreciated about the latter is that he’s not written like other similar military command figures in these types of movies as he actually does listen to the two scientists and takes their facts into consideration when making a decision and he makes valid points on why he chooses what he chooses to do. It was just refreshing to see a smart authority figure who didn’t just dismiss everything the scientist say and goes with his gut. All in all while I liked some more than others I do feel the humans in this movie did fill their roles nicely and it helps that these are good actors portraying them.
In the end I’ve really come to take a liking to this take on the character as Godzilla (2014) is a very effective reboot that has a lot to appreciate. Certain criticisms regarding the structure, how the movie loses some of it’s momentum, some of the darkly lit sequences, and how the main character isn’t the most interesting are valid complaints yet I think what it does well, it does really well like the atmosphere, scale, the way Edwards chose to tell the story, the visuals, the direction, and the acting. I’ve grown to dig this movie quite a bit and depending on my mood it may be favorite of the MonsterVerse movies I’ve seen (with the caveat I have not seen Godzilla vs. Kong yet) and it serves as a solid launching pad that stands on it’s own nicely. Just a really cool interpretation of an iconic monster and one that manages to stand out from other Kaiju films that came out before and after it’s release. So that’s a wrap for the King of the Monsters and remember to join me next time as we take a look at what the King of the Apes has been up to in this universe with Kong Skull Island!
Rating: B+
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