124 minutes. Directed by Gareth Edwards. Starring Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olson, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins and Bryan Cranston. Canada: Rated PG for Violence and Frightening Scenes.
WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS RIFE WITH SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE YET, PLEASE AVOID THIS REVIEW ENTIRELY UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN IT. DO NOT SAY I DID NOT WARN YOU!
Well. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a big review like this, and I don’t think any film is more deserving than Godzilla. There’s a number of reasons the hype around it has been monumental as of late; it’s the first American Godzilla movie since 1998’s failed attempt at giving Hollywood its own Godzilla; it’s the first Godzilla movie in ten years altogether since the rather disappointing 2004 film “Final Wars; and it’s being released on the 60th anniversary of Godzilla. And I must add, it’s the first truly impressive film of the summer; it starts the summer movie season off in fine style, and hopefully it’s the beginning of many more Godzilla movies to come. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but this Godzilla will for sure have lots of longevity, if I do say so myself.
The film is the closest to perfection any Godzilla movie has been since 1954. That’s a bold statement, but it’s the first film since the 1954 movie that’s been ever-so-close to total perfection. It’s everything you want in a Godzilla movie, and everything you don’t know you want, too. There is but a small gripe I have with the film that prevents it from being perfect, but I’ll explain that later. I’ve seen the movie twice as of writing, and I can tell you it’s stayed with me since.
The film is already impressive off the bat with the opening titles. The opening titles are similar to the 1998 movie, with the titles being shown over footage of nuclear tests, but they’re done way better here. Whereas in 1998 we are treated to generic font over what looks like footage that was shot through a jar of urine, here we’re shown old newsreel footage, and every credit is shown in paragraphs, designed to look like they’re ripped straight from scientific reports. The non-credit parts are suddenly whited-out to show the “DIRECTED BY GARETH EDWARDS” type stuff. In addition, Alexandre Desplat’s score is just magnificent. It’s not the typical Hans Zimmer “BWOOOOONG” that seems dominant in tons of music scores today. In fact, the score is very nostalgic throughout, with some influence taken from classic blockbusters and even Bernard Herrman’s Hitchcock scores, with even a dash of Cliff Martinez.
The bulk of the film follows Ford Brody, played by Aaron Taylor Johnson. Much of the first half deals with his complicated relationship with his father Joe (Bryan Cranston)- in fact, near the beginning of the film, we see the tragedy that has estranged them both- they lived in Japan in 1999, when Ford was (I think- they never quite make it clear how old he is) 12 years old. At the Janjira power plant in Janjira, something of a large earthquake happens which causes a radiation burst, causing Joe to lose his wife (Juliette Binoche) in the disaster. Fifteen years later, Ford is an EOD in the American military, has a wife named Elle (Elizabeth Olson) and an adorable little boy named Sam. On the very night he arrives home from service, he gets a call from officials, telling him that Joe was arrested for trespassing in a quarantine area. So he heads to Japan to sort things out with his dad, who reveals that he was in the area where their house was, to get floppy discs containing data about the disaster. So they go to the house the next day only to find that there’s no radiation left, and they get the discs, only to be arrested- AGAIN, and taken to the Janjira plant.
This is where we are introduced to the central conflict: the MUTO (massive unidentified terrestrial organism). There’s a large, nest-like object at the plant, and after some interrogation, the officials at the plant- in particular, a pair of researchers named Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivenne Graham (Sally Hawkins), who suddenly notice what he’s talking about and realize he is indeed correct. The nest looks about ready to hatch, and officials order the workers to kill it- but they fail, and we get our first glimpse of the MUTO. These things look like a cross between tarantulas and bats- they’re huge, and absolutely TERRIFYING. After an attack at the plant, the military is ordered to follow the MUTO wherever it goes.
Now I know what you’re thinking at this point. “What about Godzilla, that IS what the movie is called. Right?” Well, here it’s where they reveal Godzilla. In the military carrier named the USS Saratoga, Ford is brought into a room where they show him footage of supposed nuclear tests on 1954 that weren’t, in fact, tests. They were attempts to kill the creature they call, “Gojira”. It is revealed that Gojira is on the move too, but they don’t know where. And at this point, it’s an hour into the film, and we get our first glimpse of the beast here. In Hawaii, the MUTO from earlier in the movie and a wing-less MUTO attack. One has knocked a submarine into the rainforest and another is attacking the airport. At the airport is where we see the titular creature. After a tsunami, he appears, and stomps over to the airport in what might be one of the coolest reveals I’ve ever seen. A full pan up his body to his face revealing a horrifying sinister grin, before he lets out his infamous “SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOONNNNNKKKKK!!!” roar that has made him such a household name.
I’ll stop with the spoiling right there because the rest is too good. It’s true that Godzilla’s screentime is mostly limited to the final act, but the thing is, that is hardly a problem because the rest of the film surrounding his appearance is so fucking good. There’s tons of suspense and intrigue. One thing the film really does good is show how substantial the damage is- not by showing the attacks outright but showing the aftermath- the presence of the MUTO attacks is felt through those shots, which only makes the actual attack that much more horrifying. The film does a good job at making us care for the characters too, and you also really hope that Ford will make it home on time too.
The cinematography in the film is just magnificent. I fully recommend the IMAX experience- in fact, for the cinematography alone the price is worth it. The aerial shots of Japan, San Francisco, Hawaii, etc. in particular are just awesome. Gareth Edwards’ direction is magnificent and he has an eye for detail. Whereas most monster/disaster movies show the attacks and what not outright, he chooses to limit your perspective of the attacks and what not to small doses. This is incredibly effective so then you won’t feel tired of the film by the time the final battle swings around. One problem I have with the Transformers movies is that by the time the final battle swings around, I’ve sat through so much destruction and chaos that I’m ready for it to end, my arse becomes numb and there really is no reason for it to be as long as it is. That isn’t the case with Godzilla. It’s just a few minutes over two hours, and it goes by very quickly. Transformers feels like it’s ten hours long, but Godzilla makes such good use of its runtime that it goes by quickly, and if anything, you wouldn’t mind if it went on for longer because your attention is held firmly.
And yes, I am indeed praising the rather limited Godzilla screentime. By the time Godzilla shows up for the final battle, you’ve gone for so long without him that you don’t even care he’s been out of the movie for so long, and that is because the scenes with the MUTOs are satisfying, the drama is satisfying, and the characters work. The final battle is spectacular. The battle starts when Big G and the MUTO arrive in San Francisco, and it does indeed cut away quite a bit, but not like it bothers me at all. We see a whole battle in full when the HALO Jump bit as seen in the trailers begins. The battle itself is just wicked, if you’re like me and you took great joy in watching a guy in a ridiculous rubber suit battling another guy in a rubber suit, the battle feels almost like an updated version of that. Garett’s attention to detail also shows here- when we finally see his atomic breath, his spines light up one by one, only making it more exciting. Godzilla is just brutal on the MUTO, but the MUTO also are pretty brutal, given the size. And yes, Godzilla is indeed seen as an anti-hero in the film. He has no quarrel with the humans and only intends on killing the MUTO and nobody else. He still leaves people dead in his wake, but it’s clear he doesn’t intend to and is happy to be away from civilization.
Oh, and the final minute of the movie is amazing too. I won’t give it away, but it’s chilling. Synced with Desplat’s score, it’s just beautiful.
Overall, I give the film a 9/10. Not since The Avengers has the summer season started off so satisfyingly. If I had one gripe, it’s a small one at that, it’s that there is a bit too much MUTO screentime, but that doesn’t take away too much. I strongly advise you to see this film with the biggest screen possible- IMAX especially. I saw it in AVX and while it was satisfying there, IMAX was even better. I for sure look forward to seeing it a third time, and eventually owning the movie when it comes out on blu-ray- in fact, I can’t wait already to hear Big G’s roar shake my BOSE sound system!!!
***highly recommended!!!***
Life at the barrier 