Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Synopsis: The world’s most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
I can’t say I’m aux fait with the history of Godzilla, apart from knowing who he is and that they released a film about ten or fifteen years ago that was rubbish. That coupled with the fact that I’m not a huge ‘blockbuster’ fan means I went into this with trepidation. I actually came out pleasantly surprised. It was a fairly intelligent reboot that, despite the name, actually only used the giant lizard sparingly, thus creating more tension and awe in the moments you do see it.
I think initially I was scarred by my experience of watching Pacific Rim, which I thought was pretty bad. Was Godzilla going to make me feel the same way? Just big ‘things’ hitting each other and destroying buildings. So big that you can’t really even see what’s going on. Well, it was kind of like that but no where near as cheesy as Pacific Rim.
This is an origin story of sorts about how Godzilla came to be and how he was discovered. It’s all handled pretty well and whilst not believable, was still rooted in some kind of reality. There was a sense of danger every time these huge monsters were on screen, and the film makers did a great job in portraying just how big Godzilla was. Seriously, you thought the T-Rex in Jurassic Park was scary, get a load of this guy!
Another cool bit, which I wasn’t expecting, was the ‘removal’ of a couple of the big name stars of the film very early on. It kept you on your toes a bit, not knowing who was actually going to be the hero in all of this.
The CGI and effects were all handled well as would be expected from Gareth Edwards after his star making hit Monsters and the overall result was an enjoyable movie.
I’m not sure if the lack of critical acclaim will be quite what the studio were after, but I’m sure it will have made enough money for a sequel, so it will be interesting to see what they do with the next one.