Review Godzilla film review by Paddy_GorillaWhale

Godzilla Movie

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Paddy_GorillaWhale's Godzilla 2014 Review.

*MINOR SPOILERS* As in I may reveal things that happen in the film, but will not go into any great detail on how these things play out when they do happen. So here goes...

It was the Comic Con 2013 Godzilla panel in Hall H. Responding to a question asked by the audience, director Gareth Edwards proceeded to tell a story of when he & his crew rocked up to the Canadian border, one of the Border Officials leaned towards him & asked "are you guys filming Godzilla?". When Edwards confirmed that this was the case the Official replied quite simply "Don't fuck it up, man".

I can confirm that in my eyes, he needn't have worried. It has become very much apparent that Edwards, beneath all of his quiet reserve over the last 2 1/2 years, had this sussed from day one.

As soon as the title credits roll, any bad taste left by TriStar's name-raping attempt in '98 are almost immediately wiped clean. Alexandre Desplat's score comes thundering in. Grainy footage of nuclear tests & those spines move through the water flashes by. Fade to white-out. Then through the glare, you see the word; "GODZILLA"

It suddenly hits you; 

"Holy s**t, this is actually happening!"

Now, seeing as a common gripe with this film already seems to centre around the words "dragging on" & "not enough Godzilla screen time", let's clear this up before I go any further; this is definitely GODZILLA'S film, pure & simple. But if you've come into this expecting a Michael Bay-esque non-stop-brainless pile of CG vomit Monster movie, then you are most certainly watching the wrong movie.

But for those of you haven't got that kind of expectation from this film, don't worry, that doesn't mean you won't get your fill & are left nothing but perfectly satisfied. If it's gonna be done right, the stage has to be set appropriately, the tension has to build for just the right amount of time, so when The G-Man does finally make his grand entrance & starts cracking on being Godzilla, his presence is made all the more imposing & terrifying.

So that being said it's first time to set the stage. The first act is all about establishing backstory & setting in place the significant human element of the film before it takes second stage to you-know-who. In the first 40-45 minutes, you are treated to some absolutely stellar performances all 'round. As much as his scenes with Juliette Binoche & Aaron Taylor Johnson in the first few scenes are genuinely emotionally stirring, it is the now already-infamous interrogation scene which truly is Bryan Cranston's crowning moment here. He delivers 100% to not just this scene (which allegedly only took one take), but to the role altogether. You can see why Gareth Edwards chose him for it! But as much as his (& many of the cast) lend an incredible asset to this element & are all on point here, from a certain point of this act though it becomes clear that Taylor-Johnson & Ken Watanabe are the more principle human players here. For myself personally it was Watanabe's take on Serizawa which bears a fair few similarities to the tormented soul of the '54 original, battling with the guilt of peeking just too far down the scientific rabbit hole. Without his role, it is in my firm belief that half of this film just wouldn't matter. Speaking of nods the original; the brilliant minds behind this film have littered it with easter eggs for the fans to spot, some of them are less obvious than others, but that's all I'm gonna say. Wouldn't want to spoil the fun!

But as this is a Godzilla movie, sooner or later the shit really does hit the fan. We first get to meet the main antagonists of the show; the MUTO's, as they break from their slumber & begin to tear the U.S west coast a new arsehole. In every way, these truly are the "malevolent creatures" that original synopsis described all those months ago. As much as they do have a primary motive, it also seems quite obvious (especially as they both lay waste to San Francisco in the final act) that they are also very keen to fuck shit up, & fight. And by the time Godzilla makes his fist appearance in Hawaii, it appears he is more than happy to oblige them. Oh my, that first reveal of Godzilla as he faces down one of the MUTO's. The MUTO is turning over Honolulu airport when he is stopped dead in his tracks & screams skyward like a cornered animal. The camera pans up, & there he is. Your jaw hits the floor. Godzilla is every bit impressive as he is terrifying. He literally towers over the MUTO, with a facial expression that can only be saying one thing; "let's get it on, bitch!". Action set pieces like this are the theme from here on in. Without giving too much away, you are rarely left to take a breath from this point! There are some great moments in between of Godzilla swimming through the ocean, not taking a blind notice to the legions of warships flanking him! It's moments like this & his arrival at Hawaii that beautifully show Godzilla as nothing else but a force of nature. He won't give you hassle unless you get in his way. Great stuff.

Ultimately all monsters converge onto San Francisco. If you thought Godzilla's initial entrance was ominous, then you'll be visually broadsided by the way he shows up here. This is where the REAL fun is to be had, & boy is it worth waiting for! In an age-old tradition, the army are constantly barraging Godzilla with everything they have at Godzilla & he reacts to them as if they were slightly irksome flies buzzing round his head. So of course the only thing that was ever a match for Godzilla is another monster, & it just so happens that there are 2 already here waiting for him. Now up until this point, a full-on monster rumble has only been previously teased at. But without giving too much away, the following battle is everything you'd hoped it would be; a no-holds-barred city-levelling all-out brawl. Brilliantly choreographed, all intertwined with the descent of a select few troopers into the city for their final operation.

It's all going off at this point, & almost all too much to take in as three massive beasts stomp about San Fran knocking ten tonnes of shit out of one another.

And then "it" happens....

....& when it does happen, I immediately realised & admitted to myself that as much as I honestly was looking forward to the whole movie experience, that it was THIS moment that I'd been waiting 4 years to see. Trust me here, it DOES NOT DISSAPOINT! Not much else to say on the awe-inspiring set piece that was this final act, as the impact is much more intense if you just go see for yourself rather than read it here.

One more cool thing to mention, right at the end you see a live news feed on a monitor, & the headline that comes up just as the film is winding down will have any Godzilla fan jumping out of their seat & launching an almighty fist-pump into the air! Well, it certainly had me doing it!

So, on the whole. Is this the Godzilla film we were all waiting for since 1998? In short (for me, anyway) the answer is a kaiju-sized yes! The pacing is perfect, the plot is solid as it can be in a film like this, the human element is brilliantly represented, & of course however much screen time anyone feels that he has, (remember, Destroy all Monsters was one of the most successful Godzilla films of it's time, also a firm fan favourite, & yet nothing happens until the final scene.) Godzilla steals the show every second that he has on screen! This really is a must-watch for any G-fan & I have no doubt in my mind that it has a worthy place alongside the greats of the Godzilla universe.

I am giving this film the highest possible rating. Not because it's going to win any oscars. Not because it's going to teach anything deeper than "don't screw nature, or it'll screw you". But because as a Godzilla film, it ticks all the boxes :) :) :)