Godzilla (2014) review

It's film review day, and it's the King of the Monsters!

He is back with a bang, 10 years after the last Toho video release and 16 years after the abysmal 1998 film. But how does the big lizard fare this time?

He certainly looks intimidating and cool.

I was anticipating this movie for ages along with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of the Future Past and i must say i have mixed feelings from last night's screening.

Let's start with what was wrong in the previous movie.

• Terrible script. French secret service saves the day!
• Abysmal acting (save jean reno).
• Inept military (well that is not that far from the truth actually...at least from greek army standards).
• He can reproduce asexually, lay 2000 eggs, wreck havoc, hide into sewers, in buildings.
• He can dodge bullets, missiles, choppers, fish, idiots, photographers, his spawns like cheeto's and yet he can't escape the Golden Bridge.
• So pretty much everything.

So how does the new movie do?

You can either say that the bar was set high or low this time. High because of the previous film was so terrible that a good remake had to be done to wash this mediocrite off our mouths and low at the same time because you had to REALLY try to make a worse film than that.

Basic script goes like this without giving up many spoilers.

Giant creature was awakened, they used nukes to kill it, it was dormant untill 1999. It fed from the radiation and then it destroyed a nice nuclear plant in Japan, killing the protagonist's mother and leaving father crazy. Kid becomes a bomb defuser, follows his father 15 years later in the quarantine zone, the MUTO (massively unidentified terrestrial organism or something) awakes and wrecks havoc killing his father. Godzilla shows up, they destroy Hawai and then destroy San Fransisco, he kills stuff and then jumps back in the ocean.

It does leave a mechanic feeling doesn't it?

The film does well enough to build anticipation and cover the basics and set up a basic background for the monsters. However the characters portrayed are week. I have no lasting impression of them really.

Joe, the protagonist's father, is a man obsessed with finding the truth behind the alledged cover up of the military that caused his wife's death. At least he cries when she dies.

Ford, the protagonist, is a bomb specialist that returns home after 14 months of...ehm i do not remember where he was. He is shallow, cold, faceless, never cries, yet he has the leading role. Sounds like Kristen Stewart.

His wife. Not much to tell. I think her name is Elle, she is a nurse, she cries a lot and she cannot catch a break.

That mad leading scientist. Played by Ken Watanabe, i do not remember his name for the love of god. He looks constantly intoxicated saying his philosofical stuff every now and then at key moments. Oh and he is one of the reasons the MUTO is alive. I like the actor but the character lacks....character and drive and purpose.

Godzilla, the protag...oh wait. A movie about Godzilla and he feels like the peripheral figure or the supporting cast. He is great looking thanks to the CGI, making him believable and ferocious, a perfect anti-hero. He also has his amazing atomic breath back and it's pretty impressive! He is a bit fat though!

MUTO's,  the main antagonists. Bad monsters, they want to mate, reproduce and consume radiation. They put up a decent fight. I liked them as monsters, but i do think they looked a bit fake in the face. Sort of...metalic, mechanic.

The rest...nah i do not remember. There was the admiral and some soldiers, a Halo jump and a Megaton Bomb, some kid lost in the subway called Akio or something.

This is how Ford looks throughout the film.

It was a nice change to bring more massive Kaiju's to the party instead of Godzilla relentlessly destroying building after building in Manhatan. However as i said the film limits Godzilla to a supporting role, with more emphasis in the human drama, only there is none...Well there is, but the leading actor is meh... The director tries to present Godzilla gradually, a glimpse here and there, but he also reveals the MUTO's very fast.

What is the bottom line?

This is a step in the right direction definately. The CGI effects are great, the monsters are ferocious and believable, the script is basic but way better than the old one. Godzilla has a mission instead of destroying everything mindlessly. Though it's not all rosy, the cast is weak and Godzilla feels like the second actor.

Even if you are not a fan of the series and you want to go to the movies, i recommend this movie. It is not bad, though don't expect many 3d effects! I would love to hear your opinion!

Ratings:

Audio: 9/10

Script: 6/10

Acting: 4/10

Monsters: 8/10

Movie: 7/10

Only one week left for Days of the Future Past!