Godzilla (2014) movie review

Here's what you need to know; Joe Brody has long suspected that the cause of the nuclear disaster that killed his wife was covered up, when he and his son Ford return to site in search of answers, they learn the terrifying truth. Something huge is about to be revealed, as forces far older and more powerful than they could possibly imagine emerge from the depths of the Earth, forces humanity is powerless to stop.
Long ago, in 2014, a slightly younger me realised that he wasn't just going to any cinema to see Godzilla, he was going to the IMAX. For years I had been insanely excited to see this film, following its production as closely as I could, and watching and re-watching and re-re-watching all of the trailers, when I finally saw it, I think it's safe to say I wasn't going in with a very objective or critical mindset, I was going in in full on fanboy mode, and since then I have adored this film. Watching it for a sixth time two years later, my mind may have changed a little, but I've reviewed Monsters, I'll be seeing Rogue One in a few days, so now it's time to get into Godzilla.

This film doesn't waste any time, opening with a real punch to the gut in the first few minutes, as Joe Brody's wife dies in front of him, a vicious and beautiful intro that establishes the world of the film, as well as a few characters and its tone, which isn't exactly cheerful. Now characters, we'll start with Elle and Sam, two characters this film keeps insisting on cutting back to, for some reason. I suppose that they need to be there to give personal motivation to Ford, but as characters neither of them are particularly interesting. Elle's husband; Ford, who is the film's main lead, is much better, but doesn't exactly ooze personality, he's a military man, and that's what he is, and while he starts off good with Joe, what I think his true purpose is is something I'll get to later. Serizawa, whose name is a lovely homage to the 1954 film, is much more interesting, with him and his trusty assistant Dr Graham working for Monarch, a top secret operation to study 'Massive unidentified terrestrial organisms' (MUTOs), something I imagine will be the binding agent of this Godzilla-Kong-verse they want to make. That just leaves Admiral Stenz, who's an Admiral, which is probably why his character is in there, and Joe, who might simultaneously be the best and weakest character this film has. He's played by Bryan Cranston, which is relevant because he was a major selling point during this film's marketing campaign. And when he's on screen he brings new levels to this film, all of his scenes are excellent, and he's definitely the most appealing character in the film, following that harrowing intro to his character. The problem comes with the lack of scenes he's in; Joe's only present for the first 40 minutes or so, and when he's not on screen, the film doesn't achieve the level of emotional weight or depth that he brought, in fact without him, from an emotional angle, the film just kind of deflates. From a story angle, while the film obviously does nothing massively original, it's Godzilla, what really can they do, I'd say this is one of the more interesting Godzilla films, when stacked up with the Toho films. And as I said in my review for that film, I think this film has more interesting characters and a more interesting story than Shin Godzilla, even with its archetypal lead and his boring wife. Where this film really takes a step up however is its perspective, like Gareth Edwards' last film; Monsters, this is a very grounded film, like Monsters, Edwards really lets you soak up the scenes of death and destruction, of which this film has a few, almost being more like a disaster film or a war film than a monster film. Emergency services are a frequent sight in this film, paramedics and fire fighters, as they try to save people on the ground, again reinforcing that feel that's more like a disaster film. Ford Brody may not be a particularly interesting character, but I liken him to Andrew's camera in Monsters; he's the lens through which the audience sees these events. It's incredibly convenient that he's always where the monster smack downs are, but it gives the film a focus, a point to which the audience can gravitate, and see the monsters the way a human on the ground would see them. It's a clever idea, and it works, as the colossal size of the monsters in this film is captured and presented brilliantly, and the comparative size of us fleshy humans is very effective; while some of the Characters are really good and interesting, mainly Joe and Serizawa; none of the choices any of them make ever have a massive impact on the events of the film, as can be summed up in Serizawa's line, "The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control," it's clever shit, and it makes this more than  just a simple monster movie.

Those going in not seeking a more sophisticated movie than your typical Kaiju brawler will almost certainly be disappointed, because while this film obviously has that, it doesn't have very much of it, and that leads into my single biggest issue with this film; Honolulu, a scene with such an effective build up, that gets you so ready for something so cool, only to then cut away. It's something Gareth Edwards does a lot in this film, tease, like he thinks he's remaking Jaws, he teases and teases with foreboding imagery of spines or a tail or a foot, building to the climactic reveal, that he then denies you the pleasure of, this is something I'm cool with for the most part, as it makes the final act all the more satisfying, but Honolulu is where I personally draw the line, not enough was shown. Unlike Monsters, this film follows a more conventional three act structure, also unlike Monsters, this film has stupid good visual effects, Gareth Edwards showed that he knew how to use CG effectively in Monsters, and Godzilla is that, X about 1000, as the Monsters look enormous, and the brawling, when it eventually happens, looks painful and intense, as if a couple of building sized monsters are really trying to kill each other, far from the days of men in suits, this is Hollywood's highest end, in the hands of someone who really knows what they're doing with it. The design is also really cool, Godzilla in this film looks awesome, having his own unique look while still being unmistakable as Godzilla, the MUTOs are definitely more abstract in their appearance, but they look alright, and they make really funky sounds, and the idea of sexual dimorphism is a really interesting angle for them. Speaking of sound, Godzilla's unmistakable roar is in this film, and like his overall appearance, it's still Godzilla, but has enough character of its own to be something unique, and hearing it blaring through the IMAX speakers for the first time did make me feel a bit tingly, it was fucking cool. A really good example of why I think this film works so well is the Golden Gate bridge scene, a scene that hits all the necessary nerves and is one of the most incredible moments of the film, the sense of awe as he rises from the sea, the rawness as the army tires to slow him down, the panic and terror as the children scream as Godzilla majorly fucks up the bridge, and the sense of utter destruction and loss of life as Godzilla, again, majorly fucks up the bridge. The camera is also notable, always remaining at a human height, to emphasise that Godzilla is fucking massive, it would be my favourite scene in the film, if it didn't have such a riveting opening few scenes and such a badass finale. The finale is, of course, when you get the pay off, and when Godzilla stops trying to be clever, and goes Mach 10 on the Kaiju combat, and it's really, really cool to see Godzilla and his fellow monsters beating the shit out of each other. There's a few times in this film's final face off that just get a little Godzilla nut like myself to really lose it, like I did in the IMAX, a few times, most notably two times in particular that genuinely almost had me in tears, and if you've watched the film, what those two times are should be fairly obvious.

Two years ago was without a doubt the best cinema experience I've had, with my first time in the IMAX to see The Hobbit coming in a close second, I came out of this film 100% in love with it, and after two years and multiple viewings, while I feel some of the films elements are weak, mainly the characters and Honolulu, my respect for the film has only grown. This is a smart, deliberate, well crafted film that has stunning visual effects that are used to spectacular effect, an interesting monster hunting story, a ballsy amount of restraint, and some frighteningly powerful Godzilla glory. Despite my total and obvious bias, I can partially understand why some people dislike it, with regard to its flat characters and notable lack of Godzilla, but this is a film that I, personally, genuinely adore, and in my opinion, it's absolutely a must watch.