In 1999, a strange, unexpected radiation accident occurs in the city of Janjira, Japan, annihilating a large chunk of its populace and the nuclear physicists working at its plant. Fifteen years later, survivor and former employee Joe Brody repeatedly attempts to convince his son that something is being hidden by forces at hand and the scientific powers that be. Within no time, two prehistoric monstrosities dating back to as far as 1954 emerge, and commence a tour of destruction around the globe. With the fate of the world and continuance of life on earth at stake, the military and scientists hope to lure the two separate beasts into battle with one another, hoping that man's ego will not be its undoing, and that the lesser of two evils is not truly evil.
As previously discussed in last year's review for the big-budget (stateside) bomb known as Pacific Rim, I am an avid, lifelong fan of kaiju eiga, which is very roughly translated to "giant monster films." In retrospect, Guillermo del Toro's love letter to the multiple niche worlds of my childhood was very fun, but not without very noticeable flaws. I was worried that in the United States, the interest for films of that nature had waned, especially since Pacific Rim was soundly beaten out at the box office by the strongly-maligned Adam Sandler-led abortion known as Grown Ups 2. Thankfully, the interest in director Gareth Edwards' reboot of the longest-running monster movie franchise seemed rather strong, and the addition of television stars like Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle, Breaking Bad) and soon-to-be megastars like Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Nowhere Boy) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Avengers: Age of Ultron) has stirred up more buzz than even I expected.
When it comes to the Godzilla franchise, the biased nerd in me can't hide the fact that most of the characters that don't tower over others by a sizable amount (i.e. the people squabbling among one another) are largely unmemorable, save for those in the original Gojira or arguably some in the latter installments from the Heisei or Millennium eras. True, they weren't necessarily terrible, but having horrendous dubbing tacked onto a good chunk of these performances didn't help matters, and could cause one to be extremely hesitant to even watch these flicks in their original Japanese formats. Thankfully, Max Borenstein, a relative newcomer to the movie business, puts together a fairly competent script with some standouts in the human realm. Even if he was the choice for "Best Actor" at the Japanese Academy Awards on two separate occasions, Ken Watanabe has always been a fairly underrated performer to me, and he turns in a pretty respectable and honest performance as Dr. Serizawa, one of the men unintentionally responsible for the events and catastrophes that unfold throughout the film. And before you ask, no, he is of no relation to Dr. Serizawa from the original Gojira. Stealing the show, however, is Bryan Cranston, who even with limited screen time, does a bang up job as Joe Brody, and he looks like he is genuinely invested in his character. Sadly, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, who are both fine performers in their own right, don't have the greatest amount of depth to their characters of a husband and wife caught in the middle of the ensuing chaos, and it ends up being one of the weaker and more two-dimensional points of Borenstein's finished draft.
But I sincerely doubt that you're here to read about the human beings that were cast in this picture. You're here for the big, bipedal, grey and/or green guy and his newfound opponents. Well, I'm happy to report that Godzilla himself is more than adequately done, and in some ways, even puts previous iterations of the famous monster to shame. With an exponentially larger budget at hand, the King of the Monsters looks quite menacing, with scaly, darkened skin to match his lengthy tail and newly bulbous frame. This redesign, however, has enough of his original look intact to not alienate purists, and there is one very important trait that is also present, but the for the sake of spoilers, I will say nothing further. He is also HUMONGOUS, towering over nearly any creature that I've seen in recent memory, no matter the film genre. His nemesis for the film, the surprisingly well-explained creature named "Muto," is also a welcome addition to the franchise, looking akin to a combination of Godzilla 2000's villainous Orga, the titular insect queen from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, and the well-hidden horror from Matt Reeves' Cloverfield. When the two behemoths clash, it isn't so much a fight as it is a monumental showdown between two forces of nature, and the battles that come about are, to put it lightly, freaking awesome, leaving the spectators below breathless and even eliciting occasional positive actions like applause and cheers in the right theater (they did in mine). Worth noting is the additional help from noted motion capture actor Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and his consultation breathes life into these quarrels that steer them away from the underwhelming or unrealistic departments. Well, as unrealistic as a giant monster movie goes at least.
I imagine that the largest problem Joe/Jane Schmo will have with Godzilla will lie in its decidedly selective use of the title creature himself. Without spoiling any chunk of the film's layout or plot, Godzilla doesn't make a full-bodied appearance until a decent amount of time of the motion picture has passed. This may draw the ire of some impatient attendees who want to see nothing but relentless fighting, but I actually commend this method and decision. With this, Godzilla doesn't just feel like another creature thrown into the mix and foray, but rather like something exceptional that you should strongly pay attention to. With every single moment, be it for several minutes or the entirety of the final act, you are in awe of his presence and your eyes are glued to the screen. It's a parallel to the technique of more calculated filmmakers to not overdo anything, because overexposing your main threat or creation lessens the overall impact. This "flooding" idea was admittedly a small problem that I had with Pacific Rim and a large problem with the 1998 American reboot of Godzilla. Then again, there are more problems with the latter than even I can find, and it could take up several posts if I chose to talk about that…..thing in further detail.
The newest, and hopefully not last entry in the realm of the creature nicknamed "The Big G" is not a perfect film, but I had real difficulty picking out any particular flaws or superfluous moments. Gareth Edwards and his group of merry men and women deserve a high five or a round of drinks for taking the giant monster movie formula and trying to concoct something fresh and unique, while still sticking true to its roots and beginning ideas of anti-war and the horrors of man. Further than that, there are a plethora of homages to established trademarks and popular series moments that long time admirers will be able to pick up with careful examination. If you're a fan of Godzilla with thoughts of doubt or hesitation, I'd be hard pressed to not recommend this to you. If you're a casual moviegoer, I still think this makes for a wonderfully fun time, no matter the time or format you choose to see it in. Hell, I was even willing to ignore my apathetic attitude towards 3-D pictures, and chose to make this my first IMAX experience, which was something I did not regret, and it can enhance the enjoyment even further, as it truly captures the size and spectacle of the entire story. Perhaps with the release of Godzilla and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this year might not be too shabby for big budget bonanzas after all.
Then again, we are getting a fourth entry in the Transformers franchise. Oy vey.
No comments:
Post a Comment