"GODZILLA [2014]" - Dual Review

What You're In For:

The classic beast is back to the big screen with a big enough budget to stomp out the '98 massacre and wreak havoc for a new generation of fans. Our prehistoric champion defends mankind in the wake of a new enemy, in what promises to be this summer's biggest on screen spectacle.

Who's Involved:

"Godzilla [2014]" is a production of Legendary Pictures, Written by Max Borenstein & Directed by Gareth Edwards, Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sally Hawkins.

Travis's Take:

The King of the Monsters is back, and this time he’s in the caring (and loving) hands of Director Gareth Edwards. Best known for his break-out independent Sci-Fi flick, Monsters (2010); Edwards, a fan of the original franchise, takes a realistic and careful (slow-burn) approach to this origins story. A bulk of the film is dedicated to setting up a (decently) believable human storyline, while interweaving the monstrous elements in a credible manner. Edwards has also been very meticulous in how and when he reveals his beasts to the audience, teasing us for the better part of 30 minutes before a pay-off occurs. Big-G himself is slowly revealed to us throughout the first and second act; making his grand entrance into the “Arena”, a truly epic moment. Fans of the franchise will be glad to know that Edwards has kept a large amount of GODZILLA lore intact. From the main-event fight against an opposing beast, to GODZILLA’s signature Atomic-Breath and Thunderous Roar; take comfort in knowing that the character’s legacy is cared for and cleverly referenced throughout the film. Sadly, with all the fun the film delivers, it does get weighed down by its flaws. Surprisingly, most of the character moments and dialogue are delivered in a somewhat believable manner. Bryan Cranston (The Film’s Standout) definitely carries the first act and helps build a worthy emotional foundation, but is sadly underused. The film’s lead, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, does feel a bit wooden and has no real character ark for the audience to follow; causing the film to struggle with its human connection. Luckily, most other supporting roles are handled just fine (albeit blandly), and kept the story moving towards its glorious finale. Overall, it’s a blast, and an honorable way to reinvigorate a franchise that is pushing 30 installments total.

Austin's Take:

Godzilla is a movie that very well could have been about Godzilla. It's titled that way and advertised as such yet the classic monster is hardly ever seen. The latest installment in the Godzilla franchise was excitedly taken from Roland Emmerich's hands (Godzilla, 1998) and passed on to newcomer Gareth Edwards. Although he is not a complete stranger to the world of film (Monsters), he is indeed way out of his league. The film progresses terribly as Godzilla is nowhere to be found through the first quarter of the film. What time is wasted not showing the monster, is wasted on sub-par character development and the building of story that clichés itself to any other ordinary monster flick. In fact, the new arch nemesis of Godzilla, MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), is given more attention; such that, for a moment I thought a different alien film was being shown. Then, up from the depths, pops Godzilla (all but briefly) to battle the MUTO and wage havoc on the world’s cities in a territorial battle. As the cityscapes are destroyed, so is the appeal of the movie.

Filmmaking Report-Card:

Directing: 5.5/10

Editing: 6/10

Cinematography: 5.5/10

Acting: 4/10

Screenplay: 6/10

Over-All Experience: 5.5/10

The Conversation:

("The Conversation" is meant to be an intellectual debate used to discuss the film's overall quality, which is referenced in the films "Report-Card". The letter "T" will be used to identify comments made by "Travis", & The letter "A" for "Austin").

T: So, if it isn't obvious already.. I really enjoyed Godzilla's return, way more then you did. I felt like the overall experience was a blast. There were certainly a lot of problems, but for me, they didn't ruin the experience. 

A: Being a fan of Godzilla and coming off of the Roland version, I was excited for the movie going into it. Unfortunately the problems outweighed every possible potential this movie had. I feel Gareth Edwards was completely out of his league.

T: Perhaps, yes. Out of his league with this size of production, but he is certainly no stranger to the giant-monster genre. With how surprising "Monsters" was, we know he can handle the source material; the real question should be, was there something else about the production that caused his demise?

A: Unfortunately the productions on these summer blockbuster films means focusing on the CGI almost solely. What happens is, that most of the important details such as acting and the direction get lost. Edwards did handle the visuals almost flawlessly; even if he did leave out the main character, Godzilla. Yet, did it feel that the acting was really dragging the movie down?

T: In part, yes. Cranston sold the film for me in the first act, but the supporting characters felt serviced too conveniently by the plot. Can we blame the issue solely on the actors? The screenplay was far superior to the average blockbuster, but it was no doubt riddled with cliches. 

A: It's a shame that Cranston's part was limited so much. You're right that the actors were everywhere the script needed them to be, especially main man, Aaron Taylor Johnson (who came across completely stale), but the screenplay at least took some risks (albeit ineffective risks) in not showing Godzilla for such a long time. Yet what an exciting entrance he made. 

T: Once he made his grand entrance, we were in for a true classic-Godzilla experience. The fight didn't feel forced, and made the movie for me. The 2-act lead up may not have been structured or delivered perfectly, but the final act was that of a strong action piece. That was where I really felt that the film's look, and tone, truly paid off. So, I guess one might say the film had several problems, but I would venture to say they mainly fall on most of the cast, and how in-over-his-head that Gareth Edwards was?

A: Godzilla's entrance was rather remarkable and his iconic roar was quite deafening. However, he always seemed to be in slow motion in his fights with the MUTO which seemed to drag on for sometime. If you can get past that, the visuals and look of the film were decent enough to ooh and ahh over. I just felt the movie focused too much on areas that didn't need a lot of attention and in turn took away from it's most vital pieces. And that really does fall onto Gareth Edwards.

The Final Say:

So, was Godzilla's return worth your price of admission? We're divided. Travis found the film to be a move in the right direction, balanced by a scope and tone that complimented the big guy well. However, Austin felt that the lack of complete direction in all areas of the movie wasted the potential Godzilla had. With such alternating opinions, we'd recommend you proceed with caution; but don't let us scare you away from a fun time at the movies. 

Final Score: 6/10