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At the Movies with Alan Gekko: Godzilla “2014”

MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Sci-Fi Monster/Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, T. J. Storm, Carson Bolde, Richard T. Jones, Victor Rasuk, Patrick Sabongui, Jared Keeso, Al Sapienza, Brian Markinson, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Jake Cunanan, Warren Takeuchi, Yuki Morita, Ken Yamamura; Hiro Kanagawa, Garry Chalk, Christian Tessier, CJ Adams/Runtime: 123 minutes

I think it’s fairly safe to say that when one thinks about franchises that have both graced screens both big and small for decades to say nothing of being ingrained phenomenally well into the pop-culture lexicon, one that definitely should come to mind should be the series of slices of cinema that revolve around the iconic monster Godzilla. Yes you could also have said the cinematic adventures of one Bond, James Bond, but there is no denying that Tokyo’s most infamous monster is one that has undeniably left his mark. Heck just type the word “Godzilla” into Google and be prepared to be left in awe by the volume of entries that you get in return. Yet for all the cinematic success that Godzilla has seen, there is one cinematic avenue that had for a long time eluded him. That being that an American studio had for a long time been unable to make a Godzilla movie that was able to match both in heart and spirit the work done by main Godzilla production company Toho and thus give “Western audiences” a Godzilla film they could call their own with pride. Oh sure you could make the argument that American studio TriStar Pictures did get an America made Godzilla film to the big screen in the late 90s, but there are a few issues with that statement. 1) that movie was completely and utterly idiotic, 2) that movie is NOT a Godzilla movie no matter what anyone tells you, and 3) the monster in that film is NOT Godzilla. Actually, in the franchise canon, it is referred to as either Zilla or that fever dream those stupid Americans came up with that we don’t speak of except in the most disgusted tone we can muster up. Any way you look at it however, there is no denying that with the failure of that attempt still on the minds of fans worldwide, it must have seemed a bit strange when over a decade-plus later rumblings began to emerge that Toho had been contacted by Warner Brothers about giving an American studio the proverbial “one more chance” to actually get it right. Even more surprising than that however is the fact that, by and large, the finished product from 2014 is actually really freaking good.  Sure the human characters aren’t as drawn out as they should be and sure there are some issues one could have with the amount of screentime the titular monster actually has in this film to name but a few distinct quibbles. With that in mind however, it should still be said that what film helmer Gareth Edwards has managed to achieve here is adoringly and heartfeltly returned to what made this iconic franchise work as well as it did to begin with albeit on a much larger scale and in a significantly more enveloping manner than to be expected. Suffice it to say therefore that the 2014 Godzilla really is a wonderful combination of not only a riveting summer movie in every sense of the word, but also of all the time-honored elements that have made this character such an icon to movie lovers for generations.

The plot is as follows: So, according to the lore set up by this slice of cinema (or at least the opening credits), scientists have long been aware of ancient monsters that have been around for far longer than we have and, for reasons I can’t *possibly begin to fathom*, have done all they can to keep such critters out of the sight and mind of the public at large. Unfortunately, we see that this cover-up proves to be for naught when one of these creatures attacks a nuclear power plant in Japan in the long-ago year of 1999 and, in the ensuing chaos, triggers a devastating meltdown that results in the lives of a group of technicians being tragically lost due to a breach in the reactor. The reason I mention this team incidentally is because it is one of this team whose significant other, a guy by the name of Joe Brody, who is both the plant’s supervisor and who vehemently rejects the official explanation that an earthquake was responsible for the fiasco. From there, our slice of cinema jumps ahead to the present day (or 2014 as we know it now) and we see that Joe is still a resident of Japan albeit one who is now regarded by those who know of him as a local kook who desperately spends his days engaged in a fruitless search for answers. A search that has also seen him become estranged from the only family he has left: his son Ford who has grown up to be a member of an EOD unit for the U.S. Navy (oh the irony). However, when the same readings from that fateful day pop back up again, we soon see that they prove to be the catalyst for our boy wonder and his dear ol’ dad to both reunite and to also subsequently embark on a journey together. One that will reveal to them not only the inner workings of a secret society that has been around since at least the 1950s called Monarch, but also unknowingly provide them with ringside seats for a cage match unlike any that mankind has ever known between two distinct species of creatures. One that wishes to destroy anything and everything in its path and the other that aims to restore the balance that mankind has severely disrupted however he can….

Now right off the bat I will say that the work done behind the camera for this film is a lot better than what we got from the Fiasco of ’98 though not without a few complications of its own. For starters, the visual effects in this film are absolutely amazing. Indeed not only do the creatures look phenomenal, but the slice of cinema overall also has a scale to it that is just jaw-dropping especially in how it is always able to distinguish between the teeny, tiny and scaredy-cat people and the Sears Tower-size giant monsters. On top of that, this is a riveting film to view due to how it always manages to possess a vibe of grim/doom and gloom about it that actually permits both the titular monster and his foes to feel genuinely terrifying. A key element that definitely helps in that incidentally is the fact that, unlike the Fiasco from ’98 which was comedic purely on the grounds of how stupid it was, this one actually doesn’t have that much comedy to it. Instead, right from frame one and all the way to the end this slice of cinema carries with it a mood of both regret and desperation about it that thankfully the film’s helmer is able to work with incredibly well. Indeed not only does he show off the desperation of our characters as they come up against situations that test their ability to survive plain and simple, but we also get regret in the form of both Joe desperately trying to figure out just what did cause the incident at the plant since he feels responsible for the tech team, Ford’s mom included, who tragically lost their lives that day and Ford since he feels like he is slowly turning into his father with his own son as well as for not being there for his dad the way he maybe should have been. Intriguingly, we see that this pathos also does a wonderful job at doing something besides tugging on your heartstrings or getting you all choked up. Namely they manage to prove to do a wonderful job of creating an element of riveting intrigue that gift this film with enough mileage that it doesn’t need Godzilla’s direct involvement for a while. Rather, it can just simply tease you with shots of his foot, his spikes coming out of the water, or even people just talking about the big guy to name but a few examples of how the film raises your own personal anticipation level through the roof. With that said, the moment when he finally does make his grand entrance I promise it is definitely everything that you would like it to be right down to a roar that will send a delighted shiver or 10 down your spine. To that end, it should be noted at this point that the screenplay this film is operating with is worrisome yet riveting. By that I mean yes it does conjure up a very dire mood about the potential for a nuclear fiasco and yes it does explore what could happen with one of these weapons, but is also doesn’t really go into any in-depth commentary on the level that the original Godzilla from the 50s did by any stretch either. Along with that, we see that in regards to this film’s action it also can be a mixed bag since sure we get a fair amount of monster mayhem that proves to be quite riveting, but the film also manages to deploy the quite tired trope of B.C.A.I.D. (Bratty Child Actor In Distress) on at least a couple of occasions thus threatening to really cheapen the suspense of those given moments. Thankfully, we see that Edwards is very much aware of how rickety the screenplay he is working off is and, as a result, does a great job at keeping either some creature action always on the horizon including moments where the MUTOS lay a fair bit of waste to both Vegas and San Francisco or moments of peril for our hero including one involving a monorail trip gone awry in Hawaii. Suffice it to say there might be some issues behind the camera, but there are also elements at play which prove to be invaluable at keeping things on the right track so to speak.

Now when looking at this slice of cinema from the point of view of the various cast of human characters that have been assembled here, it should be noted that they are very much a mixed bag though not for lack of effort. Indeed Bryan Cranston proves to be absolutely engaging in this as our main character’s dear ol’ pop who everyone thinks has gone completely off the reservation (though in all fairness this IS Bryan Cranston we are talking about so you know he can’t possibly be that insane….hopefully). With that said though, despite being easily one of the more engaging and three-dimensional emotionally human characters in the cast, we see that he is also mostly in the first 45-50 minutes of the film tops for reasons I can’t really go into here. A narrative choice that, if I’m being honest, does prove to be a bit of a mistake since the narrative’s focus is then shifted to concentrate mostly on his grown-up son who is portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Now the reason this is a mistake is not because I don’t like Taylor-Johnson as an actor. Far from it. In fact, I will go so far as to say that if given material he can actually do something with, Taylor-Johnson can be a highlight for a given slice of cinema such as his work in 2016’s Nocturnal Animals or even in his dynamic duo work alongside Bryan Tyree Henry in recent release Bullet Train to name but a couple of examples. Unfortunately, the material in this is less of either of those and more along the lines of the material offered to him when he played Quicksilver in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. As a result, we see that while he most assuredly is able to bring the necessary physical presence to be this slice of cinema’s action-rooted protagonist, it also doesn’t give him a lot to work with in terms of fleshing out the character in other key areas that would have made him a more well-rounded character. As such, it’s nowhere near as bad as Matthew Broderick’s hero turn in that thing calling itself a Godzilla film from 1998, but it’s also not as great as it could have been either. Meanwhile we also see that, in another example of terrific acting talent being slightly wasted in a role that could have easily been played by anyone, Elizabeth Olsen does the best she can with the role of Ford’s loving wife Elle, but ultimately the character is one that only gives the narrative nothing more than just some moments where we see her in tears and worried about her husband’s safety. With that being said however, it should be said that on the flip side of the acting coin that the slightly out of left field choice to bring in actors more known for their work in dramas such as Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn and Ken Watanabe is actually a significant positive for this film since they make quite a bit of the more absurd exposition dialogue a lot easier to digest. A feat that is perhaps best showcased when Watanabe explains the origins of the creatures in this film. Yes it all is completely absurd make no mistake. However, when you have an actor like Ken Watanabe delivering this dialogue as seriously as if he were reciting the St. Crispin’s Day Speech from Henry V then your personal level of believability is extended with it as a result. Suffice it to say that the acting might not be in the best in the world, but trust me when I say there are monster movies that have done quite a bit worse.

All in all, and flaws with this slice of cinema aside, there is no denying that the 2014 take on the iconic movie monster Godzilla is a rousing success that you definitely should check out if given the chance. Yes as I have mentioned, the human characters are not as fleshed out as they should have been given the talented cast of performers assembled though there are some who do manage to fare better than others. Along with that, I can also tell you that there are those of you out there who are going to take issue with the amount of screentime the titular monster actually has even though, in all fairness, I didn’t really see that element as a huge detriment to how much I wound up enjoying this slice of cinema. Having gotten those negatives out of the way however, you should also know that, the visual effects in this (especially the creature designs) are jaw-droppingly fantastic to say nothing of incredibly realistic looking, the source material is actually treated with a wonderful degree of gravitas as well as heart and respect in equal measure that I feel only a devoted fan of the titular creature and his cinematic legacy could bring to the table, and the work from the cinematography department and by Gareth Edwards at the helm are truly next level in the finest ways possible. Thus is the 2014 Godzilla the best of the best when it comes to monster movies? No I’m afraid not dear reader. At the same time however, is this another failed attempt by an American movie studio to bring Godzilla to life in a way that is on par with the cinematic legacy left by iconic Japanese production company Toho? Honestly I wouldn’t say that either. Indeed it might have its issues as I said, but there is no denying that at the end of the day the 2014 Godzilla is an rousing and entertaining monster mash that not only serves as a reminder for those of us in the know for why we love this monster as much as we do, but also as a fantastic introduction for those of you who are wanting to see a Godzilla movie for the very first time. Make of that what thou will and long live the king! On a scale of 1-5 I give Godzilla “2014” a solid 3.5 out of 5.