Released: May 2014

Run Time: 123 minutes

Directed by: Gareth Edwards

Production Company: Legendary Pictures

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures / Toho (Japan)

Monster Drama

“The arrogance of man is thinking that nature is in their control….. and not the other way around. Let them fight.”

It’s been here a long time, this monster. I remember growing up with it, watching terrified in the night on the couch hugging myself tightly as it rampaged across Tokyo and Japan bringing nothing but destruction. And fire. And death. It was, to my young eyes, a creature of unbridled power. A natural force unbound. Like a hurricane carving a swath of devastation across the earth and never caring about the nature or history of mankind far, far below its titanic gaze. Because to the monster we are ants. About as aware, and as concerned, of us as we are to the microscopic cells living under our own skin. We know that they’re there, we simply do not care.

So why, in a movie about giant forces of nature tearing each other apart, must we then focus on the microscopic element? In the emotional zeitgeist of human progress and intellectual superiority? Because god forbid, in a movie about imaginary giant monsters, I need the human element to downplay the bigger and more interesting themes playing out around them. I need Bryan Cranston crying into the camera while a nuclear reactor breach kills his wife and suddenly begins to buckle and implode around him as the larval form of some parasitic monstrosity begins to feed off the radiation for several years before emerging to rampage across the planet.

Actually, I DON’T. I don’t care about the human element. If I wanted human emotion injected and forced into a monster movie, I’d watch the over-hyped and extremely boring Cloverfield. Honestly, It’s a shame that for a movie that’s supposed to star the titular creature we perhaps, in the 123 minutes of the movie, only get to see “Gojira” tear monsters a new hole in bits and pieces, and only then really in the final moments of the film. In fact, the first time we the audience truly get to see Godzilla in all its epic glory, the movie immediately then shifts back to the human element.

I mean come ON. I’m all for appreciating the anticipation of the inevitable, but there are limits. There are moments when you’re looking at the screen wondering when the good stuff is going to finally get here. And instead we’re… “treated” … to more human blah blah. No one cares at this point. I mean, once you introduce the good guys and the bad guys, do what Ken Watanabe’s character tells you to do; Let. Them. Fight. I liken the movie to going to a boxing match expecting two of the most antagonistic, most hated rivals in the profession….. just sitting there the entire time sharing their emotions. And only at the last ten seconds of round 12 do they finally throw a few meager punches out to constitute it as a “fight.”

I mean, don’t get me wrong, the acting is good at times. Bryan Cranston’s character, well, just about any character Bryan Cranston portrays really, is given some serious emotional gravitas. Cranston has the acting chops to turn what should have been a hacked, throw-away and forgettable character (and really, in the end said character is pretty much thrown away), into one of the strongest support character in a monster movie since, well, ever.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, on the other hand, just seems bored or half asleep the entire time he’s on-screen. And we’re MADE to somehow not only relate to this guy, but also root for him. I found his portrayal of Naval Lieutenant Ford Brody, Cranston’s adult son in the film, as extremely lifeless. And what’s sad is that most of the screen time is devoted to this guy. You’re seeing this giant monster movie from, pretty much, his perspective. And if it had been handed off to someone who didn’t deliver his lines like he was about to physically pass out from exhaustion or emote like he’s gotten about five minutes of sleep in a week, then it might be forgivable. But it’s not, and it shows, and it drags the movie down – considerably.

I’ll admit there were some rather enjoyable cinematic moments in the movie. The Halo jump almost calls up a sort of Dante’s Inferno-esque feel about it. As these small and insignificant bodies fall through black pitched clouds, red flare smoke trailing behind them, and the chaotic, soul rippling operatic ballad laments their decent into Hell. This uncertainty of survival, but the willingness to do so in the name of duty. Man it brings back memories.

And I will admit I geeked out the moment I realized that a certain Atomic Breath was about to be released. And it did NOT disappoint. I literally pumped my fist and chuckled as Gojira unleashed blue flaming Hell. Which is odd, you know? Here’s a creature that destroys pretty much anything in its path, probably kills hundreds of people in the process, doesn’t give really one wit about the human race, and we root for the guy. We root for the destroyer. We root for the death-dealing, atomic fire-breathing and uncontrollable monster of destruction. Because he’s unrelenting. A literal force of unbridled chaotic nature. And we root for him all the time.

“I’m sorry what? Millions of dollars of property damage done and hundreds of thousands of people missing or dead? Sure let me get my wal- Ooooh. sorry. All out of F$#ks to give. I just saved the human race. AGAIN. You’re welcome. *splash*”

It’s just too bad we have to put up with, well, US… for an hour before we’re allowed to finally sit down and root for him in this most recent offering to the franchise. As brief as the adventure was, it was still good. As brief as we’re given to actually see Godzilla, it was welcomed. Big question time, though. Would I recommend this movie to someone else? Would I weigh the pros and cons and tell someone to watch Godzilla? And the answer is; Yes, yes I would. Because it not only harkens back and pays homage to the Godzilla/Gojira movies of the past, it manages to update and make Godzilla relevant without being disingenuous or disrespectful to its own history. Unlike the disaster that was 1998’s Godzilla attempt. Let’s all pretend that monster of a monster movie never existed, shall we?

But honestly, in the end, if there when there’s a Godzilla sequel, take Ken’s initial advice. Take out all of the boring human drama and give the fans what they want. Introduce the fighters, say something clever on the human level for about ten minutes; and then do the right thing: get US out of the way…..

And Let. Them. Fight for F%$Ks sake.