Review: Godzilla

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Ford Brody is having a bad day.

Everywhere he goes, monsters show up.

All kidding aside, Godzilla follows Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who is called back to his childhood home in Japan when his father, Joe (Bryan Cranston) is arrested for trespassing into former nuclear reactor zone. You see, Joe used to work there, and an accident happened in 1999 that caused the death of his wife. Now, the same thing is happening again, and he no one believes him when he says they're similar. Ford is reluctant to help at first, but follows his father. Two scientists, Dr. Serizawa (Ken Wantanabe, who permanently looks like he cannot believe what the fuck you are talking about) and Dr Graham (Sally Hawkins) know what's going on, but even they can't predict the destruction that lies ahead. On top of all of this, Ford is trying to get back to his wife, Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and their young song back in San Francisco, where all this chaos is heading.

Godzilla really has all of the things a good monster movie needs. Likable leads, great special effects, cheesy dialogue, and a fantastic score by Alexandre Desplat. They sure knew how to build to the climatic fight scene between Godzilla and the M.U.T.O. Just when you thought you'd see them fight, the camera cut away. I've read some things were this bothered some, but I thought it was brilliant. I especially loved how our first shot of them fighting was on a news broadcast, watched by a four year old.

Overall, Godzilla isn't trying to be some critically acclaimed masterpiece, so it doesn't need to be treated like one. What it does succeed at is being massively entertaining, and is far better than the 1998 version. That's all a remake can really ask for, right?

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote: "He's your family too." - Elle (Elizabeth Olsen)

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 17, 2014 at 10:46 AM

    Cheesy dialogue hahaha I don't know when I'll see this, but hopefully soon. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 17, 2014 at 5:49 PM

      It is. It would be borderline cringe-worthy if the film itself wasn't so good.

      Delete
  2. Candice FrederickMay 17, 2014 at 12:44 PM

    this sounds fun!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angela's Anxious LifeMay 17, 2014 at 7:33 PM

    I didn't really love this film at all. My husband did.. he gave it the same grade as you. I had to go with a C this time around. Just didn't love it. Well.... I loved the monsters of course!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 19, 2014 at 2:22 PM

      That's okay, it's rare the blogging world fully agrees on one movie or another. That's what makes it fun!

      Delete
  4. asrap virtuosoMay 18, 2014 at 11:32 AM

    I didn't enjoy this, but I'd give you this... it was waaay better than the 1998 version. This has done pretty well at the box office so obviously they'll be sequels. Despite me not liking this, I'll still probably go see future movies in the franchise!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 19, 2014 at 2:21 PM

      This did insanely well at the box office. I don't know if they'll do sequels though, it seems pretty stand alone to me. But hey, I've been wrong about sequels plenty of times before.

      Delete
  5. msmariahMay 19, 2014 at 10:30 AM

    I agree w/ you wholeheartedly Brittani. It's not a masterpiece but it was incredibly enjoyable. I personally liked that Edwards kept the monsters mysterious. My dad wanted to see more monster scenes, but I felt like it made the monster screentime even more special when you did finally see them.

    Edwards said that he wanted Godzilla's time on screen to have a sense of awe and in that I think he succeeded.

    My biggest complaint was not enough ELIZABETH OLSEN! Seriously where were the ladies in this movie? We do exist, although Hollywood frequently treats women as extraneous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 19, 2014 at 2:21 PM

      I think he succeeded as well. I could've used some more Elizabeth Olsen as well! You can never have too much of her.

      Delete
  6. s.May 19, 2014 at 2:56 PM

    "Ken Wantanabe, who permanently looks like he cannot believe what the fuck you are talking about" - hahaha he does look like that in trailers! I may catch it soon, I could have last weekend but I went to see Neighbors instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 20, 2014 at 7:20 AM

      How did you like Neighbors? His face literally does not change the entire movie. It was unintentionally hilarious.

      Delete
  7. JoshMay 21, 2014 at 1:33 PM

    I'll be checking this out in a day or two, but I forgot that Desplat did the score. Can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  8. m.brownMay 21, 2014 at 4:41 PM

    I peeked at your grade before posting myself, but now I can comfortably read your review. Anyway...I'm glad you liked it, and I agree with a lot of what you said, but I think the movie was a major letdown overall.

    I didn't give a shit about the characters, and really only wanted to see Godzilla kick heaps of monster ass. I think teasing us with what is essentially a beloved character is a dick move.

    It's Godzilla, damn it. Who gives a f--k about Kick-Ass and his dad? Not to mention scientists who seem like it's their first day on Earth, ever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 22, 2014 at 8:22 AM

      Ha, I can see that. I guess I cared about Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, but you're right about those scientists. I was okay with the tease for Godzilla, sometimes too much CGI really works against a film (hello Green Lantern) but here I thought it was great.

      Delete
  9. ElinaMay 22, 2014 at 5:28 PM

    Wow! I had no idea what the plot was in this, but it sounds AWESOME! I've never seen a Godzilla movie, so I think it's high time to watch this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dan O.May 28, 2014 at 12:14 AM

    Good review Brittani. It definitely was all about the build-up and that was enough for me to be totally interested in just about all that was happening. Even if the characters did need a bit more sprucing-up.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 28, 2014 at 7:53 AM

      Thank you! I liked the characters, I've been reading a lot of reviews where people didn't care for them. I did.

      Delete

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