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Sixty years ago, a giant dinosaur-like creature stomped its way into Japanese theaters, and a cinematic legend was born. Since then, Godzilla has become a quirky pop culture icon, appearing in dozens of films, books, TV shows, and more. But don’t expect the same rubber monsters and cheesy sets from the monster’s latest big-screen appearance.
The latest reimagining of the classic 1954 monster movie begins 15 years ago, when a team of miners unearthed a massive fossil in the Philippines. Soon after, a series of unexplained tremors in Japan led to the collapse of a nuclear plant.
Today, American engineer Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) is still looking for answers. When he’s once again arrested for venturing into the quarantine zone, his son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), is called in to bail him out. Though Ford begs his father to give up his crazy obsession, he soon finds himself face to face with a pair of monstrous adversaries that threaten humanity.
Through the years, Godzilla has become a pop culture joke—a kind of mascot for cheesy monster movies with cheap sets and over-the-top acting. But the latest incarnation of Godzilla is far from cheap and cheesy. This version is flashy and expensive and surprisingly serious. Only Cranston seems to be in on the joke, which means that his campy performance feels completely out of place in this otherwise humorless thriller. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing—unless you’re hoping for the classic camp of Godzilla movies past.
The story, meanwhile, is a bit of a mess. It takes much too long for the action to build—and for the monsters to make their first appearance—and the events leading up to the big reveal aren’t particularly interesting. When it’s all over, you might not be entirely sure of what just happened—or why. But, as is often the case with big-budget summer action movies, the plot is secondary. The real focus is on the action and effects—and they’re pretty remarkable.
When the action finally builds and the monsters crash their way into the film, the flaws in the story are left in the rubble. While most recent monster movies have kept their monsters hidden, offering just a hint of what these deadly creatures may look like, Godzilla holds nothing back. The film’s monster effects are nothing short of mind-blowing, using both close-ups and distance shots (and mixing in some Earth-shaking sound effects) to give viewers the full effect of these horrifying beasts and their international rampage. And, really, those are exactly the kind of big-budget thrills that Summer Blockbuster Season is all about.
The newest incarnation of Godzilla is a flawed but striking mix of classic monster movie and modern blockbuster. The story is far from perfect, but the action couldn’t be much better. It’s big and noisy and absolutely eye-popping, making it a worthy choice for an evening of brainless summer popcorn-munching.
Listen to the audio review on Reel Discovery:
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