Lightning Review: Godzilla

Synopsis
When a drilling company accidentally awakens an ancient creature, Godzilla appears to stop it. But when humanity is stuck in the middle, what cost will the military go to stop the massive creatures?

Review
Have you ever walked out of a movie thinking “That wasn’t what I expected,” but in a good way? That’s how I felt about Godzilla. This is a movie where the title character/creature is used more as a backdrop for the story, rather than the central focus of the film. He is completely missing from the first third of the film, giving us time to get to know the human characters. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting considering the movie is named ‘Godzilla‘ but I felt this unconventional approach worked well. Bryan Cranston did great and is without a doubt the standout performance. The sound work was awesome. Not only with the sound of Godzilla but also with creating tension by getting softer or muffled or even no sound at the right moments. The action picked up in the last act and showed off some great visual effects. The monstrous fight that happened might be one of my favorite movie fights. Although the titular character gets the least screen time of anyone, Godzilla is an entertaining disaster movie that gets more fun as it moves along, finishing with an epic fight that will having you cheering at the screen.

Rating
3.5/5

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Gareth Edwards – Director
Max Borenstein – Screenplay
Dave Callaham – Story

Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Ford Brody
Bryan Cranston – Joe Brody
Ken Watanabe – Dr. Ichiro Serizawa
Elizabeth Olson – Elle Brody
Carson Bolde – Sam Brody
Sally Hawkins – Vivienne Graham
Juliette Binoche – Snadra Brody
CJ Adams – Young Ford Brody
David Strathairn – Admiral William Stenz

Godzilla (2014) Trailer

Official Synopsis: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

The marketing for Godzilla is an example of how to do trailers right.  It reminds me a lot of Cloverfield where we are only getting glimpses of the beast but never seeing the whole thing.  Other than his back in posters and the trailers and his face for a second or two at the end of this trailer, not much is seen of Godzilla.  So far much hasn’t been given away about the plot except for destruction and a sense of helplessness of the military against the Godzilla.

Bryan Cranston is a very versatile actor, so I’m excited to see him on screen.  I didn’t realize Ken Watanabe was in this film so my excitement level went up a few points when I saw/heard him in the trailer.  Not much is seen yet of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson except for a few brief shots.  If there is a second trailer hopefully they will be more prevalent then.

I know Godzilla is supposed to be tall, but if the poster below is accurate, I think he may be too tall.  As much flack as the 1998 Godzilla receives, I do think the size of Godzilla was a good fit.  But I guess on the flip side, by having him be really, really big it will just make his defeat that much more gratifying.  We’ll see what happens I guess.

Godzilla hits theaters May 16, 2014.  Directed by Gareth Edwards, it stars Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, and Victor Rasuk.

Godzilla (2014) Teaser Trailer

Official Synopsis: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

Despite being a longer-than-usual teaser trailer, we still don’t see very much, just like a normal teaser.  My favorite part is seeing Godzilla’s silhouette through the smoke and destruction.  It gives a good idea how gargantuan Godzilla is.  The tone is fitting for a monster movie and I am really digging it.  This trailer does exactly what teasers are supposed to do: wet my appetite for more.  I can’t wait until the next, full trailer.

Godzilla hits theaters May 16, 2014.  Directed by Gareth Edwards, it stars Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and David Strathairn.

Kick-Ass 2 Review

Synopsis
Kick-Ass’ (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) bravery and actions inspire a new wave of masked crusaders, led by the born-again ex-mob enforcer Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). When Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) is forced to retire from crime fighting, Kick-Ass joins with the new group of heroes, named Justice Forever. Seeking revenge for the death of his father, Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), renamed The Mother F**ker, forms his own group of evil. With his new evil league behind him, The Mother F**ker enacts a plan to make Kick-Ass pay for killing his dad.

Review
Kick-Ass 2 does what good every action sequel should and ups the stakes and danger from its predecessor. This time, the villain, The Mother F**ker, is gunning directly for Kick-Ass and everyone around him. Needless to say, this causes complications in Kick-Ass’ personal life, adding to the strain of balancing high school and crime fighting. The results were pretty intriguing and gruesome.

This is not a movie for the faint of heart. I think the kill count was higher in the previous movie, but the kills were much more… um… stylized this time around. There were some interesting ways the characters found to kill, particularly the villain Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina). My favorite kill of hers was placing a running lawnmower onto the back of a car and reversing into an oncoming car, sending the mower through the windshield. And that was probably one of the milder kills in the movie.

Much like the previous film, Kick-Ass 2 is genuinely funny. The humor does a good job of keeping the movie from becoming too dark. Moretz had some moments as a stereotypical hormone-filled teenager that came off a somewhat cheesy, but they were still funny. I expected a few more jokes out of Carrey, but unfortunately he didn’t have much screen time.

Moretz is an actress to keep an eye on in the near future. She was phenomenal. She did a great job of playing the hard-ass ass-kicker, but at the same time the sweet little high schooler trying to fit in. Few young actresses can command the screen the way she does. It’s too bad Jim Carrey renounced Kick-Ass 2, because Colonel Stars and Stripes was bad ass. Though he had a limited role, it would have been cool to see more of him.

On the other side of the law, I don’t think Mintz-Plasse was the best actor to play the central villain. The Mother F**ker is supposed to be menacing, but he doesn’t come off that way and it is hard to take him seriously. He does well in the first Kick-Ass as the kid vying for his father’s approval, but not so well as the maniacal villain. Mintz-Plasse is more suited for lighter comedic roles. It’s nice to see actors take roles outside their norm, but sometimes it doesn’t work, and this was one of those times.

Kick-Ass 2 is a good action sequel that ups the danger from the first Kick-Ass, but at the same time diving deeper into who the characters are. Over-the-top action, gruesome deaths, and non-stop laughs make for a humorously visceral experience.

Rating
3.5/5