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.