My biggest problem with ‘Godzilla’ is that while yes, the effects are stunning and the creature design is great, I was never in awe of him, never made to feel small, which ideally is what this film should have done, I should have been shocked or taken aback to see Godzilla finally appear on screen but I wasn’t; my mouth remained firmly closed and my arms without goose bumps which disappointed me. ‘Godzilla’ should be a huge spectacle of a film and it should really strive towards striking awe into the audience but it just didn’t.
This film is called ‘Godzilla’ but really it should be called “Family in trouble”, for a Godzilla film, Godzilla is not in most of the film which would be okay or at least forgivable if the film surrounding Godzilla’s appearances were actually good. Unfortunately the story is very cliché and contrived, for instance, everywhere Aaron Taylor-Johnson goes just happens to be where something bad happens, really? Not even going to try to explain it? No? Okay then.
The first 20 minutes of the film is pretty solid, Bryan Cranston and his wife work at a nuclear plant in Japan and then things go awry but the acting is so good that even though it is predictable, it’s still entertaining and definitely hooks the audience in to the film. Then it flash forwards 15 years and we are introduced to Lieutenant Aaron Taylor-Johnson whom just so happens to be Bryan Cranston’s son, returning to his own family then due to certain events Taylor-Johnson is separated from his family and he must get back to them! Because, you know, emotional strife, at least that is what the film would like you to believe but the fact is that Taylor-Johnson is given very weak and bland dialogue which just makes his cliché situation even more clichéd.
The script isn’t bad, it’s just been done a million times before with very little alterations, the dialogue at times is so stiff and rigid that it seemed like everyone was made of wood and even the action scenes with Godzilla leave a lot to be desired.
The pacing is downright ridiculous though, only minutes dedicated to Godzilla in a film called ‘Godzilla’, ridiculous. That plus the fact that the clichéd dialogue becomes so monotonous that you feel your brain just becoming numb until something great happens and then your brain is awake again, and then it’s back to the monotonous clichéd dialogue until something great happens again! Then back down. It becomes very tedious very quickly.
Let’s talk about some of the good stuff though; Gareth Edwards knows where to point a camera. The directing, for the most part, was very good with a lot of great shots and even more impressive shots once Godzilla has been unveiled but no amount of great camera work or cinematography is enough to distract from the bland script.
‘Godzilla’ looks great, he’s huge and rugged and looks very realistic but like I said earlier, left a lot to be desired in the awe-inspiring section. I expected him to do a lot more damage than what he did but I won’t get in to that too much as that is getting close to plot spoilers.
While the film is cliché and some of it down right bad, there are enough good things that I think would make it worth your time if you are interested in a giant monster crushing cities and other films of that variety.
6/10
