The 2014 American reboot of the classic kaiju film Godzilla was a divisive release. Many claimed that the film simply didn’t show enough of the giant lizard in action whilst others defended the choice to drip-feed monster madness to the audience. This review falls into the latter category, as I believe that Godzilla is not only a great film in its own right, but one of the best blockbuster monster movies in recent memory. Director Gareth Edwards had a monumental task on his hands bringing this cinematic icon to the big screen following the abysmal 1998 version, and he more than achieves that goal – asserting Godzilla’s dominance as king of the monsters.
The story begins with Joe (Bryan Cranston) and Sandra (Juliette Binoche) Brody, scientists at a Japanese nuclear power plant investigating a series of radiation spikes and earth tremors in the local Janjira region, only to be caught in the middle of the facility’s catastrophic collapse that halts any future research and ends in tragedy. Cut to 15 years later, as we follow their son Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), fresh off a stint in the army and readjusting to life back home. Ford’s return is cut short when he is suddenly called to Japan to collect his father from jail for trespassing at the collapsed power plant, declared a radiation zone by Japanese officials. From here on out we follow Ford as he comes to terms with his father’s obsession with finding answers to the past catastrophe, learns about the existence of the secret organisation ‘Monarch’ (researchers into ancient beings who used to rule the planet by feeding off the Earth’s natural radiation), and we watch as he encounters these monsters as he attempts to return to his wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and son Sam (Carson Bolde). This story of a man attempting to reunite with his family is intercut with the exploits of Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr Graham (Sally Hawkins), researchers for Monarch who are assisting military forces in understanding their enemies as they battle Godzilla and his foes: the MUTO’s (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism).
The plot of a Godzilla film is tricky to get right – balancing the monster fighting glory of the old movies with characters and a plot that audiences can care about. Edwards’ film mostly hits the mark here, anchoring the story with a core cast of characters whose lives have all been impacted by Godzilla or another one of his kind. This grounded perspective gives the audience a chance to appreciate the sheer spectacle of these creatures and to immerse themselves in the minds and shoes of each character – how would you react to these giant beasts suddenly appearing in society and challenging your conceptions of the world? To further aid this immersion, Edwards employs several unique camera tricks – including POV shots through the eyes of Ford as he encounters the creatures, as well as more than a few shots of characters in the foreground suddenly being put into perspective as a giant head or leg rises behind them. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does remarkable work here too, creating some beautifully composed shots that I would gladly hang on a wall as art; the HALO jump scene being one such example. It’s all tied together by the brilliant work of the VFX team who create incredibly lifelike creatures that look as if they could be tearing down buildings in our own world.
Music and sound (or the lack thereof) also play a large role in Godzilla and immersing you in the adventure. Alexandre Desplat’s score is nothing short of epic and a fitting soundtrack to the destruction it accompanies. The use of sound is also unique; during the POV scenes with Ford, the sound of the outside world is dimmed as the sound of his heartbeat is amplified. It’s a clever device that works to give us an understanding of the human response to seeing such extreme forces of nature up close and personal. Of course if you’re going to talk bout sound you can’t overlook the superb sound design behind Godzilla’s roar. Channelling the classic sound, it’s given another level of bass and ferocity here that drowns out everything else on the screen. The airport scene where we first witness Godzilla in the flesh is simply mesmerising and I could have watched and listened to that first roar for hours.
In terms of the acting, Cranston and Watanabe are the main attractions here besides the big guy himself, both showcasing their considerable dramatic chops. There is a level of empathy to Cranston’s performance that is heartbreaking to watch, as he spends his life trying find an explanation for what caused the Janjira meltdown, and ultimately, a sense of catharsis over the loss of his wife. Watanabe’s character is almost the antithesis to Cranston’s character, someone who has also undergone a terrible loss, but who has used the experience as fuel to progress his life and pursue his passion. The role is perfect for Watanabe; the mixture of his fear over the consequences of letting Godzilla loose and his obsession and respect for these creatures allowing him to give some real depth and nuance to the performance. Unfortunately, Aaron Taylor-Johnson – the actor we spend the most time with – is the weakest link in the film. His character is not only poorly written – a mixture of generic action/soldier stereotypes – but his performance is just bland and dull. There’s no expression from Ford as he confronts these wonders and horrors throughout his travels, with the most we get from Johnson being a slightly confused, sleepy look. It’s a shame that, for a movie that does so much right and has other interesting characters to play with, the writers couldn’t think of a more compelling lead for us as an audience to identify with and follow.
Finally we get to the most divisive part of Godzilla: the titular lizard’s screen-time. Critics of the film have chastised it for being light on the Godzilla action and for turning away from battles when they happen earlier in the film – we often cut to television news footage or background scenes of the monsters duking it out instead of an up-close view of the carnage. This is what makes this Godzilla so great to me; Edwards is distinctly aware that we are in the seats to see some monster mayhem and he has the courage to deny us this, instead tantalising us with snippets and footage of the fights from other sources in the film. He ratchets the excitement and tension up so high that when the final battle does unfold it’s a rush of adrenalin; a fist-pumping release of all that pent-up energy the audience has built up. The risk that Edwards runs by doing this is that if the final fight isn’t of the highest calibre, the audience may feel cheated – as if this whole endeavour was a waste of time. It does not disappoint however, as the third act is everything Godzilla fans could want, especially once Godzilla unleashes his atomic breath, lighting up the sky with a vibrant blue and giving the scenes a gorgeous colour palette as this otherworldly light breaks through the dreary, demolished city.
This iteration of Godzilla was an experiment; a proof of concept that an American filmmaker could take this decades-spanning Japanese property and create a film that honoured it and introduced the franchise to a wider audience. The film succeeds in doing this, never having to resort to flooding the screen with dozens of iconic Kaiju, instead letting us spend some time with the original iconic monster before introducing his foes and allies in future instalments. Whilst these bold choices in narrative were not for everyone, I found it to be a daring and inventive blockbuster that reasserts Godzilla as the king of the monsters.
Godzilla stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Elizabeth Olsen & David Strathairn – available on home entertainment and to stream now.