Godzilla | Screenlife Reviews

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the long awaited sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, certainly sends a message to those who complained the last film was lacking in monster mayhem. The film is the polar opposite of its predecessor in this sense – delivering mountains of creature carnage to the screen and introducing several famous monsters from the expansive Godzilla history to boot. The action is nothing short of amazing; epic in scope with flawless visual effects and excellent camera direction giving you a front seat to these enormous battles for supremacy over our planet. Where the sequel falls apart, however, is in its ridiculous, unnecessarily convoluted story which attempts to juggle far too many characters and plot-lines at once for the audience to really care about any one in particular. Whilst this aspect of the film is disappointing for sure, the human story is not what most viewers come to these movies for, and the spectacle of the monsters is more than enough to keep most audiences satisfied.

Let’s get right into that story which, similarly to the 2014 film, centres around a family. The Russell family suffered a tremendous loss during Godzilla’s first foray onto land in San Francisco and in the 5 years following have drifted apart. Mother Emma (Vera Farmiga) has pledged herself to studying these incredibly large creatures, known as Titans – who have begun turning up in a variety of locations around the globe – for the now not-so-secret monster research group Monarch, with daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) in tow. Meanwhile Mark (Kyle Chandler), the Russell patriarch, has been struggling to cope with the events of San Fransisco and has isolated himself in quiet mountain territory as he recovers from a battle with alcoholism. When Emma and Madison’s latest encounter with a Titan is interrupted by a group of eco-terrorists, led by mercenary Jonah Alan (Charles Dance), Mark must unite with Emma’s Monarch co-workers (Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch) to locate his daughter, ex-wife and her latest creation: a device capable of communicating with the Titans. This becomes a race against time before it falls into the wrong hands and the Titans are unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. This is a lot to unpack; with numerous characters and plot-lines in play and we haven’t even got into how Godzilla factors into all of this.

It’s clear that director Mike Dougherty has a deep appreciation and attachment to the Godzilla franchise and that the story here is a homage of sorts to the crazy narratives of those films. Whilst that works in the context of a cheesy Saturday afternoon monster movie where men in rubber suits walk around knocking each other into cardboard buildings, the world that was established in Gareth Edwards film is very much a centred, real-world take on what would happen if these creatures showed up in our world. Those old films found it necessary to have these wacky human-centric plots to break up the action and to deal with budget constraints, and it works with the tone that was set. In this more grounded take on the Godzilla universe, that tone just doesn’t work and whilst I appreciate what Dougherty was trying to do – which will probably appeal to many long-time fans of the franchise – I would have preferred to see the series carry the tone across from the 2014 film, or at the very least reign in some of the more over-the-top aspects of the story.

What works best in King of the Monsters is, as the name suggests, the monsters. Godzilla is as fearsome as he was in the last film and the writers (Dougherty, Zach Shields and Max Borenstein) are clearly having a ball exploring the background and inner workings of the giant lizard. Their respect and reverence towards Godzilla comes across in the story, where he is touted as the protector of humanity, as well as through the relationship with Ken Watanabe’s character Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. Serizawa clearly worships Godzilla as he’s studied him for years and there is such a strong connection here that is clearly symbolic of the writers’ – and to a larger degree, Godzilla fans’ – connection to the franchise as a whole. Added to the mix this time around are classic Godzilla staples Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan to punch up the monster roster as well as to provide some more big battles and variety in the fights. It’s something I was particularly grateful for after seeing Godzilla fight a few times, as I was craving something different from these confrontations and it certainly delivered, taking action to the skies with Ghidorah and Rodan, and involving the human military forces in a surprisingly effective way. The film does a good job of not simply having human characters sitting around witnessing the carnage but taking matters into their own hands. It makes a difference as these separate stories do not confine the separate camera angles like the first film did, which was almost always from the point of view of a ground-level character. Here we get stunning wide angle shots of the action not tied down to a human character and the film features some truly gorgeous imagery as a result.

Inside of this ridiculous story are a veritable smorgasboard of some of the best actors working in the business today, and while not every performance is a home-run, the actors are all trying their best with the narrative they have been given. At the top end of this spectrum are returning mainstays Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins, both of whom give terrific performances as Monarch scientists who have now risen to the top of the food chain in this new world order as the authority on Titans. Watanabe shares some genuinely emotional scenes with Godzilla and he is definitely the beating heart of the film, a representative of the audience’s attachment to these creatures and films. Newcomers Millie Bobby Brown and Thomas Middleditch also deliver the goods, both having come off major television shows in Stranger Things and Silicon Valley respectively. Brown is clearly having a ball playing the tough-as-nails kid who has grown up around these monsters and has a deep emotional connection with them. Whilst her particular narrative takes a few left turns here and there logically, Brown’s commitment to the role never wavers and she lights up the screen. Middleditch, having led a sit-com for several years, is understandably assigned a majority of the humour in the film, which he pulls off seemingly effortlessly as a scientist who appears to have almost no knowledge of basic human interactions. He also gets a chance to show some real emotional depth and he handles it remarkably well, showing that he is more than just a comedian and I hope more roles go his way that utilise this skillset.

This is where the acting takes a turn however, with the performances of Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler in particular. Farmiga, who is normally excellent, seems as though she doesn’t know what kind of movie she’s in – playing the role of a scientist obsessed with not allowing another San Francisco incident to occur. There isn’t much emotion that comes through in her performance and I was never quite sure what her motivations really were, which was not helped by the downright stupid and illogical decisions her character makes. On the other hand, Kyle Chandler’s character was so one-note and bland that I was just annoyed whenever he would appear on-screen, again making some supremely stupid character choices that contradict the development we have just seen his character go through. It’s unfortunate that the film has actors of such a high calibre and can’t do anything interesting with them and I couldn’t help but think that by losing some of the seemingly endless characters and really focusing on a core cast the film could have come up with a tighter story with some solid, meaningful character development.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a different beast to its predecessor. One that tries to continue the story set up by Gareth Edwards film as well as a celebration of the franchise’s fifty plus year history. Whilst it doesn’t all hit the way it is intended to – with a murky, illogical story and some awful characters – when the giant beasts converge on the screen to fight you cannot look away. It is a testament to these characters and their legacy, as well as the incredible work of the visual effects team, that after all this time there’s something so pure and enticing about giant monsters fighting amongst humanity and the society we hold so dear, destroying everything in their path.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Thomas Middleditch & O’Shea Jackson Jr. – In cinemas now.

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.