A rousing new beginning for a beloved classic, Godzilla affirms Gareth Edwards to be a monster sized talent of giant sized moviemaking. It’s only a shame he couldn’t get a handle on the humans amongst these God-like monsters.
It seems influence does indeed come full circle. Where the 1954 Ishiro Honda classic Godzilla (or Gojira as originally titled) - with its primitive yet innovative effects and miniature sets - gave inspiration to the likes of Steven Spielberg, it’s Spielberg classics Jurassic Park and Jaws that has fuelled the creative fire in Gareth Edwards as he tackled the mighty monster Godzilla and made it his own.
Much like Spielberg, Edwards first made a name for himself in the world of low budget moviemaking, with his small yet big debut feature Monsters winning universal praise and (eventually) the director’s chair on Legendary Pictures recently acquired rights to Godzilla. Although 28 Japanese productions and one forgetful American remake proceeds it, this new and improved Godzilla could quite be the best of the lot, with Edwards handling of style and atmosphere combined with the wizardry of today’s visual and sound effects making all the difference in the world.
Story wise this globetrotting creature feature begins in 1999 with the destruction of a Japanese nuclear plant, which also sets the scene for a family tragedy in the life of nuclear engineer Dr. Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston). 15 years later with the help of his estranged son Ford (Aaron Taylor Johnson), Dr. Brody returns to the scene of a still unexplained disaster, only to end up finding way more than he bargained for in the size of an ancient, colossal creature that proves nature is always in control of man’s destiny (and their fancy skyscrapers).
And so begins a story of not only monstrous creatures battling for supremacy, but also one family trying to survive a world reduced to rubble. Yet with a flat script and questionable acting, these puny humans and their emotional journey are no match for the brute strength and awe inspiring spectacle of these God like monsters.
Most glaring of all is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who continues to prove he’s the least charismatic actor of his generation, playing the lead action man role with the same stoned expression throughout and not an ounce of personality. The name of his character may be Ford, but he’s no Harrison Ford.
An impressive supporting cast, ranging from Bryan Cranston (constantly veering dangerously close to ham) to Ken Wattanabe (stuck in a permanent state of mouth a-gape awe) fair better, yet don’t enhance the human side of this giant monster tale, as did masterpieces of the sub-genre Jaws and King Kong.
Where Godzilla does succeed is in its mammoth sized visuals and dense, dread filled atmosphere. Like Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro before him, Edwards knows how to take visual effects, infuse them within his fantastic scenarios and make them wholly convincing. When that awe-inspiring sight of Godzilla circa 2014 stomps like certain death towards the screen, we are slaves to this spectacle.
Convincing too are the stakes in play. Destruction of a mass scale have reached stupid heights in recent blockbusters (i.e. Man of Steel), yet in evoking the imagery of the Boxing Day and Japanese tsunamis and the always present nuclear fear, Edwards hits a certain primal, even raw nerve during these smash and stomp escapades. This is a dark, brooding blockbuster, enhanced even more by Andre Desplat’s driving, frightening, at times overbearing soundtrack.
For a second feature film (and such a large one at that) it’s impressive work by Edwards. If only he could have evoked the same chemistry and emotion from his human players, like he did in his first monster movie. Hopefully his eventual third film will see the balance right. |