This is a great âpopcorn movie.â No social agendas, no lingering concerns, just a great action/adventure film. From the opening moments there is no rest as this story quickly unfolds, and you are hooked. This is a spectacular film; the technology and special effects are awesome. It would be literally and figuratively impossible to describe the scope of events as they take place; there were over 500 people alone involved in producing the visual aspects of this movie, and Iâm sure they all worked overtime.
If you like your lizard monsters forty feet tall, youâre in for a disappointment. If you like them 355 feet tall (the equivalent of 40 stories), then youâre in luck. Godzilla towers over any other creature weâve seen before.
As for the story line, you already know it. Monster emerges from the deep, and sets the world on itsâ heels. Why he emerges and how he got that way is the interesting part of the story, and the first half of the film is devoted to that history. At the same time, we become involved with the main characters who have some credibility, and they take us quite nicely through the first half, with just enough action and intrigue to keep us not only interested but actually caring.
The second half, however, is a different story. We watch as Godzilla and some nasty alien creatures engage in the greatest battle ever, fighting their way across the Pacific, with all the spectacular effects you can imagine and then some. There are plenty of heart-thumping moments as the military tries to figure a way to at least slow them down, and as they reach the Golden Gate Bridge, it looks like all is lost. There is a bizarre, exciting and surprising ending as the least likely one to be a hero sneaks up on you.
Godzilla
Entertainment Rating: ★★★
Rating: P.G. 13: No profanity, no sex, an overwhelming amount of destruction and some death
Possible Oscar Nominations: Musical Score, Cinematography, Set Decoration, Sound Editing, Film Editing, Special Effects, Visual Effects, Production Design and Art Direction.
Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame plays Joe Brody, the patriarch of the family whose plight we follow through the story. He performs well as does Aaron Taylor-Johnson who plays his son Ford, one of the key participants in the battle against Godzilla. Ken Watanabe plays a Japanese scientist who is also along for the whole ride, unfortunately at times he is very hard to understand and we miss a few vitals along the way.
In summary, this is the special effects ride of the century, with lots of amazing scenes; the last 30 minutes or so are overwhelming, maybe even a bit overdone. Nonetheless, if you like this kind of stuff, grab your wallet and head for the theatre, youâll be happy you did.
Comments or questions, email me at tsansom2002@gmail.com.
