Godzilla (2014)

[redfirebird2008]

It's a shame the film either too embarrassed or perhaps just too incompetent to be the all-out monster film it clearly is meant to be.

 

The end result is 20% is pretty badass and the remaining 80% is a exercise in bland, lame ass storytelling.

 

I saw your post on RRS. Thanks for the props.  It seems you experienced similar frustration with the movie.

[Cmasterclay]

I really don't think the story was that boring. Again, ATJ was wall paper throughout, but the general plot line of the conspiracy theory that leads to the escape, and the plan to stop the monsters, was engaging enough, and it was so well-shot and composed even in the quiet moments that it really helped in the build. It wasn't meant to be the Godfather in terms of plot complexity and depth. 

[redfirebird2008]

The problem isn't really that there was an attempt to make the film story and character-driven.

 

The problem lies in the fact that the story and characters were so awful that the film was flat-out boring and lame whenever it didn't focus on the monsters.  If you're going to make a story and character-driven monster flick, you better make damn sure the story and characters work.

 

Enough said.

 

And the fact that the title monster receives less development than the other monsters, even though this is supposed to be the first movie in a new franchise. If it were a sequel, I could understand the story decisions. But they gave Godzilla 1 minute of dialogue explaining his existence, while the MUTO's had actual origin stories shown on screen. That sucks.

[mattmav45]

I saw your post on RRS. Thanks for the props.  It seems you experienced similar frustration with the movie.

 

Indeed I did.  

 

If the story was this bad (and the story was pretty brutal), it needed more of a focus on the monsters.  I don't mind a monster flick that is heavily dependent on story and character, but what I do mind is a monster flick with a lack of focus on monsters and a lame ass story with lame ass characters.

[rukaio101]

And the fact that the title monster receives less development than the other monsters, even though this is supposed to be the first movie in a new franchise. If it were a sequel, I could understand the story decisions. But they gave Godzilla 1 minute of dialogue explaining his existence, while the MUTO's had actual origin stories shown on screen. That sucks.

Once again, I think that was actually a good move. By leaving plenty ambiguous about Godzilla's origins and motives, it just makes him all the more interesting and fascinating a character.

[Kalel009Shel]

I really don't think the story was that boring. Again, ATJ was wall paper throughout, but the general plot line of the conspiracy theory that leads to the escape, and the plan to stop the monsters, was engaging enough, and it was so well-shot and composed even in the quiet moments that it really helped in the build. It wasn't meant to be the Godfather in terms of plot complexity and depth. 

Since its being well received, I think  they did a very good job..  Folks today want more than the monster mashes and mindless villans on screen like the folks in here who are downing Godzilla a triumph in almost everyway, but praising the crazy box office disaster and abymal movie that is SM2..

 

Me and most moviegoers will take the slow build up of Godzilla over pompus madness of films like Amazing any day of the week.

 

Go Godzilla

 

I think in the sequel there will be tons of improvements made.. Gareth first go at it is amazing.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Superman001

[Darth Homer]

The new Godzilla is thankfully a lot better than the 1998 Hollywood version (hard to believe that was sixteen years ago) but not without some significant problems of its own. First of all, the good:

 

Director Gareth Edwards knows his Spielberg (one of the characters is even called Ford Brody). The slow buildup of the first half is full of nods to Jaws, Close Encounters and Jurassic Park. The monsters are kept mostly off-screen while the conspiracy angle of the plot is focused on, so when the big G finally make his entrance an hour in it has a far bigger impact than when the stupid giant iguana showed up early on in the ’98 version.

 

Bryan Cranston outacts everyone else in the cast. It’s just a shame his character exits the movie so early.

 

The CGI is really good. The film wisely takes the less is more approach, and the rendering of the creatures puts other monster movies to shame, even last year’s Pacific Rim. Godzilla’s design is faithful to the original Toho version and the MUTO’s he faces are creepy, if a little too close to the Cloverfield monster.

 

Godzilla is treated as an unlikely hero (albeit one that cares about as much about collateral damage as Superman in Man of Steel) which I’ve always enjoyed more than using him as a one dimensional rampaging monster. The ’98 version was especially annoying, since it couldn’t make up its mind whether it wanted the audience to feel sorry for Zilla or cheer when he died.

 

The callback to Edwards’ previous film with the mating monsters was nice.

 

The film is well paced, kept to a tight two hours, unlike most bloated Hollywood adventure movies.

 

Atomic Breath! Probably the most awesome monster kill in a movie ever.

 

Now the bad:

 

Like 99% of modern Hollywood blockbusters, the script is feeble. The human characters have no development and are just shuffled from scene to scene depending on where they need to be to view whatever carnage is going on. The slow burn approach is an admirable one, but we have to actually care about the characters for it to be completely successful.

 

The dour, mostly humourless tone. While I appreciate taking a less campy approach than previous Godzilla movies, some comic relief would have been nice. As it is, the audience has to find humour in unintentional places, such as the captions helpfully informing us we are in Hawaii after seeing Honolulu Airport and people wearing leis, just in case we thought it was Honolulu, Arkansas. The only really successful humour is the way the film fucks with the audience by cutting away from Godzilla’s first battle after his big roar to show snippets of the rest of it on TV. I appreciated the mocking of the genre conventions, but many people won’t.

 

The actors are all pretty much wasted. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, so good in Kick Ass, plays one of the blandest protagonists in recent memory. Elizabeth Olsen is given pretty much nothing to do as the wife he is trying to get back too. Even the aforementioned Cranston is underwritten (like every other Hollywood crazy person he wallpapers his entire room with newspaper clippings), though he does more with his role than most of the other actors.

 

Overall this is a good film that could have been great if as much care had been put into the human side of the story as the monsters. Hopefully the sequel will iron out the kinks and give us a movie worthy of the King of the Monsters.

[Boxx93]

So I decided to watch it again because the first time I saw it in a crappy theatre with a crappy audience (full of cellphones lights and damn annoying kids) this time I went to a smaller less known theatre where less people go but it still has good air conditioner, comfortable seats and a very competent sound system, the 35 mm film of the movie was very clean too so I enjoyed the movie much more this time, but I still noticed the big problems this movie has. I am gonna start with the small stuff like editing, music and cinematography and then I am gonna get to the meaty stuff like acting directing and scriptwriting at the end of this review:

 

Special effects: This was some the best special effects I have ever seen in a blockbuster hollywood film. Not only the monsters looked convincing but they also sold how big and scary they can be. the MUTOs looks a little bit like the Cloverfield monster and Godzilla looks like the original Toho version witch it was nice because the 1998 version looked like a Jurassic Park rip-off. And the best part of the VFX work on this was how realistic the battle with the monsters where and the disaster they leave after the fight whatever devastated city they are (Hawaii, Las Vegas, San Francisco). Thank god they did not go to Los Angeles or New York because making disaster movies on those location already feels cliched.

 

Cinematography: This is another strong part of this movie, the camera work, where it truly feels cinematic, in a Spielberg type of way. No shaky cam at all so you can watch the action. another nice touch of the camera work is that when they show you the action of the monsters, they show it from the perspective of the humans, making the battles look more realistic. Perhaps the best part of the camera work was when the navy jumped from the airplane in the third act of the movie and Ford Brody saw Godzilla and the MUTO fighting with his goggles as he was falling from the sky. That shot was beautiful.

 

Music: While I really appreciate the work of Alexander Desplat, the bombastic approach of the score did not fit well with the dark and grimmy tone of the movie, a more subtle score would have been nice, but it is still good work.

 

Editing: While the pacing of the movie was good for a two hours movie, the slow burn that Gareth Edwards was going for made the film longer than it should have been, maybe if they showed more Godzilla vs MUTO fighing in the Hawaii sequence it would have been better.

 

Acting: And this is where the movie gets more problematic, with such a good cast like Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elisabeth Olsen. Ken Watanabe and Brian freaking Cranston, the acting should have been better. Cranston is the only saving grace in this department. He had such a cliched role (the wacky scientist that no one believes until its too late) and yet I was really invested in his character more than any other character here, witch is why I was pissed off when he died so early, and on top of that his cardboard non emotional son did not felt afflicted for the death of his father, it´s like after he passes away his character never existed, never missed him, damn it If I was him I would not even be in the mood for talking about monsters with the army after my fahter was put on a freaking bag!!!! And that is not all. Elisabeth Olsen, another good actress who gets very little to do, just crying for her husband (well, at leat she showed some emotions) waiting for her to come back, heck she could have at least rescued a patient in the hospital in the middle of the Godzilla fight with the MUTO to make her more heroic, and her child..well... I could care less about that little kid. Ken Wantanbe was given very little and that is why he has the same expression throught the movie so I dont blame him. The rest of the cast do their job but nothing outstanding.

 

Script: And this is the department where the whole potential of the movie falls apart: the screenwriting. Look, If you are going to make a monster movie THEN A MAKE A DAMN MOSNTER MOVIE for pete sake, this is not the Walking Dead where the humans are more important than the zombies, this is freaking GODZILLA, you have to make godzilla the driving force of the story, not the guest star of his own movie. Don´t get me wrong, I dont have a problem with making a more human story but if you are gona make a more human story than a monster movie, you have to make me care about about the characters, That is the reason why movies like Jaws and Jurassic Park are classic monsters movies, because their human characters are really memorable and you care about them. You think of Jurassic Park you think of Alan Grant, you think of Jaws and you think of Chief Brody. Who is going to remember Officer Ford in this movie? Heck even Walking Dead has more interesting characters than this (Rick Grimes played by Andrew Lincoln). Now back to Cranston´s character, since he was the best part of the human side of the story, then why Gareth Edwards did not made this as a father-son bonding experience? where Joe Brody (Cranston) and Ford Brody (Taylor Johnson) reconciliate after the death of the mother (another compelling character who dies too early as well unfortunately) and goes along in the ride disscussing with Dr Serizawa (Watanabe) about the MUTOs and Godzilla. Now THAT would have been a much more interesting story than what we got. And on top of that actually show the fightings between Godzilla and the MUTOs throught the movie because that is the main reason why we came to see the movie in the first place. So much teasing and teasing gets annoying and when you actually get to the third act you realise that the slow burn did not worth the time, they failed on that aspect. Godzilla is the type of movie where you have to maintain a balance between the humans side and the monster side, action and exposition, a fair share between the two. Too much exposition and slow burn can make a movie boring and too much mindless action can make a movie exhausting (the main problem with Pacific Rim ironically). I hope they find a better screenwritter for the sequel.

 

Directing: Now this is where it gets interesting. despite all the big problems with the story and the acting, somehow Gareth Edwards made this film actually work. Any other director would have crapped this movie with the script this one end up having and this is why the direction of Gareth Edwards is the main saving grace of Godzilla, he really did a good job in this department, making the grimmy style work, making the monsters look fantastic (too bad we got little of them), and getting decent performances of the actors despite the horrible screenplay. I hope this guy makes the sequel and again, find a better screenwritter (I am looking at you Warner Brothers)  

 

I am gonna up my initial rating from 4.5 to 6.5 out of 10.

 

Not a bad movie really but it could have been awesome witch is why Godzilla (2014) is in the end, just another popcorn movie.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Boxx93 of Winterfell

[BoxOfficeZ]

Thank god they did not go to California or New York because making disaster movies on those location already feels cliched.

Isn't San Francisco in California?   

[Boxx93]

Isn't San Francisco in California? 

 Oops, my bad, I meant Los Angeles

[Gopher]

Rewatched it. Not sure why, but I'm glad I did. 

 

This is a weird, interesting movie. The first act invests a lot of emotion/spectacle into the humans and it pays off. The third act invests a lot of emotion/spectacle into the monsters and it pays off. The second act is just kind of tying them together. I think it's a superbly shot and directed movie, even if the script doesn't give enough urgency to any of the characters post-Cranston... but that might be the point. All the humans just exist in the wake of this natural disaster, and something about that works for me. Nature, as a gaping Ken Watanabe kind of says, has to fight to work itself out, and that's what happens in Godzilla. Nature fights itself and we suffer the consequences. It's pretty simple, and sometimes that simplicity is boring, but other times I think it's beautiful. 

 

I would give it a B but I'm just not sure what my stance on this movie is. 

[Goffe]

Indeed I did.  

 

If the story was this bad (and the story was pretty brutal), it needed more of a focus on the monsters.  I don't mind a monster flick that is heavily dependent on story and character, but what I do mind is a monster flick with a lack of focus on monsters and a lame ass story with lame ass characters.

this man speaks the truth

[Boxx93]

Boxx93 of Winterfell, all summer blockbusters are popcorn flicks, all of them.. Make sure a petition is made to Gareth Edwards to focus more on the human element next time and less on the monsters to ensure everyone is happy..  Hell, even if Gareth Edwards were to improve upon the things people have complained about in the sequel, folks still won't be happy and find something wrong with that... It is virtually impossible to please EVERYONE Folks, but when you watch GODZILLA 98 again, that movie makes this new one look like an Oscar winner...

 

When I say a movie is just another popcorn flick I mean there is nothing special other than killing time in a dark room full of people and there are a lot of them. Witch is why sometimes every once in a while when a movie that is so much more than that like The Dark Knight comes out, its kind of a big deal. This new Godzilla had all the ingredients to be that special movie but failed to do so, hence my veredict at the end of my review saying its just another popcorn flick.

 

And Gareth already focused more on the human element in this one, but people are complaning not because of that but for the poor treatment on that aspect. Although is still better than the 98 version I will give you that.

[efialtes76]

I almost left several times. I know ill be in the minority here but this is imo a horrible film.

5.5-6/10 for me...

[Jessie]

Once again, I think that was actually a good move. By leaving plenty ambiguous about Godzilla's origins and motives, it just makes him all the more interesting and fascinating a character.

Yeah they clearly didn't know much about godzilla hence why they didn't trust that he could actually save them. Not giving him him a proper origin added mystery.

[Jessie]

Boxx93 of Winterfell, all summer blockbusters are popcorn flicks, all of them.. Make sure a petition is made to Gareth Edwards to focus more on the human element next time and less on the monsters to ensure everyone is happy..  Hell, even if Gareth Edwards were to improve upon the things people have complained about in the sequel, folks still won't be happy and find something wrong with that... It is virtually impossible to please EVERYONE Folks, but when you watch GODZILLA 98 again, that movie makes this new one look like an Oscar winner...

I can understand people complaints, it would have been nice to have good characters to relate to whilst waiting for that awesome ending.

[dashrendar44]

I can understand people complaints, it would have been nice to have good characters to relate to whilst waiting for that awesome ending.

 

 

It was so close of being a memorable classic blockbuster for the ages up there with Spielberg's entries. That's why it's damning that the point the great marketing sold me over (apart from the tone and amazing visuals), Human characters we actually care about and relate to in the midst of chaos, was the most deceiving of it all as they were written in the dullest way and acted accordingly ranging from serviceable at best to absolutely boring. I had so much hope anticipating that movie in that regard.

Edited May 21, 2014 by dashrendar44

[Jack Nevada]

2/5

[Ezen Baklattan]

Rewatched it. Not sure why, but I'm glad I did. 

 

This is a weird, interesting movie. The first act invests a lot of emotion/spectacle into the humans and it pays off. The third act invests a lot of emotion/spectacle into the monsters and it pays off. The second act is just kind of tying them together. I think it's a superbly shot and directed movie, even if the script doesn't give enough urgency to any of the characters post-Cranston... but that might be the point. All the humans just exist in the wake of this natural disaster, and something about that works for me. Nature, as a gaping Ken Watanabe kind of says, has to fight to work itself out, and that's what happens in Godzilla. Nature fights itself and we suffer the consequences. It's pretty simple, and sometimes that simplicity is boring, but other times I think it's beautiful. 

 

I would give it a B but I'm just not sure what my stance on this movie is. 

I sort of disagree, but you do have a good point. There is some discussion of our helplessness against nature, (particularly in Ken Watanabe's dialogue, and he's the only character who even acknowledges this) but I feel like the point would have been driven home more effectively if it focused more on the human desolation and suffering on a larger level (the film really would have benefited from more Olsen for this very reason) along with its already predominant a character (and others) who were trying to fight and understand this monster. Maybe we are really helpless, though I can't shake the feeling that if this did happen in the real world, there'd be a lot of desperation and urgency.

[Jake Gittes]

Yeah. If they wanted to make a point about humans suffering while being helpless and completely insignificant (from the monsters' perspective), they should have just taken a good look at the city destruction sequence from the 1954 Godzilla and used it as an inspiration. There's more wonder, horror and sadness packed in those 15 minutes than in the entire 2 hours of this movie.