Mohammed Naumann

Godzilla review


After the cultural insensitivity that Sony Pictures extended to Toho's Godzilla in
1998's remake, it's a wonder that the Japanese studio agreed to license out its
character to another U.S. studio again. But 2014's effort not only reinvigorates the
franchise for a new generation, it makes it relevant again. It's also one of the best
blockbusters of the year.

The year is 1999 and seismic activity in Japan is reaching unstable levels. In Tokyo,
Nuclear plant supervisor Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) and his wife Sandra (Juliette
Binoche) have been dispatched to monitor the effects on the Janjira nuclear plant
when an explosion rips through the core, trapping Sandra and destroying the plant.
A quarantine zone is established to contain the neighbouring suburbs and fifteen
years pass.

The intervening years estranged Brody from his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but
allowed him to hone his theories on the cause of the blast, revolving around
mysterious low frequency rumblings, which have begun afresh. When Brody
breaches the containment zone to obtain research from his former home, he's
promptly arrested, but surprised to learn of the complete absence of any residual
radiation. Instead, a Government cover up unravels the true reason for the exclusion
zone - a giant otherworldly beast.

In crafting Godzilla, Director Gareth Edwards has taken clear influence from Steven
Spielberg's Jaws, but where Spielberg teased out glimpses in order to hide the fact
that the mechanical shark was barely functional, Edwards employs this tactic to
masterfully draw out the suspense and keep the audience interested.

In this regard, Godzilla maintains momentum far more effectively than last
year's Pacific Rim, which indulged the audience far too eagerly, leaving few surprises
for the finale. Whilst it's admittedly drawn out a little too much, the result
culminates in a final battle, which is far more exciting and interesting sequence for it.

Godzilla marks Edwards' debut Hollywood feature, previously cutting his teeth on
the little seen, micro-budgeted Monsters from 2010. Still, he seems highly
competent working with an extra $160 million dollars and he effectively juggles the
human drama with in-built expectations and huge scale battle sequences.

However Godzillas biggest fault is that Max Borenstein's screenplay suffers from
structural imbalance it's emotionally frontloaded, burning through all its human
drama inside the first half hour. It's when Taylor-Johnson takes over as leading man
that the problems begin; in contrast to Cranston's powerhouse emoting, he's a blank
slate. Ford has nothing resembling even a half-hearted character arc, and seems to
exist largely to give audiences a face to focus on during the action. Meanwhile Olsen,
one of the most engaging actresses of her generation, is squandered in the most
one-dimensional wife-and-mother role imaginable
Mohammed Naumann


Unsurprisingly, the visual effects that create him are flawless, with a design that
avoids the sleek form of the 1998 remake, instead staying true to the original 1954
beast, all the way down to his atomic breath. As outlandish as these might be, when
I saw his fins turn blue and realized what was about to happen, a huge smile formed.
This is what entertainment is. Not perfection - but sheer, unadulterated
fun. Godzilla delivers this in spades.