When I heard there was a serious remake of Godzilla I was beyond happy. Now, I wasn't heavily invested into it mind you. I didn't read the interviews from the cast or director, and I didn't read any of the reviews. So maybe I missed some things but regardless I went into the movie with an open mind and was excited.
Who Will Make Meth Now?
I thought Joe Brody was a fantastic character and through the marketing of the film it made it seem like the focus would be split between him and his son Ford Brody. So with Joe Brody's death I was thinking "they can't just do that, he's Walter White!" his role was eventually taken over by Dr. Serizawa though so it's not like the film fell apart because of his absence but I was disappointed he died before the chaos began.
Bad Luck Brody
Wherever this guy went death and destruction followed. From Japan, to Hawaii, to the train carrying the nukes, to San francisco he left a wake of bodies in his path. In all seriousness though, I wasn't heavily invested into his story and it's not Aaron Taylor-Johnson's fault either. He put in quite the worthy effort but it just wasn't doing it for me and in fact I spent most of my time only wanting to see one character.
Sometimes Less Is More
The old saying "less is more" does carry weight for some films. For example Jaws uses this technique to perfection and we see enough of the shark that the anticipation builds and builds. For me, Godzilla did not give me enough of the big fella to keep me in anticpation and instead had me frustrated. For example the first time we see Godzilla and Muto there was fire, buildings destroyed, and people screaming. This sounds like the perfect setting to see a nice battle between the two monsters and instead we get a highlight reel in the next scene on a newscast which is on a small television! So when the final battle between Godzilla and the couple from hell happened, I couldn't thoroughly enjoy it as much as I could due to the previous acts frustrating me.
Kick-Ass
I know what you're thinking "well did you like anything?" yes of course I did. The preformances in this movie exceeded my expectations. Here I was thinking "they'll put in a minimal effort because the movie is about a giant monster destroying buildings" but no, I was proven wrong and everyone put in a strong effort. The visuals are of course stunning and Godzilla kicks all kinds of major ass which is why he IS the king of the monsters.
The Verdict
All in all, it isn't oscar worthy but it is a hell of a good time. Go for Bryan Cranston and stay for Godzilla. If you don't mind waiting to bow down to the king then it won't ruin your movie experience and it is THE best monster movie released in a long time.
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