Ten years... It took TEN LONG YEARS until the creature resurfaced, and FINALLY... THE KING OF MONSTERS HAS RETURNED.
Yes, GODZILLA IS BACK... And in a form that stays true to the spirit of the creature fans and moviegoers have known through the decades since he made his first appearance in the 1954 Japanese movie classic bearing his name. Following a hiatus of production since his last appearance in the movie Godzilla: Final Wars in 2004, Toho chose to retire Godzilla for ten years, which paved the way for a triumphant return in this brand new EPIC REBIRTH that's produced by studios Warner Bros. and Legendary and helmed by "Monsters" director Gareth Edwards.
Following the largely forgettable attempt of the 1998 Roland Emmerich film that introduced us to a pretentious incarnation better known as "Zilla", does this new Godzilla stand firm and worthy to reclaim the title that fans have long dubbed him with? Trailers have certainly pointed towards the direction of a resounding YES, and after a spectacular viewing in IMAX this week courtesy of Warner Bros. Philippines, here's my review of the big comeback of GOJIRA in cinema.
Movie: Godzilla
Release Date: May 15, 2014 (Philippines/ International), May 16, 2014 (US)
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins Bryan Cranston
Directed By: Gareth Edwards
An Epic Rebirth of a legendary "Kaiju" and cultural icon, "Godzilla" helms the return of The King Of Monsters in the big screen.
After discovering the bones and remains of a large creature in The Philippines in 1999, Japanese scientist Ishiro Serizawa and his team of researchers find that something else has moved out and proceeded to attack a nuclear power plant in Janjira, Japan. The plant falls and causes a widespread evacuation that is covered up as an earthquake, but former plant supervisor Joe Brody is determined to find out the truth on what caused the destruction and deaths of several people which includes his own wife. Fifteen years later, his own son Ford tries to move on with his life as a soldier, raising his own family and leaving his past behind him. However when similar incidents rise and cause the appearance of monstrous creatures feeding on radiation, he soon comes to believe his father's story and the events that devastated his life as a child. Meanwhile, another creature that has laid dormant for years following several attempts by mankind to destroy it has appeared, feeling the presence of the other monsters causing the devastation. Last appearing in 1954, this beast makes his presence known as a powerful "force of nature", rising to restore balance and known only by the name Serizawa describes his as... "Gojira".
In truth, a lot of people were hoping for this second feature film adaptation to be a success, and thankfully we get something that does justice to the memory and spirit of The Big Guy in many ways. The 1998 feature film of Ronald Emmerich was just a recreation that deviated too much from the source material, turning the monster that bore the name into something that was just not "Godzilla" and more of an overblown mutated iguana. The fact that the Japanese were disappointed and poked fun at the creature and dubbed him as "Zilla" was proof enough of the fact, having the Big G come face to face with his first American counterpart and destroy him utterly in "Final Wars".
While "Gojira" is certainly the star and attraction for this movie bearing his name, it's not quite dominated by his presence for the entire duration of the film. The human element is still present, and unlike Pacific Rim last year there are no Giant Robots to quash the "Kaiju" threat that comes. Instead, we get the real sense of danger and suspense in which humanity discovers creatures that are much larger and have dominance. That plays out in both a positive and negative way however, as the build up to seeing the Big Guy takes a while and may drag here and out. However, you can't deny good acting talent, and there are plenty here too to recognize. Bryan Cranston is pretty much the face of shock, despair, and determination of this film to find out what is causing all the chaos, which claimed his character Joe's wife and the life he lived as a supervisor for a plant in Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed his role in the film, albeit not enough time was spent with him as the plot moves forward.
The real central human figure would have to be Aaron Taylor-Johnson, aka Kick-Ass himself and the future Quicksilver for Avengers: Age of Ultron. He's the embodiment of the everyman who tries to move away from his past and live his life as a family man, only to be thrust into the moving disaster situation that his dad tried exposing the truth for the world to see. His Avengers co-star Elizabeth Olsen plays his wife in this film as well, and you can also see the very real emotions of concern and confusion as the feeling of hopelessness and uncertainty spreads with the appearance of the beasts. It's certainly played out well based on Edwards' strengths to tap into human drama amidst a very scary situation. Ken Watanabe in particular holds his ground with believability as Scientist Ishiro Serizawa - a man who studies these things and is probably the only one who understands that while Godzilla may be dangerous, he may be humanity's only hope against the creatures known only as MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism).
So Godzilla is back! While not perfect, he's certainly in a film that stays true enough to the theme and spirit of Big G being a "natural walking disaster" and opens doors for future installments down the line where we can see more EPICNESS to follow. Gareth Edwards has handled the story pretty well, and I can't wait for more... Perhaps exploring the "Monster Island" idea anew and introducing a continuation down the line. I'd definitely recommend this film for fans and newbies, and it introduces an EPIC REBIRTH indeed for a new generation to see Gojira as he was meant to be.
Rating - 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment