Grimm reviews Godzilla (2014).

Grimm suggested to me that we both review a film and publish our reviews on each others blog, and seeing as we were both going to see Gareth Edwards' reboot of 'Godzilla, I suggested we both take a shot at reviewing it for all of you to read. So without further rambling from me, here is Grimm's review of 'Godzilla'.

 

I've not seen this movie once or twice, but THREE times already in theaters. While I know that's only around $40 spent, I can't help but feel that I did my part in helping with last weekends box-office earnings of over $100 million worldwide. My money may seem minuscule compared to that total, but I contributed more than my fair share nonetheless. Due to the overwhelmingly good opening weekend, both monetarily and critic's reviews, not one but two sequels have been announced, making the new "Godzilla" only the first in a trilogy.

First of all, I was very surprised by how small of a role Bryan Cranston has. By viewing the trailers, everyone assumed he was the big player in this reinvention of "Godzilla", but that's not the case. It became apparent to me that he wasn't going to be in the movie long when all of the lines he speaks in the trailer are acted out within the first 20-30 minutes. So I could see that he was name dropped simply to sell people on seeing the movie. But what I'm impressed with is how well the film carries on without him, and that was the burning question. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the real star, and he carries the movie just fine once Cranston leaves us.

The villain, MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), is something that the government has found and has kept hidden. While seemingly harmless, things change once the MUTO awakes and starts wrecking havoc. It turns out that two of these gigantic creatures have killed one of Godzilla's kind before, many years ago, as we see the huge skeleton early in the movie. The MUTO has other intentions this time though, such as finding his female companion that's been lying dormant until he matured. And now that he's all grown up, and it's baby making time. Except for one tiny thing; Godzilla knows they're back, and he makes it his duty to bring hell on them and not fall victim like his ancestor did.

The special effects and cgi look great. I saw this in Imax 3D and on the regular screen, and regardless of how you view it, it's still stunning. The design of the MUTOS are really unique, but they don't look as badass as Godzilla. The King of the Monsters looks the best he's ever looked, despite complaints of him looking fat. If you wanna go on the guy for his weight, go ahead, but he's fierce and has a purpose unlike any interpretation we've seen before. This Godzilla is the equivalent of Christian Bale as Batman, all cheesiness is left behind in the past, and takes a more realistic and aggressive (not to mention appropriate) approach.

My favorite scenes are, of course, the fights between Godzilla and the two MUTOS. Such dirty brawls happening on such a big scale is nothing less than epic. And while the biggest complaint I hear is that it 'doesn't show enough Godzilla', I think that's a bunch of crap. We see him as much as we need to, and it fits perfectly with the story. Remember, we aren't watching guys in rubber suits duke it out anymore. This is a far more sophisticated take on the legend that is Godzilla. And through the films duration, one of the most enamoring things is the score, done by French composer Alexandre Desplat which compliments the movie well, and keeps it thrilling.

Another complaint that I heard was that there isn't enough character development. I disagree with that too. Godzilla is reduced to a supporting role due to how character driven the story is. It's 70% human interactions, so that's a bogus remark. You get some saying not enough Godzilla, and then you've got some saying not enough character growth. Well, you can't please everyone, but screw 'em. I am happy with the outcome, and so is my inner child.

I kept hearing everyone say in their reviews that the final fight scene had people standing up and cheering. While I never experienced that, I did partake in the entire theater audience clapping and shouting in victory. You know you're watching a good movie when the entire crowd gets behind it and cheers. It shows that it hits home to a lot of people, and that they've invested feelings into the film and Godzilla. That's never a bad thing. The ending gives us not just victory, but hope.

I can't wait until the sequels. I already own an action figure of the new version of Godzilla, and I can see myself spending more money on more merchandise. I think to those of us who are in touch with our childish side, the movie overall goes over well. And that's what's important. This motion picture was made for fans of the original, so if it goes over your head, tough luck. You're missing out. Gareth Edwards rocked this remake, and I'm exceptionally happy that he'll be behind the camera for the next two.