Godzilla! The moment I got to know about this one, I was sure to the core that I am going to witness this one and it did seem promising. The trailer had me glued every time I saw it and I had no doubt this is going to be an incredible visual spectacle in 3D.
Am I disappointed? I am not sure yet. A lot of things actually work for this yet another remake (30th to be precise) of Godzilla and these things include a robust plot, a believable past and spectacular sets with the 3D effect. And yet there are million issues with the film. It starts from performances. What about them? They are dull and they seem to drag. By the time we reach the climax scene (and believe me there seemed to be endless of these), we are so dull with the un-requisite extension of the story, the characters and the MUTOs (we will talk about these later).
This 30th remake go Godzilla is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Aaron Taylor Johnson as Ford Bordy, Ken Watanabe as Dr. Serizawa and Bryan Cranston as Joe Brody. There’s another actor in the movie and I think she has been put to such waste for the incredible performer that she. I am talking about Sally Hawkins of Blue Jasmine fame. I still wonder why did she take this role that is so meaningless and doesn’t give her any room to showcase her talent after being nominated for an Oscar this year for Blue Jasmine.
Godzilla, the movie, taps into the nuclear fears of Japan that spawned its first Godzilla (or Gojira as Japanese call it) in 1954. Apparently, the nuclear bombings in Japan at that time created Godzilla. Bryan Cranston who plays Joe is an engineer at a nuclear plant in Japan in 1999 when a nuclear accident leads to his wife’s death inside the plant and the entire zone called the quarantine zone is shut down and sealed for everyone. We are then taken to 2014 in which Joe’s son Ford Brody is a lieutenant in US Army. Ford is called to Japan to bail out his dad, Joe, who has been arrested for trespassing into the quarantine zone to search for the ‘real’ reason behind the nuclear accident in 1999 and the tremors that are felt even after 1999. Joe convincingly gets Ford to come with him to break into the quarantine zone yet again. What follows is the story of Godzilla and MUTOs.
MUTOs are parasitic spores and Godzilla has been feeding on them for years and hence the love for nuclear plants. The rest of the movie is about MUTOs desperately looking for food (or rather radiations) across Hawaii and California among other places and the Godzilla’s chase to hunt them down. Yes, you heard it right. Godzilla chases these creates and even the other way round to kill each other (by the way there are three MUTOs). And of course, US Army has also taken upon itself to kill all these monsters.
One of the worst things about this movie is that you don’t really see the head or tail of Godzilla during the entire first half and the long wait to witness the 350 feet high world’s famous monster takes a toll on you. Though I certainly have to give it to the creative team who have produced a magnificent Godzilla which has the same kind of scarred scales that the first Godzilla have. And boy, does this Godzilla makes some noise. You have to hear it to believe me. That’s probably the only thing I loved to the core because the noise could make you shiver if you like it.
I just couldn’t connect to the celebrated actor Ken Watanabe courtesy his overtly exaggerated solemnity. It just didn’t seem to pause or end. Sally Hawkins who is Watanabe’s sidekick in the movie always seems on the verge of tears and is a sheer waste of talent. Other actors don’t redeem well either. However, the angles at which the length and breadth of the dangers have been captured are worth an applause.
My recommendation – you could easily skip this Godzilla which could easily make you yawn more often that you would want to. I give 2 on 5 teaspoon of masala to this Godzilla.
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