'Godzilla' is big.
That might seem like the most obvious thing to say about a monster big
enough to tower over sky-scrapers, but actually I was referring to the scope of the film
itself. This film starts in the
Philippines, crosses to Japan, then (almost literally) swims the entire Pacific
Ocean from Hawaiian islands to the West Coast of the US, with a bit of a rampage across Nevada thrown in for
good measure. There are epic vistas of
destruction as giant monster leave a literal trail of destruction; cities are devastated;
and battalions of military are mobilised in a vain attempt to steer the
monsters away from populated areas.
I'll come to these monsters later, but I'll start by talking
at the story and the script. This film
takes the subject seriously - we're introduced to the concept of ginormous, primordial
creatures - but never during any of the exposition is there a nod or wink to
reflect that these are pretty fantastical creations. The tone is very serious, and appropriately
so, as we have scenes of devastation which evoke many recent tragedies and
disasters - 9/11, The Boxing Day Tsunami; this may be a monster movie, but
there is a serious message: mankind is powerless in the face of nature - we
might think we're in charge, but we're not.
It's a shame that the script doesn't feed the human characters in to
this an a particularly impacting way. The focus is on
the Brody family, initially Joe (Bryan Cranston) and his son Ford, who are devastated
by the loss of their wife & mother (played very briefly by Juliette Binoche) in an apparent accident at a Nuclear Power Station. We then pick up 15 years later, Ford is now a
grown man (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a Bomb Disposal Technician in the Army,
with his own wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and son.
It's clear to see what the writer and director are doing here - give a
clear human focus in the midst of the carnage and devestation wrought by the
monsters. However, it doesn't quite
work, as once the focus shifts from Cranston's Joe to his son, there aren't
enough scenes that create enough empathy.
He gets one scene with his wife and son, and we never see him in action
in the army - we're meant to accept, when we're told, that he is an 'expert' Bomb
Disposal Technician and all-round heroic guy.
Aside from these characters, the rest of the cast are pretty much there
to be exposition relayers - which is a shame, as there are some great actors in
the cast. Perhaps it's the script, or
maybe the direction, but a few of these supporting characters come off as quite
wooden - especially Sally Hawkins and Olsen, who we've seen do far better work
in other films; it's a shame they're wasted in this.
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| Bryan Cranston features prominently in the trailers and marketing, but it's Aaron Taylor-Johnson who is the main lead as his son Ford. |
On top of this, there are some parts of the plot which
don't entirely make sense - they decide to use a nuclear bomb to destroy some
of the monsters, yet ironically nuclear radiation is what these creatures feed
on; coupled with the fact part of the plan is to get one of the nukes on a boat
off the coast from San Francisco although they're trying to steer the creatures
away from populated areas, then there are elements of the story which left me
scratching my head a little.
If you hadn't guessed by the names of the main family,
director Gareth Edwards is definitely influenced by, and trying to evoke, the
feel of great Spielberg films, such as 'Jaws' and 'Close Encounters'. He doesn't quite pull this off - in those
films Spielberg really put you at the level of the central characters so that
you feel their awe and terror at what they're encountering. There are a couple of moments which aim for
this - there's a neat little beat involving fire fighters at a hotel in Las Vegas
- but away from the central characters it doesn't quite work.
Having said that, this film does manage to inspire awe in
other ways - chiefly, with the monsters themselves. After a greatly derided 1990's version, there
was a lot riding on this film's realisation of the creatures, but my word, have
they pulled it off. Godzilla is up
against two 'Mutos' here, and these are frightening in their size and
ambivalence towards the humans - rightly so, given how huge they are! - but at
the same time sympathetic enough that it doesn't affect the 'realism' being
aimed towards by the film; ultimately these are two animals looking to do what
all animals do - find a mate, procreate, and ensure the safety and prosperity
of their offspring. Their look is
insect-like with a smattering of reptile or bat features - they look 'ugly'
enough that when they face off against the titular monster, our sympathies are
with him.
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| The titular monster is only seen in brief glimpses until the final act - but it's worth the wait! |
And so they should be, because Godzilla is rightfully restored
as 'King of all Monsters' here - returned to his rightful status as a cultural
icon. We're given fleeting glimpses of
him until the final act, and the look and execution of this monster are perfect. Although the hopes of the humans are with
Godzilla when he finally faces off against the 'Muto', he is still ambivalent
enough to us so that he remains a terrifying and awe-inspiring figure - as one
scene set at the Gold Gate Bridge demonstrates.
Above all else, Godzilla - the creature itself - was the one thing this
film needed to get right, and it does so emphatically.
So despite the problems with script, some of the
performances, and a couple of wrinkles with the plot, this film succeeds on the
power of its titular star. Given that
this film has just opened to huge Box Office in America and around the world,
we're guaranteed a sequel (in fact, they've just announced it!); there's enough
here to build on, if more attention can be given to the central human
characters and the script. But so long as the
portrayal of this great monster is as good as it is here, then another monster
mash is something to look forward to indeed.
