TriStar had acquired the rights to Godzilla for a 1998 film that was a critical and commercial flop. Soon after, Toho rebooted the franchise with Godzilla 2000, kickstarting a new series that culminated in 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars. That same year, Godzilla vs. Hedorah director Yoshimitsu Banno acquired the rights intended to make a 3D IMAX short film. Through a series of connections, the project was proposed to Legendary Pictures, who green-lit a new 3-D theatrical film. They entered a partnership with Toho and signed on with Warner Bros. to co-produce and co-finance the project. Gareth Edwards, fresh off the surprise hit Monsters in 2010, was hired to direct this ambitious and very risky project. The overall team spent years developing their concepts to make sure they got it right and wouldn’t upset the fanbase. After years of development, the new American Godzilla was released in May 2014.
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Synopsis
Fifteen years after losing his wife due to a nuclear reactor breach, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) is searching for answers. He believes that something’s going on that’s being covered up much to the chagrin of his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Ford reluctantly agrees to go with his father to the site where it happened, the Janjira Nuclear Power Plant. While there, they discover that a secret organization called Monarch has been studying a mysterious chrysalis feeding off the radiation. Two scientists, Dr. Ishirō Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) are leading the research team. Eventually, the chrysalis shatters, releasing a MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), which goes on a rampage seeking its mate. If the two reproduce, it could spell doom for the world, so Ford teams up with Monarch to fight them. Eventually, Godzilla emerges and it culminates in a fight in San Francisco.
Review
While the 1998 film was a massive failure, the 2014 Godzilla is a major improvement in every way imaginable. First off, while that film had a small, scrawny-looking lizard, this one has a massive, towering beast of radioactive fury. Not only that, but the film does a great job giving a sense of just how enormous the monsters are. Though purists might be turned off by some of the liberties taken with the design, it’s still better than expected. The MUTOs have a very unique design that still makes them feel like monsters you’d see in a Godzilla film. Admittedly, Godzilla doesn’t show up until an hour in, and he’s not given much screentime till the last act. Still, when he is on screen, it’s a feast to the eyes and ears when he roars his mighty roar. It’ll have you on the edge of your seat.
Unfortunately, except for Bryan Cranston, most of the human characters come off a bit on the bland side. While he has arguably the best character arc in the whole movie, Cranston’s character sadly dies at the 40-minute mark. Granted, that’s par for the course with most Godzilla films, and none of the other actors are necessarily bad. Ken Watanabe makes up for it by offering genuine pathos, particularly when he shows his connection to the Hiroshima bombings. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is alright as the lead, and Elizabeth Olsen works well as his wife, but they’re pretty unremarkable. Ultimately, the real stars of the film are the monsters, and this film delivers them in spades and then some. Though it doesn’t come close to the original 1954 film, this still ranks as one of the series’ best. Overall, Godzilla 2014 is a kaiju blockbuster that lives up to its expectations.
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