GODZILLA 2014: The Film Review

 

Godzilla 2014 : The Review

Based in Modern Times, Godzilla is a re-make of the 1954 and 1998 “Godzilla” classic that had millions across the world captivated and waiting for a part II.

In the 1950’s, after the horrors of World War II and Hiroshima, an incredibly massive beast with dozens of razor sharp scales appears from the depths of the water off the shores of Japan. This year, the world’s most revered monster has been reborn in a powerful story of human courage and reconciliation. In the face of the titanic forces of nature, the awe-inspiring Godzilla rises to restore balance as humanity stands defenseless.

The movie began with a few opening credits and a decent story line till fastforward 15 years and bordeom sets in. The audience was desperate for anything to happen. The only teases were sudden loud noises and brisk camera pans that move away from the characters just as the monster appears from nowhere.

Ultimately the human story and the monster’s were not entirely in synch, as humans and monsters were completely separated. Any type of collision between them would have been more interesting, just like the car and helicopter chase in the ’98 version.

If judged by the appearance of the monster, this is undeniably the best version of Godzilla to date. Credit goes to the special effects and visual effects team and the breathtaking stunts. However the lack of action makes it hard to follow what’s going on and were it not for the dramatic scene when the “king of the monsters” finally appears, it would easy to simply drift off.

The final lacklustre battle left many question marks regarding what the actual IQ of the reptilian monster could be. Is this an intelligent being? If so why do we only catch a glimpse of this intelligence at the end? We did not sign up for a Disney movie, yet the ending has all the marks of one. Were no humans hurt in the making of this movie so that a sequel could be had?

On a final note, Godzilla is one of the movies that leave one questioning the real purpose of watching something in 3D. The visuals lack depth with dark backgrounds that do not help the images pop out. Ultimately a good quality HD movie brings out so much more entertainment than a badly thought out 3D one.

There’s a generation gap and fighting over different version won’t change that. The purpose of all versions is to entertain the audience and so it does.

Overall though, if you didn’t like it the first time round, a repeat viewing of this movie won’t help you love it.

The first impression is the best, if you got it, then fine, if not, so you must be either ’98 or ’54 version fan. If you are a Godzilla fan then it is a must see movie whether you like it or not. Put all your faith and take a chance, who knows you may like it better than me.

 

By Michael Nzambu