Movie Review: Godzilla (2014)

Godzilla (2014) directed by Gareth Edwards

Two scientists (Ken Wantanabe and Sally Hawkins) have been investigating prehistoric creatures for decades. In 1999, a Japanese nuclear plant had a meltdown caused by some odd seismic activity. One of the techs, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), was gathering data and managed to escape with his son but not his wife. Fifteen years later, Joe is still obsessed with finding out what happened to the reactor. The area is under quarantine but that doesn't stop him from breaking in. His son, Ford Brody (Arron Taylor-Johnson) is grown up with a wife and child of his own. He comes back to Japan to bail his dad out again. Joe convinces his son to go back into the quarantine area because a very similar set of seismic activity is happening. They wind up at a secret base run by the two scientists, who are studying a prehistoric spore. The spore hatches, causing mayhem all around. Several monsters show up, with Godzilla squaring off against a pair of monsters trying to spawn more offspring, which would be bad for humanity.

The movie has a slow build-up, establishing characters and detailing what sort of creatures are around and what  powers they have. The focus stays on the humans and how they plan, react, and cope with new threats from the ancient past. Often, the monsters are fighting in the background or are mostly off screen, which works well to keep them mysterious and more overwhelming. The pace picks up as the monsters head to San Francisco and have a classic battle that destroys as much of the town as it does the monsters. Director Edwards indirect style makes the action more interesting and less like a CGI slap around. The movie looks great and finishes well.

The original Godzilla movie from 1954 had a thoughtful reflection on the dangers of atomic power and weapons. The sequels quickly turned into Godzilla fighting whatever monsters Toho studio came up with. This movie respects that tradition by having the sort of nuclear power plant accident everyone dreads. It moves on to a big battle scene at the end reminiscent of the "Godzilla Vs. the Next Offering from the Enemy of the Month Club" movies. This movie is satisfying all around, if you are a Godzilla fan.

Recommended.