Godzilla

      As far as colossal monsters go, many people would count Godzilla as royalty. There is a long and impressive history this creature spans over, though I will admit I'm limited in my knowledge of his mythology. I'm not a big fan of disaster type movies as they seem to be more focused on the big special effects and destruction than characterization and themes. Many people enjoy these stories, it's just not my cup of tea. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the 2014 reboot Godzilla.

     I was expecting the sole focus of this movie to be on the monster and his path of destruction; giant monster rampages through city, government struggle to find a way to stop said monster, final battle with big explosions and carnage- the typical formula. This movie went deeper with it's plot line. Godzilla does not arrive to simply wreck metropolises, but to battle against the newly hatched MUTOs. I was a bit confused as to why Godzilla was hunting these other creatures. I was under the impression in the beginning that these MUTO's were parasites that feed off of the Godzilla species, then later it seemed as if they were Godzilla's natural prey, however at the end he slaughters them but does not eat them. So, I'm at a bit of a loss on the relationship there. That confusion aside, this added conflict served to give Godzilla an almost heroic role in the film.

      That doesn't mean that Godzilla was any less terrifying. Even though he was intent on destroying the MUTO threat, he trampled over a bunch of humans as if they were ants in the process. The look of the creatures was well done in my opinion. They didn't look too cheesy but prehistoric and foreign, as they should. Instead of being mutated into these beasts, this film had them being ancient beings that fed off a the natural radiation of the planet. This explanation worked fine for me, I was able to suspend my disbelief enough as it seemed a plausible reason for their existence. I was also pleased that the battles of the monsters and their destruction was shown as a continuation of the plot rather than the sole focal point. At several points, rampages are shown in only the bits that affected characters or even in glimpses on the news. The audience gets the point at how horrific these events are without getting an unneeded play by play. 

     The characters in this film were far more empathetic than I expected. The Brody family gave us an everyday family to root for that had reasons and skill sets that made it plausible for them to be in the midst of the battle. The Admiral Stenz and Dr. Serizawa played off each other with tension of their opposing views. The military approach versus the scientific/more pacifist path. It was easy to see both perspectives. It was also easy to see how these two characters furthered the plot with their actions. Serizawa allowed the male MUTO to grow and feed off the nuclear reactor. Even though he explains they were concerned about the radiation that would be released had they killed it in that state, the desire to study the MUTO is obvious as well. Stenz takes a risk by deciding to use nuclear bombs as a lure for the creatures and hopefully their destruction. This, of course, backfires as the MUTOs intercept the bombs. Characters made decision that ultimately made things worse which made them work even harder to achieve their goals. This is good storytelling. The audience is engaged with these characters because they are doing things that directly affect the story, not just characters watching on the sidelines until the final battle. 

     There were a few things that didn't work as well in the story, besides the confusion regarding

Godzilla's motivation. I was torn about Joe Brody's death. In the beginning it seemed apparent that he was going to be one of the lead characters, yet he was killed shortly after the first MUTO awoke. I thought it was a good twist as it made the audience feel the main characters were in real danger. At the same time, I felt he was killed off too quickly. Having him help with the situation a little longer, perhaps having some dramatic conversations with Serizawa regarding the deception of the what actually happened at the plant, would have added more emotional pull during his death. 

     His son, Ford has a too convenient story line. He always happens to be in the right place to be smack dad in the middle of the action, and just happens to have the experience and skills they need in all the military situations. San Francisco, where his family is, happens to be the final battle setting giving him a personal reason to engage. He is brave and true throughout, doing everything right from the beginning. It's not that I hated him so much as he seemed like a dull good guy to me. I had no fear he would fail because he didn't have any weaknesses. He was your standard American hero.

     Speaking of American, the conversion from Godzilla being a Japanese monster to an American one was apparent in this film. I'm sure this probably didn't go unnoticed to many fans of Godzilla. The film starts in Japan, but quickly travels across the Pacific. In the end, Godzilla is hailed as the savior of San Francisco. I'm not a big fan of the creature, as I mentioned before, but I can imagine the cultural appropriation maybe a negative for many fans. 

      Overall, this was an entertaining watch. It was far better that I had anticipated. This isn't a film that I will watch more than once, nor one that I would say has a deep impact on me personally. However, it was a fun flick to occupy a couple of hours. Audiences will get their money worth here, a quick plot, some good characters, and an appropriate amount of big kabooms.