Gareth Edwards Godzilla has haunting imagery, nightmarish atmosphere, bad-ass monsters, a tightly structured script that is not overwrought or pretentious,... pretty much all that you could ask for with this kind of film. It's a much welcome respite from the too-ambitious-to-be-coherent-let-alone-competent failings that infect many a contemporary blockbuster. it's not a committee think-tank project designed to sell happy meals or video games, nor does it fall victim to the modern super-hero movie formula of cluttering the film with easter eggs and cameos, turning it into an extended trailer for sequels and spin-offs featuring the rest of the Toho menagerie. it's just a fucking good ass movie, no more no less, and that's enough.
seems like the people that are shitting all over it are mad that they didn't get Pacific Rim 2, which makes me smile cause that's pretty fucking dumb. i loved PR, but that was a live action Inhumanoids; a good vs. evil cartoon on a gorgeously massive scale. Godzilla '14 has more of a classic horror/monster movie vibe in its storytelling ala Jaws, where the movie is a build up to the big reveal of the creature(s). it's closer in spirit and structure to Gojira, the original Japanese cut of the first film, where the beast may not get the bulk of the screen time, but its presence is ingrained into the entirety of the film's atmosphere, imbuing the narrative with tension and dread, showcasing the patience necessary to make the reveal of the monster all the more valuable. It's knowledgeable about what is best about films like Gojira, Rodan, War of the Gargantuas, and all the very strongest offerings in that particular genre. they are all the anxieties and fears we have about mass destruction, be it nuclear bombs or natural disasters, in corporeal form. Edwards film showcases a tremendous understanding of the fact that these films are at their most compelling when they aren't just 2 hour monster fights, that it's the lead up to the fight that makes it important rather than the fight itself.
and if i never again hear somebody picking apart the "character development" in spectacle-driven blockbusters it'll be too soon. stop pretending you went to film school already.
ONE COMPLAINT THOUGH;
.... reallllllly needed to hear this at least once;
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