Godzilla
Decades since the discovery and cover-up of a giant lizard beast that lives near the earth’s core and feeds on radioactive energy, modern day Japan and San Francisco are about to be greeted with the apex predator to end all predators– GODZILLA! Raised by his scientist parents, Joe and Sandra (Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche), Lieutenant Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) may hold the keys to understanding Godzilla and his natural predators, then again, he could also just be an onlooker in what could be the world’s undoing. Mission accepted, save the planet, save his family, see to it that Godzilla returns from whence he came….again. But is it too late?
So let’s not mince words here, this is the totally impossible story about the totally fictitious and ridiculous monster to end all monsters, this isn’t exactly the type of film to expect a “realistic narrative” from right? And yet, oddly enough, that seems to be exactly what one might hope to see now that so many cinema franchises have been re-booted with grittier more down to earth approaches; well, nope, that’s not what you get here. Just as nutty and impossible as the originals, there’s little or no effort made to legitimize what you’re about to see. Of course some could claim we’re looking at the allegory to end all allegories with a subtext rich in politics, U.S./Soviet embattlement, global health, Middle East chaos, man’s own undoing through science, the list goes on, but really, we’re talking about a giant lizard that smashes everything in search of giant locust things, let’s leave it at that. Instead, let’s look at the one dimensional family dynamics at play, yawn, no wait, let’s look at the thrilling special effects, there we may able to get some traction. From an effects standpoint you may actually enjoy the popcorn chomping nature of this one, just mark my words, the laughably bad dialogue is as true to form as the originals. Go ‘Merica! Maybe a matinee maybe more. Godzilla is rated PG-13.