Godzilla

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 16th May, 2014
Time : 123 minutes
Director : Gareth Edwards; Writers : Dave Callaham; Music : Alexandre Desplat
Starring : Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Carson Bolde, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn



Alternate, more apt titles I can think of would be…

Godzilla vs MUTOs

Andheri raat mein… kuch kuch hota hai…

The Alpha Predator

The Saviour

Nuclear Trigger-Happy Humans

It all happens in the dark. You identify with none of the human characters, who all come across either boring, wooden or psychotic. There is shock & awe level of destruction in several cities around the Pacific. And there isn’t just one giant creature…but you feel for none of them either…

Since 1954 humans have been seeking to destroy or study a giant creature known as Gojiro…a relic from the pre-dinosaur, radioactive era, who was awakened thanks to our fondness for things nuclear. Now Gojiro, who’s purpose according to legend is to be the balancing force of nature, has given rise to some parasitic creatures, the MUTO’s…and must battle them and the humans who come at it with everything they’ve got…

I realized midway through my first yawn, early into the film, that the sight of giant creatures rampaging through modern cities, replete with skyscrapers, towers etc, doesn’t really work for me anymore. There has to be a story. Some genuine human interest angle. Something bigger at stake. This movie offers precious little apart from special effects. And more than one giant creature in more than one giant city…Tokyo, Honolulu, San Francisco…

Aaron, in particular, looks disinterested as the reluctant hero, trying to get to his wife and kid. Bryan, his father, probably is the only one who really seems to be passionate but borders on the cuckoo, full of conspiracy theories. Ken Watanabe also, despite being a specialist, does very little apart from fly all over the place and get a ringside seat of the havoc being wrecked around him.

If the thought of buildings half-destroyed or giant lizards rampaging through oceans and land does something for you, would suggest you go take a look. There is very little to recommend otherwise.