Friday 16 May 2014

Film Review: "Godzilla" (2014).



"You have no idea what's coming!” Which is exactly what this rendition of Godzilla brings to the big screen in this 2014 American science fiction monster film featuring the Japanese film monster in a reboot of the Godzilla film franchise. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards. In the film, the world's most famous monster Godzilla, an ancient creature, is a "terrifying force of nature", depicted in a style faithful to the Toho series of Godzilla films. Who is also pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston. The performances in the film were all brilliantly performed and were a vast improvement from that atrocious and one-dimensional 1998 incarnation. Edwards has taken the Spielbergian approach towards the human characters and drama. They were just as believable and grounded like the characters in Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). But the real credit goes to the title character and his monstrous adversaries.

Finally as for the king of the monsters himself, in interviews at the 2013 Comic-Con, Edwards discussed the Godzilla creature design. He and the design group reviewed all previous incarnations of Godzilla's design for inspiration. He went on to say that his Godzilla remains true to the original in all aspects. In a January 2014 interview in Total Film magazine, it was revealed that Godzilla will be 350 feet (110 meters) tall, the tallest incarnation of Godzilla to date. Motion capture by the special effects firm The Imaginarium was also utilized in the movement of the movie's monsters in film sequences. Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy and the rebooted Planet of the Apes films) provided consulting work on the film's motion capture sequences in order to "control the souls" of the creatures. The Godzilla "roar" was revamped for the movie. Toho provided the original recording of the roar for use. Sound designer Erik Aadahl then utilized the original roar and improved on it. He upgraded the roar into a more organic, contemporary sound. The sound designers used a 12-foot-high, 18-foot-wide speaker array to blast Godzilla's roar at a hundred thousand watts, to get a good idea of his vocal power and strength, according to director Edwards.

Godzilla is a sensationally effective action picture because it's populated with characters that have been developed into human beings. Godzilla is absolutely magnificent on screen! It is one of the most exhilarating adventure entertainments of the highest order, with remarkable acting and extraordinary technical achievements. However, I would have liked to see more Godzilla action, and to have him appear earlier in the film. In addition, the screenplay itself is very Spielbergian in its storytelling, guided not just by Jaws and Jurassic Park but by Close Encounters of the Third Kind as well. If anything, when the film introduces a plot-thread about absent fathers, the Spielberg-homaging start to feel a touch schematic. But for the most part, the film is a gripping monster movie that works beautifully in every department.

Simon says Godzilla receives:

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