Godzilla (2014) review
Hollywood Japanese movie adaptation always face a problem in term of the acceptance of the audiences. Many of this is due to the whitewashing of the character and changes of origin. The 1998 Godzilla faced the same problem when they decided to bring Godzilla to New York for no reason and changes its look and not forget discarding its nuclear breath. So, when people first saw this new Godzilla movie, same thing come to minds as the only Japanese character here is Ken Watanabe. However in the end, can this movie redeem the 1998 Godzilla ? Absolutely.
Gareth Edwards the director walks a very fine line with the cast as you don't feel like there's too many Japanese people making it a love letter yet, you don't feel like there's too many American people making it a whitewash. Everyone is there for a reason, and it makes sense why they are there.
I also enjoy the theme of when nature is out of balance, sometime you have to let the nature put itself back to balance rather then trying to fix it ourselves.
In term of cinematography, it was spectacular. Both of the close up shot, wide shot is done very well to show how majestic the Godzilla is and how dangerous the other monsters are (They are called MUTO in this movie). Some people complain that Godzilla is too fat. I can feel where they come from as Godzilla do look a little big fat and also ridiculously big at some shot. I would love to see him directing Transformer because he clearly know how to shot a fighting scene involving giant. Every fight scene is clear despite building collapsing and dust everywhere.
Storyline wise, I like that the way the story is made is like a typical Japanese movie where you see the protagonist seemingly defeated and make a comeback in the end. Another comment from most people is there is too much human interaction. I don't feel it at the beginning of the movie however as soon Godzilla come into the picture, you do feel like the human character is taking away the excitement.
In term of cast, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen did a very good job with the character. Though I do feel a little bit disturbed knowing that they are playing as twin in Avengers 2 and as husband and wife in this movie. I do love the role of Ken Watanabe in this movie. Despite he does not talk much, he did a good job as the counter balance in the movie. However, the spotlight has to be given to Bryan Cranston. He totally stole the show though I do feel he is like a white version of Sam Jackson as he is practically shouting his way throughout this movie.
The special effect is brilliant. Godzilla look majestic and real as well as the MUTOs. However, the praise should be given to the mind behind this two monster because not making them a mindless monster. Godzilla do feel like an antihero and messenger of the nature while the MUTOs action does make sense in every sense. I leave the score and music as the last one because this is the one part that I love the most. The score is very much a reminiscence of a classic Japanese movie score, but at the same time sound super majestic.
Does it has its nuclear breath ? I leave that to you to find out when you watching it. In the end, I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5. While it is a great Godzilla movie, it missed the mark to balance the Godzilla and the human interaction a little bit but it is totally worth to watch it at the cinema.
What do you think of 2014 Godzilla ? Love it, Hate it, Don't care about it ? Leave your thought in the comment section. Stay tuned for movie review throughout this summer, be sure to follow us at Comikrew Studio and don't forget to like us on Facebook.
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