My 2014 Movies: Godzilla (#18)

I remember this movie. Towards the end of my Junior year, this is the film everyone was talking about. Legend has it that this film cured babies of all ailments and ended all wars. Joking aside, this was definitely a film that set the world on fire upon release. I have very little experience with the Godzilla franchise, so I wasn’t as excited as everyone else was until I saw it. But as a sucker for a fun action flick, I simply had to watch it once when it was released on DVD.

Godzilla is a dinosaur-like monster who is known for his ridiculous size. He was the result of a 1950s nuclear experiment in Japan that went wrong. When he’s not wrecking cities and buildings, he resides beneath the Pacific Ocean. But you already knew that didn’t you.

In the latest version of Godzilla, a US Navy soldier named Ford is the son of a scientist named Joe Brody who had witnessed Godzilla. In fact, due to a breach caused by Godzilla, his wife died fifteen years prior. Now Joe believes that there is something new to be studied at the site of his wife’s death, and convinces his son to join him. It is then that they begin to learn more about the monster, as well as two additional monsters that have arisen. Eventually, Ford decides to join an underground research team who has been studying Godzilla for years so that they can stop the impending, monster-based destruction from occurring.

Before I continue with my general thoughts on the movie, I feel it necessary to bring something up about. My issue when it comes to discussing the movie is that I am having difficulty remembering a good portion of it. I do remember scenes and a quick look at the synopsis jogged most of that memory, but I still don’t remember the entire film.

So, you may want to take certain parts of this post with a grain of salt. I will also not be going into the greatest detail here, because I’m in no such position. I’ll explain why I chose to place the film high anyway shortly. However, if there is one thing you can take from this post is that I did enjoy the movie. (I at least remembered that I liked it).

Going through the most basic elements, this film has fantastic production values. This movie has great cinematography, camerawork, sound. The film is set in three main locations: Japan, Hawaii, and San Francisco. So, you get some really great scenery wit great panoramic shots of these locations. Acting was also well-done from what I can remember. Our main protagonist was very likeable and is able to pull off those action scenes incredibly well.

I would love to comment on the movie’s writing and execution, but I can’t. Of the entire film, I remember the first half hour, some of the middle, the action scene on the train, and the climax of the movie. What I can say is that they build Godzilla up marvelously, give some good background to the characters, and do great with their execution of the Godzilla character.

When you find out why Godzilla is coming to the surface now after all these years, it makes perfect sense. Many action movies are ever able to give a legitimate reason for the mindless destruction that arises from the climax. So this film willing to offer such an explanation was very clever and stands out.

Now here’s something I can recall clearly: the special effects and action scenes.

Godzilla offers some of the best action sequences of the year. The part I think everyone will come out of this film talking about is the final battle where you finally see Godzilla fight. It’s something you have to see to believe. Trust me when I say it is worth two hours of waiting to witness. Everything about it is flawless.

That is one of the reasons why I ranked the film this high. I understand this contradicts what I said before about where I stand on a film being unmemorable, but I made this exception because I am able to recall enjoyment of the movie despite it not sticking with me. This countdown is based on my personal enjoyment of a film, and that’s why I stand by my position (though this was a very difficult one to place).

One day I will rewatch the movie free of distractions and paying close attention. In such a time, I’ll make an updated statement of the movie. As for right now, this will be my overall impression.

This movie is incredibly fun to watch though; don’t get me wrong. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves a good action movie with giant monsters fighting. Then again, you probably already saw this film if you were originally interested. So…watch it again! I know I will.

View #17 here!

I’m SBox180. Thanks for reading!