Godzilla

I’ve always been curious about Godzilla and films with large monsters in them. Sometimes they can be absolutely brilliant, with some incredible special effects and some entertaining scenes. However, equally they can be disappointing and laughable. I started watching Godzilla with fairly low expectations so that I wouldn’t be disappointed, and it turned out to be very good.

It’s a film taking from a hugely successful Japanese idea of a gigantic ‘king of the monsters’. The 1998 film makes it much more Americanised and intends to appeal to a wider audience. After a nuclear incident, a biological mutation happens and a reptile begins to change dramatically. The gigantic creature decides to come to America to lay its eggs and starts to destroy Manhattan. Obviously the Americans aren’t too happy about this and attempt to stop the creature. Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) is asked to assist with this, and eventually finds the eggs in Madison Square Gardens, blowing it up and destroying them all (or has he?)

In all honesty, the film isn’t stunning, and except for the visual effects, there was very little that stood out as incredible. However, it is quite enjoyable, quite entertaining, and very easy to dip in and out of. The effects on Godzilla are absolutely stunning, but for me I was comparing it quite a lot to Jurassic Park, which was made 5 years before and is possibly better for effects. Sometimes the effects are a bit comic and this doesn’t help the film’s standing. Aside from the effects, there is very little that makes me want to watch it again. The scenes with Godzilla in are spectacular and so much fun to watch, but beyond that, there’s not much going on.

Matthew Broderick is quite bland and plain at Dr. Niko Tatopoulos. As the main character and hero of this movie you’d expect him to be a bit more likable or a bit more heroic. Instead, to me he comes across as a bit unaware. He is obviously fascinated by the creature, but very little makes me care about his outcome. Whereas in other films of this sort there is a fear or concern over the safety of the character, I did not get this at all with Matthew Broderick. Equally, I found myself not really interested in what happened to his old partner Audrey (Maria Pitillo). Normally in these types of films there is a sub-story with the hero and a woman, and Godzilla is no exception, but I didn’t really engage with this one too well.

As a source of comedy, Hank Azaria does very well in Godzilla. He is funny in a fairly slapstick way, but really shines in the scenes that he is in. He brings a degree of comedy to the film that is in line with the general air of the movie. He is not too comedic, and yet is not too dry either. Another one who does very well for me is Jean Reno, who plays the leader of the French team sent to help destroy Godzilla. Reno has a fairly mysterious air about him, and as an actor, this can be quite handy. It makes the audience unclear whether his characters are sinister or good, and in Godzilla, this really works well.

Ultimately, it is quite hard to do a film like Godzilla well, but the 1998 version does its best. With a remake set for release in 2014, there is a lot of expectation on its shoulders, given the relative failings of the 1998 film. I don’t think it is a bad film by any means, but I don’t think it does the Godzilla ‘legend’ any favours. By making it more Americanised I think the filmmakers harmed the franchise and although the acting isn’t great, the special effects create a brilliant monster. I found myself enjoying Godzilla, and so it’s probably worth a watch.