Movie Review: 'Godzilla'

UA ActionDirector Gareth EdwardsCast Aaron Taylor Bryan CranstonRatingAre you expecting a sequel to Transformers featuring a blaring parade of CGI razzledazzle with shots cutting every two seconds Are you expecting a sequel to Pacific Rim where Kaijus constantly battle against one another Are you expecting just another dumb hollow tentpole blockbuster where the only point is smashing New York to smithereensGareth Edwardsrsquo Godzilla is not any of those kinds of movies Remember in Jurassic Park where the dinosaurs appeared only for a sum total of fifteen minutes and it was still entertaining as hell because there was nonstop suspense and a sense of intrigue and discoveryGodzilla is that kind of movie Some might be pissed because itrsquos that kind of movie As for me Irsquom very glad that this is a Godzilla movie with a lot of heart soul and a fairly decent helping of intelligence The biggest surprise however is that fact that Godzilla is not just a Godzilla movie but it is also the best Superhero movie of the summerThe 1998 Godzilla can only be enjoyed for its unmitigated awfulness Director Gareth Edwards knows that this is 2014 and he is aware of the previous Godzillarsquos problems and he takes on this project with the passion of a diehard fan If yoursquore a Godzilla junkie this movie is your early Diwali gift Like in his previous micro budget film Monsters Edwards turns Godzilla into a road trip film instead of a standard issue disaster pornoAlso like in Monsters he puts most of the monster mayhem in the backdrop of the character buildup Itrsquos a bold choice and although it doesnrsquot work as well as it did in Monsters itrsquos still an interesting new direction for a summer blockbuster and yoursquove got to hand it to both Legendary and Edwards for having the balls to do soWe have a young Lieutenant Aaron Taylor Jonhson stuck on the road with his scientist dad Bryan Cranston who is obsessed with finding lsquosomething secretiversquo in Japan Turns out they do end up finding that secret and all hell breaks loose Thatrsquos all you need to know about the story and the lesser trailers yoursquove seen the better The rest of it is a collection of clicheacutes including the worried nurse wife the kid in danger the daddy issues the worksBut itrsquos how well Edwards uses the clicheacutes in the film that will surprise you A crazed overemotional scientist Believable because itrsquos freaking Bryan Cranston playing the character Military procedures Immersive because Edwards stages the scenes with some seriously impressive knack of building tensionOur young hero is the expressive and likeable Aaron Johnson and not Shia Le Beouf so you do give a few craps about what happens to him And when the big guy finally arrives he literally stomps upon every clicheacute and complaint of yours with his ginormous footNo seriously Godzillarsquos entry is epic I had a surgical stent in my body while watching the film and I still clapped and cheered loudly when Godzilla showed up Hersquos freaking huge Edwards knows that Godzilla is the guy to cheer for not be mindlessly afraid ofHe turns the monster into a superhero in a rather awesome scene where introspective Japanese scientist Ken Watanabe exclaims lsquoLet the monsters fightrsquo And the battle scenes are terrific The scale is massive the CGI is super detailed and the Kaiju artwork is really cool The 3D isnrsquot the best but the super wide shots are superbly choreographed to show how puny humans are andyoursquoll get the best experience in 2D Therersquos a sequence involving a freight train thatrsquoll leave you frothing and the military halo jump seen in the trailers is even more amazing on the big screenTherersquos absolutely no comedy in the entire film because itrsquos not trying to be a comedy The tone remains consistent ndash pure tension from start to end If you want unnecessary irritating rubbish in your summer blockbusters Gareth Edwards has got something to say to you and smarmy hacks like Michael Bay Kreeeaaarrghhhh