Godzilla 2014

I saw my first Godzilla movie in 1959 on our black and white Zenith TV set. It wasn’t scary. How scary can a man in a rubber Godzilla suit stomping toy buildings be? What made those shows entertaining was the whole package. Japanese cities being destroyed, awful acting (both Japanese and Gaijin), misaligned soundtracks complemented by subtitles hard to read. Of course it was always about the fight. If not always the bad guy, Godzilla was always the bad ass.

Godzilla 2014 in many ways is a retro movie; more faithful than other recent Godzilla movies.  The movie starts out in its roots, Japan. The twist here is that the Americans speak Japanese. Unfortunately no subtitles and the sound track is in sync. Godzilla is a product of 1950’s nuclear testing and nuclear radiation threat is pervasive in this movie. This Godzilla ,as opposed to the 1998 Godzilla with Matthew Broderick, looks like the original along with his ear shattering shriek and nuclear halitosis (no death rays from the eyes, though) . 

   

The advisements for this movie are a bit misleading.  Godzilla’s air time is not extensive, just like a primadonna he shows up about an hour late. When he is on the set Godzilla fights the evil MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism). The MUTO’s look like a pair of pliers with wings. These titanic battles are reminiscent of Godzilla’s fights with Mothra or Rodan. Aside from the trite admonishments concerning the perils of nuclear power, Godzilla movies are a giant donnybrook.

Bryan Cranston literally lends his name to this movie. His performance is fine but brief and not memorable. His presence gives the movie a certain cachet which the talk shows exploited. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Lieutenant Ford, is Bryan Cranston’s son, is a bomb (nukes also) specialist. He played the guy in “Bad Ass”; he really bulked up for this role. Aside from the MUTOs, he has the most screen time. His role is perfunctory as is his acting. Elizabeth Olson plays Lt. Ford’s wife. She is one of the Olson sisters, the one with the personality (sort of). She plays a nurse. Poor Ken Watanabe is the token Japanese guy who always looks distressed. Ken is representing but what a peanut role for a great actor.

The later part of the movie is dominated by the monster battles. Buildings and a certain bridge are destroyed. The movie is sanitized since there are no gory scenes of dead bodies. I will not reveal who wins.

 Godzilla could be considered a super hero if he could just fit into a pair of spandex. This is not a date movie. It’s an old fashioned retro movie, and quite a good one. Don’t forget to ask for the senior citizen discount.