GODZILLA VS....GODZILLA

  A film review with a difference

I first saw the original 1954 Godzilla movie when I was about 7 years old as part of a late night monster double bill alongside King Kong. I was excited and not just because of the expectation of absolute carnage. My Dad, sisters and I were on a family holiday in the Lake District, being allowed to stay up late was another welcome adventure; coupled with an intense sugar rush from the sweets and chocolate cake we shared. I don’t remember feeling scared, just lost in that whimsical childish place where you imagine yourself becoming a giant monster and stomping the Sh*t out of an entire city.

Last month saw the release of Godzilla (2014) a reboot after 60 years since the first film, known as Gojira. Following on from a movie franchise that saw him fight King Kong, the flying 3 headed lizard King Ghidora and even a robot version of himself, the new trailers did not offer many clues as to where this new story was going. We were given only glimpses of the giant creature and with the inclusion of popular ‘Breaking Bad’ actor Bryan Cranston it seemed our heading might take us into much darker place.

But would 60 years of cinematic evolution, progress in Special FX and the sharing of screen writing ideas necessarily create a better film? Does the 3D experience really work? Which film would you watch if you were taking someone on a date? It’s time to weight these Titans in – pound for pound, tonne for tonne and Roar against Roar!

BIOLOGY - The Monster Mechanics

1954: Gojira’s dark, demonic unsymmetrical head emerges from above the hill line over a remote Japanese fishing village. People may scream and flee in every direction but for the audience, he is a very likeable and inquisitive creature. A giant monster that will crash through electrified pylons or pick up a train and try and eat it because it looks tasty. He may not have been the most popular B Movie monster, maybe due to his sluggish, oversized stature. The power and speed of Kong much more evident. But in this first experimental outing for Godzilla, we are introduced to a very dark character, his face overwhelmingly menacing. Personified throughout as a force of nature that can not be stopped.

To me there has always been an element of charm in this film, whether it be the destruction of model cars and boats to produce effects that will make you chuckle. Or the childish fascination Gojira has in exploring and destroying.... everywhere! There are moments of buildings crumbling or ‘tail shots’ where you may think – actually this looks pretty good for 1954. He stands victorious as a ravaged Tokyo burns.

Another Godzilla reboot in 2014 and a well deserved CGI make-over, surely we could expect something truly scarey! The movie starts with great promise, giving clues to the size and terror that awaits us. Our first glimpses are of something so much more powerful and purposeful than before….but…. there is something seriously wrong with Godzilla's face. In an effort to add more realism it has been….shrunk? He looks like he hit the sea bed so hard it knocked his head down into his body. Maybe it’s just my opinion but this was just the first of many things that agitated me close to rampage

Godzilla swims towards San Francisco, his immense speed and size is apparent from glimpses through the water. Director Gareth Edwards feels that an escort of US Navy Battleships and Aircraft carriers will make a great ‘cinema shot.’ Would the Pentagon agree that putting several billion dollars of ships within a tails flicking distance of Godzilla was a good idea,? Or would they advise to fire its missiles from a mile away.

So while I am on my soap box I am going to get it off my chest. What is it with Hollywood and their constant need to portray soldiers as wisecracking, character-less morons who constantly argue with each other for no reason? Desist! How about real characters, professional, likeable and swap the annoying wisecracks for some fun banter.

Note: Every movie goer will say the same,
  'If you act stupid – you deserve to die!'

PHYSICS - A Formidable Force

In 1993 things changed dramatically in the world of Cinema. Jurrasic Park, boasting a budget of $63 million became the most talked about film, backed by an even more staggering $65 million spent on promotions and advertising. You wouldn't bet against Steven Spielberg and the film doubled the box office income of its closest rival films that year. Jurassic Park grossed around $1billion dollars for the first film alone, not to mention profits made from computer game, toy and merchandise deals. But the big Monster movie wasn't to rein supreme, 2014 bought us the age of Marvel, Disney & Michael Bays Transformers. With all that spending power and hype how could Godzilla compete?

The answer seemed to be in the calibre of actors that would be on show. Ken Watanabe, charismatic and assured in ‘The Last Samurai’ and Inception. Bryan Cranston whose performance throughout Breaking Bad stood out as deliberate and engaging. But in Godzilla they both play scientist who seem strangely lost in their lives. It becomes hard to invest in these characters who both appear out of their depth and unsure how to deal with the imminent disaster. The real tragedy of Godzilla 2014 is that these two actors never really share a scene together. It would have been a script writers dream to have Cranston & Watanabe at loggerheads, arguing their respective views and theories, but with the need to work together. These two very likeable actors are never used to their full potential. One moment sticks out: a harrowing scene when Cranston looses his wife. The story suddenly rushes forward 15 years, to find Cranston's son (Aaron Taylor Johnson) a grown up soldier. We never see the family unit together and we are not given the opportunity to care about the loss, so we don't.

Science is a big consideration in the 1954 film, archeologist Dr.Yamane argues the case to study Gojira rather than destroy it. At first this notion seems crazy, this giant monster carrying radioactive sand has already destroyed several boats and no doubt chomped its way through half the fish in Tokyo bay. But the film was released just nine years after the tragedy of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during WW2; the deployment of two nuclear bombs resulted in the deaths of around 200 thousand men, women and children. When Yamane explains that they should try to discover how Gojira can withstand radiation, there is pain in these words. A country still dealing with the effects of radiation poisoning and scared that the future of their entire culture could one day be in the hands of another. Scientist Dr Serizawa grapples with the moral implication of using a new highly destructive weapon - 'The Oxygen Destroyer.' When you hear the message you see this film a lot differently.

CHEMISTRY - Godzilla Date Night!

Whether you’re thinking about sharing the monster movie experience with a boyfriend, girlfriend or just a mate, is the big screen option always the best? Money isn't everything but hey , I'm a realist.

Option 1: Godzilla 2014 – The BIG 3D Screen.

There are some really amazing pieces to see in this film: Planes falling out of the sky, soldiers parachuting into the fray and a night attack on an army train that gets the heart pumping. 

2x Tickets for local Cinema with 3D showing and glasses = £19

1 x Large Popcorn = £4

1 x Large Diet Pepsi = £3.50
Diet option - You’ve both been exercising & eating healthy recently! 

2 x Chocolate bars = £1.50
Well you've both been exercising & eating healthy recently so why not 

Total (before going to the pub after) = £28

Question: Girls often bite their hand when I talk to them - is this good?

There is some romance in this film with Cranston's son schmoozing Elizabeth Olsen and yes, we do want Olsen and her son to survive because she is Hot! But end of the day, they aren't that likeable a couple, so whatever.

Option 2: Godzilla 1954 - B Movie at home

I always find Black and White films intriguing, they often seem to pull me in. A lot of detail may be lost in the shadows and light of the original but there is still a lot of atmosphere. Like all scary movies get the popcorn ready, close the curtains and turn the lights out!

Gojira DVD - £8

1x Microwave popcorn = £2

4 pack of beers = £4

1 x large pack of Haribo sweets = £2.50

Total Spend = £16.50

You wont find much romance in a 1950s Japanese monster movie, but you definitely want the two lovers Hideto and Emiko to survive and hook up, as he just doesn't seem to want to give her a cuddle or anything? There is a noticeable love triangle but this is never explored. If you think your date night may be better with a slushy, soppy love film, I've heard 'The Note Books pretty sad.  Personally when it comes to romantic films I draw the line at WALL-E.

THE 3D EXPERIENCE

Whenever I sit waiting for a 3D film to start, I feel excited, hoping that I am going to be attacked or that people will throw things at me. What then happens is a sense of disappointment when the only things coming out of the screen is a small dog or some water if I am lucky. Looking out for 3D features is often distracting from the composition of the shot and with recent films like Thor or The Hobbit with texture so rich, I am not sure I needed to see these in 3D. I think a lot of people would agree that this medium  is better suited to a theme park attraction.

3D is definately a money spinner and with it now showing in cinema schedules so aggressively, people do not always get a choice if they want to see a film, but have to fit it in around work and personal commitments.
You may think I sound old, but put me in a dark cinema, wearing dark glasses and a film where its maker uses a dark setting, smoke and dust, I feel a little in the dark. CGI affects can be awesome as they are, films are very rarely made these days with black goggle wearers in mind.

THE FINAL ROAR !!!

To say the original Gojira movie is far better than this Hollywood reboot would be a predictable response and not entirely true. The new film has a lot to offer in terms of suspense, visual effects and interesting action sequences. Problem is I don’t think audience will connect with the characters and this was something the film makers were obviously trying to do. In general there will be a lot of people sitting in the pub discussing the things that could have been done differently.

Newspapers told us Godzilla 2014  had been crushed in first weekend box office takings by X Men: Days of Future Past and later Transformers: Age of Extinction. There are moments in the film where even Godzilla looked lost surrounded by enormous sky scrappers. Perhaps the world had moved on

In his final battle scene Godzilla rips through San Francisco in an explosive finale that just ends too soon. At first I was worried that not enough had been done to restart this franchise, but this is a numbers game and Godzilla 2014 has to date grossed $491 million worldwide. Director Gareth Edwards already in talks to direct the sequel and I find myself strangely optimistic, because this means the Monster Movie is far from over.

To End: If you haven’t seen the 1954 Godzilla film, or seen it in a while - do so. Watch him rampage...slowly.You will hear the great lizards roar, ending with a deep bellowing boom like the eeire sound of a giant gate closing. Gojira in 1954 could not compete with the successes of bigger western films that year, but its story is one of longevity and the love of its fans.  His roar continued for decades thereafter. We are all creatures who sometimes lose control, destroy, let anger rule us and set ourselves to self destruct…. We want this kind of film!

THE END