The Lost Plot: 'Godzilla' Movie Review
Before I go any further, I have a confession to make: Aside from knowing that Godzilla looked like a dinosaur, I knew nothing about the story of the previous films. So, this is not a fangirl movie review — there won’t be any comparisons or previous biases.
If you’re looking to completely forget reality and all of its trappings, you can find no better popcorn flick than Godzilla, playing in theaters right now. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) as protagonist Ford, a Navy officer and Brian Cranston (Breaking Bad) Joe, Ford’s seemingly conspiracy-loving father, Godzilla is an action-packed joyride that disregards its plot line and characters. This is all to say, a lot of ass-kicking happens but that’s about all that happens (which isn’t necessarily the worst thing).
The film obviously has a moral story to tell — humans are over-reliant on technology and arrogant beings who ignore nature’s power to their own detriment. It’s a broad cautionary tale about everything from nuclear wars to climate change. The plot is long and unevenly spaced in its attempt to stretch itself and accommodate the movie’s expansive vision.
Ford’s mother dies in Japan when the nuclear plant where his parents worked experiences unprecedented seismic activity. Fifteen years later, Joe is convinced that there is more to the seismic activity than was publicized. Ford is forced to retrieve his dad from jail in Japan when Joe is caught trespassing the site of the old nuclear plant. Soon, the two become embroiled in a secret scientific project that has been studying pre-historic creatures like Godzilla and the international effort to save mankind from extinction.
A random lost Japanese toddler is thrown into the film mid-way, whether as a means of garnering greater sympathy for Ford or as a symbolism for transatlantic unity, I’m not sure. The thread of that story continues on for much longer than it should and is only abandoned in favor of a laborious attempt to transport a nuclear warhead.
Godzilla‘s all-star cast gets lost in this large-scale film. Their talents are wasted in the film (especially Elizabeth Olsen, who is reduced to a worried damsel in distress as Ford’s wife and Ken Watanabe, who is a caricature of a cautious Japanese man as a scientist studying Godzilla). A.O. Scott succinctly summarized how I felt by the end of the film: “Still, one of the pleasures the movie offers is the thought that actors who have done splendid work elsewhere — Mr. Cranston and Ms. Binoche, and also Sally Hawkins as another scientist — are being paid well for shouting, grimacing and spouting expository claptrap.” So, there you have it folks. Godzilla was full of great explosions, great actors and a not so great plot.