“Godzilla” is a powerful return for one of the most famous monsters on film. This film is directed by Gareth Edwards. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elisabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, and Bryan Cranston. The story follows The Character of Ford, Played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as he is a Navy Lieutenant who gets wrapped up in his father’s, played by Bryan Cranston, quest to figure out what the government is hiding about an accident that caused the two personal loss. Once Ford’s wife, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and their son are trapped in the city, Ford has to take up the journey of getting in to the danger zone to save them. The movie succeeds at building up the suspense and showing the devastation of giant monsters destroying cities. The characters are very well developed at the expense of less scenes with Godzilla but help audiences to grow attached to the characters giving a sense of the struggles they are going through when dealing with the situation which also makes the film feel more realistic.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson does a good job in this film. He puts on the performance of a military man trying to get back to and save his family. There are points in the film where it seems like he doesn’t freak out as much to the monsters and the destruction, but that fits with his character being trained to keep his cool and not lose his head. His range of emotion works well from worrying about and taking care of his family to dealing with a high-risk threat.
Elisabeth Olsen plays a loving wife and mother but there is not much else to her role other than when she is trapped in the city while everything is going on. She plays her role well but there is not much written for her. Ken Watanabe plays the scholar who studies Godzilla and is the expert on him. His character is likeable and wise. He holds up and keeps the exposition he gives interesting. He does a good job for the film. Bryan Cranston plays the father of Ford. He does a great job as the obsessed scientist. He develops his character very well, from the overworking father to the obsessed grieving conspiracy theorist. He gives it his all in his emotional scenes.
Godzilla has an updated design from his original look but looks more life-like. He looks like he belongs and is very well animated with his expressions and his movements looked very realistic. The only problem was that he didn’t have as much screen-time after his full reveal for a while. For a majority of the movie he is a side character, which is disappointing, but when he gets his screen-time he takes over the show. In the later half of the film he gets more screen-time and the film takes off and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Some of the fights are short, which is a bit of a let down but again that makes it feel more realistic.
The film could have benefited from more Godzilla screen-time but does a very good job with its characters and its build up. The cinematography was beautiful and flows with extended shots that work. The film flows smoothly and the action sequences are beautiful and very well paced. The film is worth watching and it is entertaining to the core.