Godzilla (2014)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
[Rated PG-13] 2hr 3min
★★★
Godzilla (2014) is an action sci-fi movie that follows a US Navy lieutenant as he tries to stop enormous monsters from destroying the world. It primarily takes place in 2014, 60 years after Godzilla first emerged in Japan, and this time he faces off against other monsters that are wreaking havoc across the Pacific Ocean.
This film is great at creating spectacle. Its tense atmosphere is excellently crafted through the visual style and sound design, and its fantastic VFX enhance the immersion. The monsters are slowly revealed over the course of the film, and they continue to be intimidating with each appearance. The film provides a powerful sense of scale with its focus on humans as they try to survive the destruction caused by the towering monsters around them. Despite it’s gripping action scenes, the film suffers in its less intense moments where the story is the main focus. The characters aren’t particularly interesting, and the dialogue is often weak and clunky. The pacing can also feel incredibly slow at times, as it takes a while to build up the monster fights. This results in Godzilla having very little screen time, but he still makes an impressive impact every time he shows up.
Overall, the thrilling spectacles in Godzilla makes it entertaining to watch, so it’s worth experiencing the story that bridges those moments together. This movie is the first installment of the MonsterVerse franchise, and its latest film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), is now playing in theaters.
Godzilla is currently available to stream on Netflix and Max. Click here to watch the Official Main Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper