Godzilla 2014

This week in our reading and genre class one of our assignments was to watch the movie Godzilla. There are so many Godzilla movies to choose from but specifically, our focus was on Godzilla 2014.

This movie for me was lackluster. I love Godzilla. And I did like this movie but if I compare it to all the other Godzillas, this one does not rank high for me.

Most of the more recent Godzilla movies have mostly lost my interest. I think for me as a Godzilla purist, having grown up in the 70s and being hand-fed 50s Godzilla, I find it hard to accept many of the modern-day interpretations of our giant stomping friend.

Godzilla, 2014, had a weak opening. With Ken Watanabe walking into a giant cave with giant monster skeletons strewn about. I felt the scene felt a bit rushed and that the directors did not give it justice. Should’ve spent more time focused on the skeletons in their origin and why they were here in one place.

Another problem I had with this version of Godzilla was the pacing of the scenes. When I say pacing, I’m referring to the speed at which the camera is moving and rushing the story. There were a lot of blurry, dark scenes which were hard to follow and focus on.

Probably one thing that bothers me the most is I miss my good old fashion Godzilla. The new Godzilla is to Seville to looking, almost like they’ve tried to turn him into a modern sports car with a focus on aerodynamics. My old Godzilla of the 50s was chubby, had a big round face you could love and hate at the same time.

While Godzilla also had more of a sense of humor. I know that might sound crazy when you’re talking about a giant rubber suit walking around stomping on a train set. But the expression on the old Godzilla’s face and the way he moved was just more fun for me.

Last weekend I took my family to see the Godzilla versus King Kong movie in the movie theater. We really enjoyed this movie. We placed bets with each other on which monster we thought would win at the end. We all lost. Although King Kong spent a good part of the movie getting his ass kicked by Godzilla, they joined forces at the end to combat MECA Godzilla.

So, there you have it. I have always loved Godzilla and I always will. I will always enjoy every version of Godzilla on some level, some more than others. But there always is a special place in my heart for the Godzilla group. Sorry, Godzilla 2014, you’re great but you are not my favorite.

One last thing, does anybody else think that the main characters in Godzilla are chosen based on how they pronounce Godzilla? Ken Watanabe, in Godzilla 2014, pronounces “God-zee-rah!” I always wondered that?