Godzilla [Dir. by Gareth Edwards]

Despite Its Overly Straightforward Plot, Predictable Dialogue, and Questionable Performances, Its Approach towards the Primary Goal of Sensory Stimulation Places Gareth Edwards’ Summer Action Flick Godzilla in a League of Its Own

In a decade where every summer, theaters are overstuffed with bland, gratuitously dynamic, virtually indistinguishable blockbusters with “groundbreaking” visual effects (are they really?), you might think that Godzilla is an entirely unnecessary reboot. And in some ways, it is. However, as the clichéd proverb goes, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Conceptually, Godzilla is just another big-budget, disaster-porn summer action flick. But practically, Godzilla proves that, with the right directorial vision and computer techniques, purely visceral large screen entertainment may almost be a poetic language of its own genre. Almost.

Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) losing his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche)

It is safe to say that the first half of Gareth Edwards’ reboot is too brutal for redemption. A disappointingly contrived performance from Bryan Cranston and an ambiguous, unsatisfying subplot introduction from Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins start the film off with a peculiarly sour taste. Furthermore, cheap and predictable dialogue not only devaluates the main characters, but leaves us impatiently awaiting the on-screen arrival of our gargantuan reptilian hero. Clearly, human interaction and character development is not Edwards’ strong suit. This awkward approach towards the more character-driven aspects of the film is unsurprising, since it is expected from most contemporary action flicks. What hurts more, though, is that during its first half, Godzilla shows glimpses of potentially smart writing that just never fully pan out. To some, this almost outside-the-box writing will be enough to trudge through the first half. To others (i.e. me), it’ll simply make that hour more difficult to watch.

Aircrafts exploding in a domino effect outside an airport

The real joy, however, comes from the second hour. Edwards puts his animating crew to the test, producing ridiculously engaging action scenes that hit the fine border between organic and inorganic catastrophe and monster head butting. The sets are populated with disposable bystanders, precarious structures, and obstructive buildings that are ripe for decimation. And sure, although someone makes the occasional successful effort to save an innocent child (or school bus of children) from total annihilation, Edwards recognizes that humans are just pawns in the stimulating chess match that is taking place on screen. Those scenes are exciting, but what we really want to watch (and what Edwards sets us up to anticipate) is the kings and queens duke it out – Godzilla vs. prehistoric thirty-story flying Alien-esque radioactive parasites. The film’s action scenes are somewhat elegant in their nature. Tension wires snap and whip around as a parasite awakens and escapes its stronghold in a dynamic and organic manner that surpasses the clunky, robotic Rock’em Sock’em scenes in the Transformers series. Godzilla knocks over a stationed plane and passengers ogle in terror from an airport as aircrafts slowly fall into each other and explode in a mesmerizing domino sequence. It all comes across like a crudely destructive CGI ballet. And if you can’t enjoy Edwards’ eye for visual entropy, then you don’t know how to appreciate the magic of contemporary digital filmmaking.

Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his team diving out of a plane

Sound also plays a major factor in creating the exhilarating rush that makes this movie so distinctive from similar blockbusters. In an interesting but successful move, Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King’s Speech, The Tree of Life) was hired to compose the original soundtrack. His pieces add a traditional but vivacious atmosphere to the primarily visual action scenes, grounding them more to classic action cinema. The Kubrick-esque inclusion of György Ligeti’s micropolyphonic music in the aerial drop scene also proves to be a curious but more than satisfying decision. The sound mixing is very high quality, coupling with the over-the-top visuals to achieve an ultimate over-the-top feel. In the end, Godzilla equally overwhelms and underwhelms its audience but still proves to be a more than capable summer action flick that you won’t feel 100% guilty for watching. Let’s hope the rest of the season’s action movies follow suit.

FINAL SCORE: 3½ out of 5 stars (raw score: 67.5, between “a decent watch” and “pretty good”)

Godzilla was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on May 16, 2014

The Monuments Men [Dir. by George Clooney]

George Clooney Creates an Interesting Action Biopic that Approaches its Subject Matter with Warmth, Lightheartedness, and More-Than-Decent Performances by a Strong Cast.

A group of men who are tasked with recovering stolen art during WWII? A movie with that premise can only be so engaging. However, in The Monuments Men, George Clooney hits mostly high notes in his retelling of a surprisingly exciting and unconventional WWII mission. He combines a simple, straightforward narrative with a distinctly old-timey milieu to weave together an upbeat and wholly enjoyable experience, akin to a nattily arranged appetizer – barely scrapes the surface of content and value, but delivers its however vapid screenplay with a trademark George Clooney smirk.

Frank Stokes (George Clooney) discussing his plans to establish the “monuments men”

The screenplay is a double-edged sword in The Monuments Men. While it smartly and earnestly approaches a textbook-style recounting of a did-you-know factoid from WWII, it’s sometimes just as boring to watch as the premise suggests. The morsels of action are small, fleeting, and somewhat dispensable, but they succeed in providing sufficient depth to the development of the characters (when Damon’s character accidentally steps on a land mine, the ensuing five minutes offer valuable highlights about the personalities of the “monuments men”). The sprinkled humor rarely fails, but never really makes enough of a statement to be memorable, either. Thankfully, a coating of nostalgic cinema charm and a definitive direction save this somewhat imbalanced screenplay.

Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett) discovering art theft

The Monuments Men’s silver lining is its characters; they are all likable and good-humored. At first, Clooney makes a safe attempt when it comes to character development, but he is too timid to delve deep until the second half of the film. The brotherly chemistry between Bill Murray and Bob Balaban is sincere and witty. Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett also play off each other pleasantly. And Hugh Bonneville constructs a passionate and memorable character that is sure to steal your heart. However, George Clooney’s character comes across as aloof and self-entitled throwing an awkward wrench in the brotherhood he attempts to establish between these “monuments men.” We all know Clooney is a better actor than director. But in this film, his character feels more like a flat, cardboard George Clooney life-size cutout than anything.

James Granger (Matt Damon), Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville), and Frank Stokes boarding an aircraft

Is The Monuments Men a bad film? Not at all. It’s highly improbable that you’ll hear its name at the Oscars, but its welcoming atmosphere and intelligent appreciation of the real-life events as well as the value of classic art will make for a pleasant Sunday at the theatres. It maintains a lighthearted mood all throughout. You’ll come away feeling like something important really did happen, but you’ll be at a safe enough distance to not have to worry yourself over it, kind of like reading a dramatic, amateurishly written biography.

FINAL SCORE: 3½ out of 5 stars (raw score: 67.5, between “a decent watch” and “pretty good”)

The Monuments Men was released by Columbia Pictures on February 7, 2014