Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Godzilla Review by Mandi Mayhem


San Francisco wasn't the only thing gettin' SMASHED last weekend! Despite some, in my opinion, ludicrously negative reviews, the Godzilla reboot DESTROYED the box office! And with good reason!!! 
 
The movie wastes no time, jumping into action right at the credits. Headlines concerning nuclear bombs and a mysterious creature flash on the screen, but the information in the articles is quickly  blacked out. This interesting directorial choice happily awakens your inner conspiracy theorist and prepares you the excitement to follow.
 
45 years after the nuclear bomb test in the headlines, a team of scientists are called to a site where a monumental skeleton and two egg-shaped pods have been unearthed. The sheer size of this thing is just unbelievable. I suddenly felt very, very insignificant. The team quickly detects that one of the eggs has hatched and something has escaped to the sea. Meanwhile, in Japan, the Janjira nuclear plant experiences unusual seismic activity. When a team goes down to check the sensors, an explosion occurs, threatening to release radiation to the outside. The plant collapses due to an "earthquake", and the town is quarantined indefinitely.
 
Fast forward to today, the stars of the film travel back to Japan, determined to uncover the truth behind the catastrophe. They are able to recover floppy disks full of data just before getting arrested and being taken to a secret facility inside the plant's ruins. The seismic activity begins again, and while trying to explain that this is not a natural occurrence, the chrysalis under observation hatches.
 
I need to pause for a moment and just share that awe I felt over this chrysalis. It was the most beautiful egg I've ever laid eyes on. Don't go in to this movie under the impression you're going to see a giant Easter egg, oh no. Honestly, I'm drawing a blank as to anything on which I can base a comparison. It was more-so industrial, and the sound it made while "feeding" was absolutely captivating.
 
The action between now and the end of the movie never lets you go, whether from the ginormous beasts, or the supporting character stories of the tiny humans. By the time the man of the hour arrives on the big screen to restore the balance, you just wanna leap to your feet. The Spielburgian buildup that some viewers are complaining about? It was perfect for this film. This was not the cheesy "two hours of laughable mutants fighting on cardboard buildings." Make no mistake, you WILL feel the weight of every step as he seeks out the MUTO's that are tearing through the cities. You will experience every weapon fire as the defenseless humans fail to take them down. And your jaw will drop as his roar shakes your seat. He's just as stunning as he is powerful. He IS the King of the Monsters.
 
Godzilla served as a mind-blowing, action packed cautionary tale of trying to control nature, all while expressing the importance of family. I strongly encourage everyone to experience his atomic breath in Imax!

No comments:

Post a Comment