Movie Review: Godzilla

Gareth Edwards's newest take on the Godzilla tale is exactly what one should expect from a Godzilla film; killer special effects, aliens destroying major cities, and of course, that classic Godzilla sound, but what else does it bring to the table?  Not much.

Of course, Godzilla features a star studded cast; Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame, Ken Watanabe, Aaron Tyler-Johnson, and Elizabeth Olsen, there is no shortage of talent on screen.  Unfortunately, all these actors were given is a script full of flat characters in a loosely tied together plot to ensure that the audience can see alien destruction in a multitude of Pacific locations.

The film starts out with a story of a seemingly crazed Joe Brody (Cranston) searching for the truth of his wife's death, convinced that something other than a reactor mistake was the cause, and his son (Tyler-Johnson) comes to his rescue after his arrest.  As the plot thickens, radioactive signatures beginning to resemble those from the day his wife died, we meet the monsters.  From there on out, the plot fails to add any emotional value to the film and the suspense of when we'll see Godzilla is all that matters.

Edwards successfully keeps the audience on the edge of their seat during the action sequences, but the rest of the film falls short.  Chugging along with another tale of a young man trying to reunite his family while all anyone is interested in is when Godzilla will finally arrive in San Francisco.

If what your summer needs is a special effects fueled film with little plot to distract from the destruction, than Godzilla is right up your alley.  Otherwise, unless you're a Godzilla fan, it's really nothing special.

Overall:
5 out of 10 stars