Since the release of the King Kong adaptation by Peter Jackson in 2005, the director Gareth Edwards replies now celebrating the sixtieth year of the scaly monster reign: Godzilla. Completely following the monster movie genre, this director signs here his second movie in the most epic way. Indeed, it seems the $160M budget has been actually well used in this movie.
Choosing to get into such an adaptation, it supposes to plunge into the contemporary history, the American and Japanese cultures and the film visual effects’ evolution. A big challenge then, lying on this director’s shoulders, not famous yet for MONSTERS is first feature. The film tries to link up all the codes and the former adaptations (since 1954) to make a tribute to Godzilla legacy. You obtain a quite good balance, since respecting a genre, codes almost as symbols, could quickly look like old-fashioned gimmicks. Through this desire to do well, you can notice numerous references to horror, monster, sci-fi movies with signatures scenes such as the fossil discovered like in “Alien” or the gulls attack like in “The Birds” by Hitchcock.
But let’s be honest, you will keep in mind this movie more for the show and the blow-minding scenes than anything else. The action is shot in an impressive way and the photography is sophisticated for this kind of movie. Between the large shots of the urbain landscape brought into pieces or the shots of the frightened characters, the back-and-forth are well done in order to understand the story and Godzilla magnitude. This diligent directing is welcomed and original for a simple “monster” movie. Besides, the Marines free fall scene is quite exceptional and deserve to be watched on a big screen.
More about tension than pure action, the music composed by A. Desplat is helping a lot not to say too much. True actor of the film, the main theme is efficient. The music is not oppressive but really agressive. Watch out! The competition between Godzilla scream and the music is on!
However, the movie is completely damaged by a significant draw-back: the characters. Absents, transparents, useless, none-expressive, the actors are the true victims of this film. Putting away flourish for this kind of film is understandable, but a character which does not endeavor any emotional conflict is a very useless one. The acting is muddled without bringing anything, probably not a priority, guilty of a doubtful direction of the cast. Too many good actors and their talent is smashed by the big superproduction business. Between the crying Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), the insensible Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass) and the apparition of Juliette Binoche, we struggle to get attached to any of them. But the golden palm goes to one of my favorite actors; Ken Watanabe, doctor Serizawa, who walks around with his same stunned face the whole movie long… What a shame to waste such great talent!
A visual (and sonorous) slap but where the actors don’t get their shares.
