5.19.2014

Godzilla: Mini-Review, Sequel News, and a Meme

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

     I went into Gareth Edwards' Godzilla with the lowest of expectations.  Heading in thinking we'll get a rubber-suited WWF wrestler demolishing everything in sight I was prepping for the worst.  Oddly enough, I think that actually led me to believe this movie was much, much better than I would've hoped.

Fat Shaming is Wrong: Real Giant Lizard Monsters Have Curves!
     In this new version of Godzilla we are given a rebirth of nuclear fueled creatures from the prehistoric era.  We, as humans, are merely fodder in the way of these titans.  At first I was bothered by the way that the humans are seemingly just for show.  They're given enough story to keep us interested, but not enough to really root for them.  Apparently the budget for Bryan Cranston was only enough for the fist 40 minutes.  Ken Watanabe's scientist is primarily ignored by the military, with the exception of one moment with David Strathairn and a pocket watch.  There was a serious under utilization of any of the female leads (Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as Cranston's son, is a fumbling military man that is trying to get back to his wife and son.
     What I realized was this was a smart move by the filmmakers.  The human element isn't the important part- it's the big monsters.  We aren't even a bump in the road for them.  As Watanabe's character, Dr. Serizawa, says, “The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around.”  In the end, none of the humans can do anything to help or stop the monsters.

     Maybe it's a statement on the ecological systems we are creating, maybe it's about the military's way of causing plenty of damage on top of nature's own havoc, or maybe it's just some big f***king monsters battling it out for our entertainment- regardless, I was thoroughly entertained.

     In addition I see that the news reports that a sequel has already been confirmed.  Many are asking if Mothra will be seen, but what about King Ghidorah?  I personally hope they get the rights to Gamerah and have an epic tag team battle against some other long dormant creatures of the past.
     Maybe some extremist group will try and use the knowledge to try and awaken some other slumbering giants...

     And one last thing, a Tweet I put up right after seeing the film, which ties in nicely with the image I made above:


    If Godzilla is the all-time greatest apex predator, why doesn't he eat the other giant beasts?  That would explain the massive hips and thighs...  I mean, one would think that he wouldn't solely subsist on radioactivity.  If I recall correctly Godzilla was always a little bottom-heavy and sort of pyramid shaped.  Oh well, I still enjoyed the crap out of this film and look forward to the recently announced sequel.

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