GODZILLA 2014 (Review)

Godzilla (2014)

Director: Gareth Edwards

RATING: 3.5 / 5

After a 10-year absence, the King of the Monsters has returned -- with a vengeance! 

After its first week of release, Gareth Edwards's monstrous re-imagining of Japan's most famous monster is smashing its way through the box office to the tune of a $196 million worldwide opening weekend. Western audiences are obviously coming out in droves to support Godzilla's big-budget return to the big screen, but really how faithful is Edwards's take on Godzilla? And can it hold a nuclear flame to the other installments in the monster's 60-year career?

The short answer is a complicated one. I have never seen a Godzilla movie that I so thoroughly enjoyed while my butt was in the theater that I then so profoundly disagreed with while leaving the theatre. Talk about cognitive dissonance! This review is an attempt to bridge my enthusiasm with my disappointment. I guess I could say that I loved Godzilla the same way I love films like Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Godzilla vs. Gigan, and Godzilla vs. Megalon. They're all really fun and light B-movies, but they do not feature my preferred representation of Godzilla.

 SPOILERS from this point on.

Godzilla travels to the US to try out for the San Francisco Giants.

GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (2004): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 30

GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (2004)

Go big or go home. 

That must have been director Ryuhei Kitamura's mantra when he signed on to direct the final film in the Millennium Series and, until this year, the last Godzilla film to be released in a decade. Featuring a record-holding 14 different monsters, nonstop John Woo / The Matrix-inspired action sequences, and a slate of classic Godzilla actor cameos, Godzilla: Final Wars is one of the most divisive films in the franchise. Released for Godzilla's 50th Anniversary, it may not have been the perfect Godzilla film so many fans were hoping for, but it's still one of the most fun and exciting films to bear the name "Godzilla."

TOKYO S.O.S. (2003): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 29

TOKYO S.O.S. (2003)

Let's not bury the lead here. Tokyo S.O.S. is the absolute best that that the Millennium Series has to offer. Godzilla movies are a tricky recipe to mix -- you have to perfectly balance the human story with the monster-driven special effects -- but Tokyo S.O.S. gets it right and serves up a mouth-watering spectacle of monster mayhem. It's not only a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla but also a defacto sequel to the original 1961 Mothra as well. Blending new and classic Toho kaiju mythology with a perfect blend of CGI and practical effects, Tokyo S.O.S. is sure to please new and old Godzilla fans alike.

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 28

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002)

Mechagodzilla gets a much-needed upgrade for the new Millennium in a brand new story continuity that, oddly enough, is also a direct sequel to Toho's classic monster movies Gojira (1954), Mothra (1961) War of the Gargantuas (1966), and Space Amoeba (1970).

GODZILLA, MOTHRA, AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 27

GODZILLA, MOTHRA, & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001)

It's a monster movie so big and so crazy they can't even fit all the monsters in the title! Following the previous year's disappointing returns on Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Toho decided to go back to the monster vault and bring back not one - not two - but three of its classic monsters to battle Godzilla, but this time Godzilla's not the hero. In fact, he's your worst nightmare.

GODZILLA vs. MEGAGUIRUS (2000): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 26

GODZILLA vs. MEGAGUIRUS (2000)

Godzilla's had problems with moths before, but this time around he has another infestation to deal with. The King of the Monsters must contend with a swarm of giant prehistoric dragonflies that want to drain his energy. At the same time, those pesky humans are trying to blast his ass into an artificial black hole. It's all in the life of a Godzilla as documented in this so-so second installment of the Millennium series.

GODZILLA 2000 (1999): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 25

GODZILLA 2000 (1999)

aka. Godzilla 2000: Millennium 

Disappointed and offended by the indignity their most iconic character faced in America at the hands of director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin the year prior, Toho quickly brought Godzilla out of retirement with a badass new look for a brand new series. In December of 1999, Toho ushered in a new millennium with GODZILLA 2000.

GODZILLA (1998): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 24

GODZILLA (1998)

On May 16th, 2014, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures will release Gareth Edwards's GODZILLA, a big-budget 3D American take on Japan's most famous monster. There's definitely a lot of fan excitement and goodwill surrounding this new Godzilla film, which his first in 10 years. However, this is not the first time that America has taken a stab at the King of the Monsters. To this day, fans are still haunted by the memory of America's first attempt: Roland Emmerich's critically-panned and fan-reviled action crapfest GODZILLA 1998.

GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (1995): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 23

GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (1995)

Today, for the first time since 1954, Godzilla dies. Get out your tissues, G-fans, this one's a tearjerker. Not only does Godzilla vs. Destoroyah bring the Heisei series to an close with the destruction of Godzilla, but Godzilla's fate is directly linked to that of the original Godzilla in 1954, bringing the franchise full circle.

GODZILLA vs. SPACE GODZILLA (1994): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 22

GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA (1994)

In the otherwise classic Heisei series, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla is a rare, forgettable entry that smacks of cheapness. In it, Godzilla and Little Godzilla face an evil clone of Godzilla from space! Trust me, it sounds better than it is.

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II (1993): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 21

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II (1993)

Rodan, Mechagodzilla, and even Baby Godzilla are all given a modern revamp in this blockbuster of sci-fi action and monster mayhem. Not without story problems, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II set a high-water mark for Toho's technical special effects and monster suit design in the Heisei period.

Japan's Biggest Pitchman: Godzilla in Commercials

With the new Godzilla movie opening in 10 days, the monstrous marketing campaign at Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures is now kicking into full gear. Case in point: a brand new commercial featuring the new Godzilla dropped this week for FIAT.



This isn't the first time that Godzilla has starred in American commercials for comedic effect. Commecials have long spoofed the popular image of Godzilla, but the real Godzilla -- licensed from Toho -- has also been popping up in North American commercials in one form or the other since the 1970s, especially during the 1998 marketing campaign for the American remake. Please enjoy this sampling of North American TV ads featuring Godzilla.

GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1992): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 20

GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA:
Battle for Earth (1992)

One of Toho's most popular monsters, Mothra, gets a modern update and an upgrade to her mythology with the introduction of her destructive counterpart Battra. It's a three-way monster battle for the fate of the planet in Godzilla vs. Mothra.

GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH (1991): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 19

GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH  (1991)

Classic Godzilla foe King Ghidorah gets a modern update in this sequel to Godzilla vs. Biollante which features a trifecta of sci-fi awesomeness: monsters, time travel, and cyborgs.

GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (1989): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 18

GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE  (1989)

Often overlooked because of its obscurity, Godzilla vs. Biollante is one of the freshest, most imaginative, and most technically advanced Godzilla films to emerge in over 20 years. Set directly after the events of The Return of Godzilla, the King of the Monsters returns with a jaw-dropping new look to battle one of his strangest enemies ever.

TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 16

TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA  (1975)

aka. Terror of Godzilla

Here we are folks. We've truly reached the end of an era. Godzilla returns to once again fight his diabolical doppleganger Mechagodzilla, but this is the last time we'll see this particular version of Godzilla. Terror of Mechagodzilla is the 15th and final film in the original series, and it all comes full circle with Ishiro Honda, the original Gojira director, returning to take Godzilla movies back to their darker roots.

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1974): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 15

GODZILLA vs. MECHAGODZILLA (1974)

aka. Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster
aka. Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster

Evil apes from outer space attempt to conquer Earth with a robotic Godzilla in accordance with an ancient apocalyptic prophecy. But could the terrifying Godzilla cyborg be too powerful for even the real King of the Monsters to defeat? Godzilla kicks off his 20th Anniversary with the surprisingly entertaining Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

GODZILLA vs. MEGALON (1973): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 14

GODZILLA vs. MEGALON (1973)

You know the Godzilla series is seriously on the ropes when the King of the Monsters is reduced to a co-starring role in his own movie. Giving last week's Godzilla vs. Gigan a run for its money as worst Godzilla film, Godzilla vs Megalon was released in 1973 in which Godzilla plays second string to the first and last appearance of the robot Jet Jaguar.

GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 13

GODZILLA vs. GIGAN (1972)

aka. Godzilla on Monster Island

Do you hear that big wet fart noise? Yup, that means it's time to talk about Godzilla vs. Gigan, a real lackluster Godzilla movie if there ever was one. Recycling plots and stock footage from better, more successful movies in the franchise, Godzilla vs. Gigan's only real redeeming factor is the introduction of the bizarre cyborg space monster Gigan.

GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971): 30 Days of Godzilla

DAY 12

GODZILLA vs. HEDORAH (1971)

aka. Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster

If you thought movies in which men in big rubber monster suits wrestle on miniature sets were bizarre by definition, prepare to have your definition of "bizarre" blown wide open. In the early 1970s, Toho released one of the strangest Godzilla movies to see the light of day: GODZILLA vs. HEDORAH. Whether fans hate it or love it, they usually point to the same reason: it's just so damn weird.