Godzilla 2014 (Major Spoilers) Part 1 of 2

 Godzilla 2014 (Major Spoilers) Part 1 of 2

Okay, this remake/reboot of the Godzilla franchise is both well made and frustrating. This is a disaster movie that turns into a complete monster movie in the third act and the payoff is totally bad ass. I get what Gareth Edwards is trying to do here. He wants to make a kick ass monster movie with a lot human emotions tied to the story. It doesn't always work. Going for little is more approach sometimes harms this movie. Unlike the 1998 version, this is the Godzilla we wanted to see on the screen despite some major flaws. This isn't the stupid Godzilla from the 90s with cartoon characters in the human roles. Godzilla 2014 isn't perfect, but it is certainly fun.

Of the bat, the best aspect and character in the movie is by far Godzilla. He is huge and hulking, but total bad ass when it comes to fighting the other monsters. He isn't a good guy, but he totally an anti-hero. He probably kills hundreds of people himself just getting on land. So, he is a mixture of the early movies and the later ones (Early Bad Guy, Later Good Guy). This Godzilla isn't the type of monster that runs away from the army or the other creatures. He is a hunter and tracks these other monsters down. He wants to fight and destroy the other monsters.

There are just some impressive scenes with Godzilla, like the one where he towers over the bridge or the last few moments in the movie, but I wanted more scenes of him fighting. The CGI Godzilla is very nice to see and there isn't any shaky-cam to obstruct or view of this God of Monsters.

This Godzilla is bigger and cooler, but pays tribute to the earlier versions.

Now, the other amazing portion of the movie that works for me is the bombastic score. You have to have a booming score that overpowers the roars and crashing moments from the sound department. Godzilla has always had brassy scores and this one is no different. Alexandre Desplat knocks it out of the park with music, and this is coming from a guy that liked the 1999 score. You won't hear the classic Godzilla theme, but this one is a nice replacement. I love this score.

Bryan Cranston is also amazing as the father and hubby that loses his wife at the hands of these monsters. Cranston really captures a guy that threw everything away to find the truth about what happened in 1999. It was a huge disappointment that Cranston's character dies right at the end of Act 1. He's almost forgotten about given that he is the driving force for the entire first act. Cranston should have had a bigger part in the movie. Heck, have him die but at the end. He was such a great character.

Cranston takes it seriously and so does the rest of the cast and the production crew. Gone are the goofy military people from the 90s version. These people know that thousands of people are being killed by these monsters and there's not joking going on. So, basically, they're taking the more serious Nolan approach to Godzilla.

One of the weaker features has to be the acting from most of the cast other than Ken Watanabe and Cranston. They are really bland, but not goofy. Some of them only get a mention before being promptly wiped away by the monsters.