It’s common knowledge that Godzilla was originally born out of fear for all things nuclear. Released by the Toho Company in 1954, the giant lizard’s first appearance was a not-so-restrained, but perfectly legal, combination of fear and loathing against an American imposed media embargo that banned any criticism against the Allies or indeed the bombings themselves. So it’s unsurprising that American productions of Godzilla have never been any good. That is at least, until now. 

Sixty years old and Japan’s most famous son has gone on to become a worldwide cult smash. Featuring in 28 Toho films, the 350 ft. tall reptile has inspired a whole genre of ludicrous creature features, thanks in particular to low budget, B-Movie aesthetics. Ironic then that the biggest blip on Godzilla’s career is the $130 million, American produced film by Roland Emmerich back in 1998. 

No pressure then for Gareth Edwards, the director behind the west’s second attempt to wrestle Godzilla onto American soil. Thankfully, the British filmmaker is no stranger to creating monsters of his own. His post-modern, ultra-cheap, and low key Monsters, released in 2010, was a compelling character driven drama set in the aftermath of an alien invasion. 

The legacy of Godzilla has been retooled to fit in with modern times. The plot seems to tie the first Gojira to this new version, with obviously some degree of ret-conning. The hangover of World War II still lingers, particularly in the film’s black-ops styled opening credits, but there’s a shift in politics to give this a much more contemporised feel. 

The opening act of the film harks back to events as recent as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Shifting the blame from human error to natural disaster becomes a recurring theme in the film, and certain scenes become reminiscent of very real catastrophes, such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The apocalypse will come on Mother Nature’s terms, not humankind’s and wherever the story takes us, it seems like the end of the world isn’t too far behind. 

The cast also provides some much needed human perspective on the monstrous rampage. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays an American soldier caught amidst the chaos as he tries to get home to his wife, played by Elizabeth Olsen. The Kick-Ass actor’s performance is rather flat throughout, but as fates conspire to keep him apart from his family, you can’t help but get a little choked up.

Out of all the cast, however, it’s Bryan Cranston who stands the tallest, even perhaps towering over Godzilla’s. As the father to Taylor-Johnson’s character, he is transformed from nuclear physicist to conspiracy nut in the gut-wrenching, albeit predictable opening prologue. It sets up themes of complete family units for the human characters, giving them an extra dimension beyond that of simply gawking and pointing as the destruction unfolds. 


But don’t dig too deeply into the subtext of Godzilla. “Let them fight,” Ken Watanabe’s scientist character advises as the US Navy run out of options. Big monsters’ fighting is what it’s all about and when it comes to the final act of the film, it’s a no holds barred brawl fest. In the style of Jaws, Edwards employs smoke and mirrors for the majority of the film, treating us to just occasional glimpses of Godzilla’s most recognizable body parts. 


One particular scene involving a HALO (High-altitude-low-opening) gives the human characters a special effects extravaganza of their own. As they fall back to Earth, followed by a trail of red smoke, it’s like they are plummeting into the fiery depths of Hell, and it’s only then to we get a true sense of Godzilla’s impossible height. It also makes for one of the most breath-taking set-pieces to appear in film this year. 

His appearance is finally unveiled to be much more consistent with that of the Toho originals, rather than the Jurassic Park leftovers from the 1998 film. He even comes complete with his trademark nuclear breath, all powered by state-of-the-art, visually stunning special effects. It makes seeing the finished result all the worthwhile, even if it does mean less room for fighting and destruction than we’d have liked in the film’s two hour running time – perhaps the film’s biggest let down. 

The tone and action of the film can obviously compared to the likes of Jaws and Jurassic Park, but there are also few nodding references to sci-fi master classes such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Alien thrown into the mix. Edwards’ respect for the Toho legacy seems to work well with his heritage in Hollywood cinema. A combination of science-fiction, action and all-out disaster movie makes for not just the best American version of Godzilla to date, but perhaps the biggest, loudest, proper summer blockbuster this year.