Well, it was bound to happen. I've fallen in love with someone who loathes scary movies and things that go bump in the night. This explains my blogging hiatus (he and I met in late October last year). Would you believe that seeing GODZILLA is the first "scary" film I've seen in seven months?! Yeesh. That confession is pretty scary in and of itself!
I'm back and and ready to get the cobwebs off of my Scare-O-Meter! This review may contain spoilers, so consider yourself warned.
I was able to catch a sneak preview of GODZILLA in IMAX 3D. This is the only way that this movie should be seen. I'm not a fan of 3D films because I think they're too campy. I know, I know. How ridiculous coming from the person who loves campy horror flicks. Maybe "gimmicky" is a better word. But this movie wasn't made in that "things flying at you from the screen" fashion - the 3D just makes the images clearer, especially on the jumbo IMAX screen.
The story actually delved deeper into the creation and research of the monsters which brought a nice synergy between this and the original Godzilla films from Japan (did I see a guy in a rubber Godzilla suit?). In fact, a lot of the plot points went back to the original versions where The King Of The Monsters is seen as a hero. In this case, he saves the Pacific from a male and female Muto who are breeding with the hopes of taking over our planet! The special effects were great and the casting was spot on. Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe were terrific as the scientific geniuses. The underlying subplot, questioning the use of an atomic bomb today, wasn't too "in your face," but it definitely made you think.
This movie was intense! Halfway through the film I realized that my fists were clenched, as were my teeth, my calves were tight, and I was sitting forward. The family sitting next to me only enhanced my movie-going experience by having to remind their 10-year-old daughter, "It's only a movie..." while the mother was jumping every five minutes. I remember only jumping once myself, but it was a good one!
It's a fun movie, but leave your little ones at home. I'm thrilled that they've obviously left room for more GODZILLA films where our hero will, no doubt, be reunited with some of his kaiju friends from the past. On a scale of one to four jumpers, I'm giving this four - mostly for the jumpy mom seated next to me - and for its intensity. Go and see this film!
Until next time (and hopefully it won't be another seven months...)
-L
