Godzilla (2014)
Let's be clear right from the start: For those unfortunate people who (to paraphrase Stephen King) have lost the 'sense of wonder', Brit Gareth Edwards' interpretation of 'Godzilla' is just another Hollywood excursion into the lowlands of disaster porn.
For anyone else with a shred of common sense left, Godzilla is a revelation of wonder.
One of Edwards' cinematic idols is Steven Spielberg. And Edwards' approach to the genre of the monster film is reminiscent of the latter's 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind'. Edwards' play with the suspense of the first hour of film is reminiscent of an early Spielberg - but also of a well-honed Hitchcock. Finally a director dares to let images and moods speak for themselves - an art that doesn't fit into this genre at all. But Edwards has already proven with his debut 'Monsters' from 2010 that he has mastered the art of skilful omission.
The film's plot is cliché and quickly told:
During mining operations in the Philippines, a prehistoric monster awakens. A short time later, it destroys a nuclear power plant in Japan. The wife of seismologist Brody dies in this accident.15 years later. Joe, Brody's now adult son, is called to Japan because his guilt-ridden father has been arrested trying to enter the restricted area around the nuclear power plant. Brody is able to convince his son that the government covered up the real reason for the disaster and that it was not caused by an earthquake. When the two revisit the restricted area, they witness the awakening of the monster that has taken up residence in the ruins of the nuclear power plant.
This monster - let's get this straight - is not the actual protagonist of the film. He enters the scene only in the middle of the action. Like Spielberg in 'Jaws', Edwards skillfully plays with the expectations of the viewer. Again and again, the characters are only eyewitnesses to mighty things in the distance or to dangers lurking behind doors. Edwards knows about the disenchantment when the monster no longer seems so monstrous in the glare of daylight. Thus Joe always loses consciousness in the face of the sheer gigantism of the monsters. The creatures that populate the screen and trample on people and cities are too big to be rationally grasped.Godzilla. A great film.
