Liz and Ryan and I went to see Godzilla last night. I was surprised at the depth of thought and feeling the film evoked from all three of us. I shall endeavor to avoid major spoilers in these remarks. Ive recently read a couple of pieces on Roland Emmerichs 1998 Godzilla (double quotes intentional) inspired by this new reboot, the best of which was a nostalgic ode in Vanity Fair by John DeVore. Johns very astute point is that, if you love the 90s, you kind of have to love Emmerichs take on the monster. Its everything about Summer 90s movies all in one: A-list actors and weird B-listers, comedy absolutely everywhere (especially in the most dangerous moments), awkward love stories shoehorned in, wanton destruction of beloved landmarks, and body counts to shame the Man of Steel climax, but with even fewer emotional consequences. Emmerich, like Michael Bay, was simply an artist at this genre, a savant who made you cheer for the flash and the trash in equal doses. If 1998s Godzilla fails, its mainly because it had been done so much better in previous few years: Independence Day and Armageddon immediately spring to mind. All genre film has to reach a certain point where the formula doesnt connect any more, and this was the tipping point. Still, its silly fun, a harmless movie full of what should be perceived as serious harm. Then we saw the World Trade Center burn and fall, and then everyone had a camera in their phone, and no natural or man-made disaster was immune from being photographed, filmed, and broadcast. Over and over and over. 1998s and 2014s Godzilla films contrast in a very interesting way. The two films are opposite sides of the same disaster-movie genre coin, with 1998s cartoonishness set against what Ryan called the Christopher-Nolan-ization of the modern action film. (I see the Nolan influence, though I dont much care for Nolan, and would argue that Nolans Dark Knight trilogy owes quite a lot to Bryan Singer and Sam Raimi.) The bottom line is, we dont find the destruction of our cities and landmarks so funny any more. I remember writing somewhere in early 2002 that I couldnt imagine ever wanting to watch Armageddon again. I still havent. Theres a moment in the current Godzilla film that tells you all you need to know. A bus driver, a plump black man in a vehicle full of children stuck in traffic on a bridge, sees a monster in the mist. His window has fogged up, so he wipes it clear with his hand and you see his eyes register the size of the thing and the seriousness of the situation. The same character in the same situation in 1998 would be a broadly-drawn clown; he would be shouting at the kids to settle down before wiping the window, going wide-eyed at the sight, and shouting some variation on What da f%&*!!!! And thats probably the last we see of the character. In 2014 we see real fear, followed by an instant decision to drive through a military barrier to try to save the kids. This is the strength of the current Godzilla: it chooses the perspective of real disaster, fear, and loss, coupled with the utter helplessness of our tiny scale in the context of monsters who act as a very literal force of nature. It is also, however, the movies doom. If your mind is at all engaged in the experience, this is a very, very hard film to watch. When I mentioned on Facebook that I was going to see it, one friend commented, Its fun. After the film was over, I mused aloud that he must have watched a different movie than I did. This Godzilla is not what I could call fun at all. Its a harrowing, experience that gripped me more like a horror movie than an action-adventure. It owes a lot to the 1954 original version, in which the monster is decidedly the villain of the piece, a post-Hiroshima allegory for humankinds arrogance and inability to control the power of the atom. It is to Gareth Edwardss credit that he avoids post-Fukushima scaremongering while still evoking the emotional core of reasonable nuclear fears. The addition of earthquake and tsunami elements to the film hit home with its real allegory: we are essentially powerless in the face of nature. Monsters battle in the clouds above us, but their motivations are animal and devoid of morality; they dont set out to destroy a city, the city is just in the line on which they travel to get what they really need. The villain monster, the Muto, even has several moments of real sympathetic resonance where its actions are familiar as the actions of any threatened, hungry, protective, or lonely animal. For the most part, Godzilla and Muto are unaware of the ant-like creatures scurrying under their feet. And it is from a decidedly ant-like perspective that we view these creatures. Never in my life have I been more awed by the scale of a living thing on the screen. If you were impressed with the weight and presence of the creatures in Pacific Rim, Godzilla will simply floor you. Ken Watanabes character, Dr. Serizawa, refers to the titular monster as being something like a god before he ever sees it, and once it makes an appearance its hard to argue the fact. There is no whimsy to this film, no snark or irony, no comic relief character, precious little humor at all, and no one with the ability to save the day. There is only the unrelenting assault of the power of nature upon tiny people trying to fight the tide with a thimble. It is grim and exhausting, and it is not for people who are looking for mindless Summer fun. I was not expecting to be moved so much by this film. I wasnt expecting it to make me examine the way I view action films and spectacle and destruction. I wasnt expecting it to make me weep fifteen minutes in. It is a testament to the craft of Gareth Edwards and company that they moved my heart and my mind in such an unanticipated fashion. I recommend Godzilla, and strongly. But if youre looking for a fun, escapist disaster movie, you should maybe wait until youre in the mood for something meatier. Im not saying dont see it; by all means see it! But see it in a frame of mind suited to it. Save Summer Fun Time for Transformers 4. Godzilla will reward you for approaching it soberly. As soon as it was over, Ryan and I looked at each other and said, We need to watch Pacific Rim.
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 17:38:13 +0000
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