Only excellent 'Zilla F/X
And it's also like this: the F/X of Godzilla doing his thing are absolutely, totally, jaw-droppingly incredible. You believe that critter is right there in the frame stomping around. Nearly every scene has rain pouring down. One has to think that they did that deliberately for the increase in aerial perspective. (Stuff gets indistinct in the distance.) That had to help the rendering of Godzilla as opposed to trying to match him to bright sunlight and harsh shadows. This is like what Disney did with the giant squid sequence from 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Without the added storm F/X, it was a big dumb hunk of rubber. With the storm masking its fakeness, it was effective.
On the other hand, there's a whole 'nother sequence of complicated F/X which takes place in a building which was not too impressive. Kudos to the cast for "reacting" to something which wasn't there when those sequences were shot tho.
The story is rather lame. They have to bend over backwards to come up with a reason for Godzilla to even head to NYC in the first place. And what 'Zilla does there and how QUICKLY it bears fruition is a real suspension of disbelief snapper. WAY more ludicrous than God' (couldn't resist) walking thru a skyscraper.
Broderick plays the genetic mutation scientist at his most lackluster. He is literally phoning his lines in. All he had to've been thinking is, "I'm getting a paycheck and that's it." The other cast members are equally unstellar.
While Independence Day came across as an homage to SF films with the scenes and dialogue taken from other flicks, Godzilla makes like a plunderer (SPOILER WARNING) . Just a cut-and-paste screenplay for which the ID4 dudes need their asses kicked for fobbing it on us.
On the other hand, kudos for working Gojira, the actual Japanese name for the bastardized "Godzilla", into the screenplay. That was a nice touch. But touches do not a screenplay make.
And as for Godzilla's new and "improved" look---
Well, someone needs to tell me why they went with the Jay Leno-esque
hulking lower jaw. What was that all about? The critter also sports
a pair of bodybuilder anthropomorphic arms which would put Schwarzenegger
to shame as opposed to the stubby T Rex-style arms which the original
'Zilla sported. The creature is also rendered in the dullest, drabbest
shades of gray and green imaginable--true decision-by-committee
coloration.
The innane dialogue, the stereotypical characters, the at times noncutting edge F/X; yup, Sony has their work cut out after the initial weekend wears by. Bet it dies buku quick at the box office after its semi-monster first weekend.
But like I say, the Godzilla F/X are eyepoppers. You will believe there is a 200-foot tall creature rampaging thru the Big Apple. And the taxicab sequence is now on my short list of ultimate action sequences. Chevy should get permission to use the Caprice taxicab footage (hell, everyone else is on the 'Zilla gravy train) in ads. It's totally wild.
So yeah, it's worth seeing, but it's not as stellar as it should've been.
Movie's suitability for: