Along with this plot, there was a pointless sub-plot between the two main characters, Nick Tatopoulous (Matthew Broderick) and Audrey (Maria Pittillo) who used to be sweethearts until they went their separate ways to pursue their careers. They just happened to bump into each other after her seeing him on the news! As you can expect, like any romance film, it all worked out for them in the end but I really didn’t see the point of this little story. Godzilla was supposed to be an action film; no one went to the movies expecting a romance, which is what they tried to give, failing miserably I think. They obviously noticed that the film was lacking in something that wasn’t action unfortunately they went for horror/romance. Not always the best choice. As well as the use of comedy throughout the film, I believe the film wanted to be belonging to as many genre categories as possible. Although this may dare to attract a wide variety of people, it needed to be done well and I don’t believe it was. However, I did enjoy the was Emmerich used humor in parts of the film to lighten the tension displayed in parts of the film but this can alter the mood of the audience and take their focus off the film at important scenes! This film probably isn’t for the older audience. It is a typical disaster movie and appeals to younger people (especially lads) who love a bit of action. So I agree to the PG certificate. At the time of going out, disaster movies were very popular and that helped this film to be the hit that it was.
The first 10 minutes plays an important role in the film. It sets the mood for the destruction to come and tells you the story of how Godzilla came about. This is done well. Emmerich decided not to go the usual way and use a voiceover or caption but let the story explain itself using visuals. It all begins as in a newsreel, showing that is isn’t a recent thing; it has been developing over a period of time. He uses dismal yet loud music to convey a sense of danger, yet it is also the French national anthem which as shows that they maybe to blame for the creation of Godzilla when nuclear testing weapons and also links in with the actor Philippe Roche and the French involvement in the film. It uses slow editing before fading into colour and shows the egg. It then cuts to a fishing ship in the pacific. They are in the middle of a storm and this all adds to the effect of danger. When we enter the ship, we see a Japanese man eating noodles and watching sumo wrestling. This is linking in Japan to the film as it was the Japanese who created Godzilla and Emmerich probably felt they needed some recognition for it. This also is a good use of mise on scène. This ship too is dark and we see that the ‘red alert’ is flashing red, symbolizing and adding danger. When Godzilla attacks, Emmerich uses a mixture of fast and slow editing. At first the fast editing with the music creates the sense of confusion and mayhem building up to a climax, where the music stops altogether and the shot goes into slow motion. This is holding the audience in suspense for the next shot. It then jumps to a crane shot above the boat and you see the rain then the lightening strikes and it appears to Nick driving in the rain. It is the rain that links the two scenes together. It is slightly different, however, to the last scene as it contains the ‘happy worm guy’ singing and swaying in his car. He is then called to a special investigation in the southeast. He is very small and weedy and is often not taken seriously by the larger males in the army. This can be quite ego-boosting for the scrawnier guys out there, as he comes out the hero of the film and gives them hope as it is breaking down the usual stereotype. It gives a contrast between him and the other soldiers. This scene and the last was skillful juxtaposition.
The last 10 minutes of the film are very different to the first. Apart from a similar use of dark scenery and the storms, the ending is fast paced and action packed, using fast, upbeat music to keep up with where the film was heading. It uses many different camera shots to give you more detail. When there is a big chase through the city, tracking, big close ups and crane shots were used to show the detail of the destruction. The low angle shots were sued to show the size of Godzilla compared to those in the car. This shows Godzilla to be the superior species and point of view shots were used to let the audience get involved in the movie as they could see just what the people in the cab saw as they were being chased. Throughout these final scenes, humor was used to lighten the mood. Here I thought it was quite appropriate and wasn’t as random as in earlier scenes and they had correct timing. It also uses slapstick comedy, when the lizards slip on the chewing gum. This is another case of juxtaposition as it positions danger with comedy. Another thing that has changed drastically is the way the characters are represented. At the beginning, Nick is the under dog and in the end he comes out triumphant, the hero. He uses his brains instead of his brawn and he gets the admiration that he deserves and he is looked up to instead of down on. In the final scene of Godzilla’s life, the atmosphere Emmerich creates is excellent. He uses sound to grab the audiences’ emotions. When Godzilla takes his final fall, the music stops and the rain pours down harder. As the music stops, the sound of the rain rises and you get a faint sound Godzilla’s heartbeat. This gave me a lump in my throat and caused my eyes to fill slightly. Here Emmerich plays with the audiences’ emotion and the hate they may have felt before for Godzilla, changes into sadness and they begin to feel for that character. The last scene in the film ends in the showing of the egg which wasn’t destroyed. This is the way the film began and is a good way of rounding it to a close. You may also feel like it is pointless as the whole thing is going to happen again.
The film had some good points. The special effects related to Godzilla and the fighter plane sequences during the final chase scenes were impressive. It did manage to keep me guessing about what was going to happen but I felt after a while it kept going around in circles and wasn’t getting anywhere and I just ended up wanting it to finish. The dialogue throughout the film was basic, simplistic and bits down right pointless but I suppose that great intellectual conversations are not really needed in action movies. Altogether I think this film isn’t as good as hyped up to be, but then again, when is a film? It has a basic plot and acting isn’t the best I have seen. I wouldn’t tell you not to see it as I think it appeals to some people in some ways but I just don’t expect to see a masterpiece. I give this movie *** (out of five)
