Godzilla [2014] ★★½

Now that the fanboy hype has cleared (or has it?), we can see “Godzilla” for what it truly is: borrowed inspiration coupled with impressive CGI, all in the service of a ballsy idea that a monster movie could maybe, just maybe, have a soul. As it turns out, Godzilla’s virtues are mainly mechanical, except for one tremendous scene involving Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad’s MVP) and Juliette Binoche (You’ll know it when you see it). The 1954 original, no matter how dated it looks, had an important message for its audience about the dangers of nuclear technology (the monster itself was a metaphor for nuclear weapons and it rang true post-World War II). The new one, directed by Gareth Ewards, is amazing to look at, but it lacks heart. On the bright side, every character in the movie is played by a talented actor, so there is pleasure to be had just watching Bryan Cranston (who plays the brilliant/mad scientist who warns everyone that whatever out there is “going to send us back to the stone age”), Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Sally Hawkins and Elizabeth Olsen go through their paces. So what went wrong? Look, “Godzilla” looked good on paper, and for much of its breathlessly running time it looks mighty good onscreen. The tech boys really know their stuff. The monster, seen in glimpses at first, looms menacingly. And most of the action scenes are well crafted and very exciting to watch. But the movie keeps hinting at profundity, a core of feeling that never comes. And ultimately, that’s my problem with it. I’ve heard the excuse that director Gareth Edwards went the “Jaws” route for a reason. Duly noted. But I’m not ready to believe that it’s impossible to make a monster movie with a meaning that cuts deep and characters we can see ourselves in. In 2010, Edwards himself did just that with “Monsters”, an independent film about two lost souls trying to make their way through harsh terrain with some giant creatures thrown in. It’s on DVD. Check it out. As for “Godzilla”, it’s visually dazzling and will probably satisfy fans of the genre. But as far as I’m concerned, it ranks as a disappointment.

Rating: 2.5/4