I miss the rubber suitIn 1998 the use of special effects in movies had taken a giant leap forward. Starting with Independence Day, special effects artists started to go places that they certainly didn’t think was possible so quickly. Alien ships looked bigger, explosions looked better and actors were just becoming accustomed to talking with imaginary creatures they couldn’t see. Fast forward a couple of years and the creators of Independence Day put together a remake of a classic film series that used models and rubber suits as their special effects; this film was Godzilla.
The original story to Godzilla was originally horrifying back in the 50s. The threat of nuclear war was very real and some people were generally concerned about how that would impact the world. The original movie was used as a warning to governments that if you do something stupid, such as develop new weapons of mass destruction (haven’t heard that in a while, have you?); there is a certain amount of responsibility and regret that they have to take into account. Such regrets included a giant lizard born out of the nuclear fallout that will ultimate destroy cities and turn on us (and once in a while save us from mechanical replicants of itself).
Anyway, fast forward nearly 45 years and we have a remake of that same movie with that same exact message. The problem is that the movie doesn’t fit the time any longer. The 80s are over, the threat of nuclear war are over and the generation who would find this movie fascinating have no feelings towards how horrible of a situation that would have been. Instantly, without even showing a frame of this film, the movie loses a portion of its message. Should you be able to swallow that and move on, the movie falls apart quicker than the Soviet Union in 1989-90.
The film has the same problem that Independence Day suffers from; it starts well and ends badly. The build up of Godzilla (the monster) at the beginning of the film is well done. While it is goofy to think that Iguanas hung out while the French tested bombs in the Pacific is a bit much. What’s even worse is when all the powerful archived footage of the Hydrogen bomb is playing; Roland Emmerich and crew decide to insert sloppy footage of an Iguana sitting on a rock. The origin of the soon to be giant lizard is sad. Should you be able to move beyond that you’ll find a great introduction to the mutated, nuclear lizard as he/she arrives in New York to create horrible wreckage everywhere? As soon as Godzilla gets settled the movie simply falls asleep. Matthew Broderick’s character is ‘THE’ character in every old Godzilla film that is smarter than everyone else and knows more about the creature than the entire military. He’s simply used to make everyone else look dumb and he slows down the story with his scientific banter. What’s even worse is that he uses things like home pregnancy tests to determine certain plot points about the creature. The movie ends with what should be a very emotional, King Kong-esque ending where humans regret their wicked ways. Instead, we’re all happy that we don’t have to see anymore-fanatical chases through Madison Square Garden, which can only be ripped straight from the jaws of Jurassic Park. Add to the main story some side story of lost love from Broderick’s love interest Maria Pitillo and the movie becomes a certified mess. The love story has no business in the movie and simply serves no purpose other than to move some part of the movie along.
Anyway, I could go on and on about the failures of this film, but I have to talk about the blu-ray portion that is leaps and bounds more impressive.
If you have to get the lizard, do it on blu-ray
I find it wonderful and sad that Godzilla made it to blu-ray. I’m sad because I know how disjointed this film is, but I think it’s wonderful because Sony Pictures did a damn fine job on the transfer. Out of all the blu-rays we received this past week, not counting Fight Club and The Professional, Godzilla is one of the more impressive. The picture is crystal clear and so gorgeous that it actually makes the special effects look a bit bad. I hadn’t noticed the digital lines around Godzilla, but after watching this film on blu-ray it’s right there, plain as day. For a movie like this, which is part action and part drama, the audio upgrade to DTS-HD is welcomed. You have some pretty serious bass coming through your 5.1 system that would shake any wall. Again, it’s impressive on blu-ray; too bad the movie wasn’t that great.
As for the features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Visual Effects Commentary (really good stuff here)
– Behind the Scenes of Godzilla with Charles Caiman
– All Time Best of Godzilla Fight Scenes (BADASS!)
– “Heroes” Music Video by the Wallflowers (who are they? lol)
– Digital Copy
– Multi-player Trivia Game
– BD-Live
Again, much like the blu-ray quality, it’s sad and wonderful to think how good the features are here. Nix the music video and you have some great things that Sony put together. These features mixed with the quality of the blu-ray almost make this movie a must-have.