Brian Ballou

Interesting re-do of the original Godzilla movie. This version adds depth to the human element, which is post-WWII Japanese complete with fractured cities and families. Into this mess wades a monster from the sea that starts stomping streets, crashing into buildings and tossing railroad cars hither and yon. Love the scenes where Godzilla flings fishing boats very long distances; these have a particularly vivid effect on the men who’ve stepped up to tackle the beast on the water with, largely, repurposed fishing boats, tugs and a few military ships. It’s interesting to get a glimpse into these people’s lives, but the segments get overlong. Also, for the U.S. a film in which everyone speaks Japanese, and there are many many subtitles to read, one may lose interest in the human characters entirely. Thankfully the final battle is satisfying, and, as we all know, he’ll be back.