Seeking out the

5000 greatest films

in a century of cinema

Godzilla


Directed by Gareth Edwards
Produced by Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent, and Brian Rogers
Screenplay by Max Borenstein Story by David Callaham Based on the film by Ishirō Honda
With: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, CJ Adams, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Carson Bolde, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, Richard T. Jones, Victor Rasuk, and Patrick Sabongui
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Editing: Bob Ducsay
Music: Alexandre Desplat
Runtime: 123 min
Release Date: 16 May 2014
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1

The latest Godzilla movie is an across the board disappointment. Those looking for nostalgia for the original will be disappointed. So will those foolish enough to hope for epic human drama laced with contemporary thematic significance. But the most disappointed audiences will be the majority who come to a movie like this to watch a giant lizard smash stuff. Godzilla is curiously absent from his return to the big screen and the majority of the picture focuses on the paper-thin human characters and the ancient MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) they discover. Though the titular creature does show up at the end to take care of business, it’s far too little, way too late. I’m surprised the film wasn’t called Godzilla meets the MUTOs.