Godzilla........

Yesterday I did what I always do when dealing with the fall out from a slightly pissed off "  black dog mood"........
I went to the cinema...you can't beat a bit of escapism when the chips are down

Well, firstly , can I say that it's nice to see another Welshperson doing well in Hollywood..ok apart from Katherine Zeta jones, Anthony Hopkins, christian Bale ( yes he's welsh) Michael Sheen and
Duffy, that is (.......and before you bleat away... Duffy did make a very passable film called Patagonia in 2010). 
Welsh director Gareth Edwards, has been given responsibility for the latest reincarnation of Godzilla and seems to have directed the biggest smash Hollywood has seen all year....wisely he has taken the movie back to its Japanese roots and has made a  monster movie which  is at times a wonderfully exciting and interesting take on those  1960 far eastern " man in a suit" flicks as well as being a little disappointing journey into old fashioned action movie sexism and American Flag waving.

I think Godzilla looks a little like a bull mastiff 

Edwards has obviously embraced Godzilla's original persona of an avenging hero ( the monster surfaces to challenge two giant praying mantis type creatures reawakened by the 1950s US nuclear tests in the Pacific) but stops short of having a Japanese hero.  Ok he has cast the delectable Ken Watanabe as the lead Boffin in charge of ridding the world of the giant reptile threat but was sure not to give him the major action role.  

The lovely Ken Waranabe with Welshman Gareth

That goes to an American hunk with a pretty blond wife.
The American men take the lead... The Japanese Prof looks angst and ( in my view) sexy but is  allowed  to do nothing as are the women in the movie (Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins and bizarrely Juliette Binoche) who say and do bugger all.....

Juliette...what are you doing?

But I know...I am being just a little picky.

Edwards also plays a great deal of games with the audience, as much of the monster action is "seen" through other mediums almost as an aside......we seen Godzilla battling with the MUTO  Through fictional tv coverage, through the windows of a school and a train and  through CCTV  coverage etc before cutting back to the actors.
It's an interesting if not slightly irritating ploy.

Ok, I have to say that there are some wonderfully inventive visual  set pieces amid the action.
A stunning panorama of chaos as seen through the massive windows of an airport lounge. The eerie view of a monster creeping underneath a railway bridge where our hero lies terrified on the rail tracks and the break neck escape attempt of nuclear reactor personnel from the basement of their crumbling plant , being stand outs in the roller coaster ride.

the airport scene...impressive!

By the end of it all, I was exhausted by all of the action. Irritated that it was all more " American" 
than Japanese and despite my enjoyment , slightly disappointed by its poor use of Watanabe and the female characters.........but I was impressed by the fact that generally it was a " what it says on the tin"
Movie...... Big, brassy, gob smacking........and fun
7/10