Godzilla

“Godzilla was baptized in the fire of the H-bomb and survived.” Wow, a completely self-contained story and one of the greatest achievements in filmmaking history. This is instantly, without a doubt, one of my favorite films of all time. I loved everything about it. The use of miniatures, the score, the cinematography, and the performances are all top-notch. Takashi Shimura is one of my favorite actors, so seeing him here makes it that much better. I’m honestly at a loss for words. I knew it was going to be good, but damn, I absolutely loved it. You feel the weight of Godzilla being forced out of his home by man-made weapons, yet you also clearly understand how much of a threat he is. The destruction sequence of Godzilla reaching the city is also one of the most fun and terrifying scenes in recent memory for me. It’s never too goofy looking to not be taken seriously. Godzilla is in these character world and it’s terrifying.  This is one of those films I believe everyone needs to see at some point in their life. It’s truly special.