Godzilla

A breath of fresh air coming off of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. I really liked this take on Godzilla, it’s flawed narratively and thematically but it captures the essence of the dark, daunting and terrifying nature of Godzilla. Amongst films like Godzilla Minus One and Shin Godzilla it is still very clear that America does not understand what Godzilla represents and is incapable of doing what Japan can do with it, but it feels like there is a commentary somewhere on the lasting impact of nuclear power and the military god-complex that comes with that power. Visually it’s spectacular, there are some mind blowing shots and Godzilla looks incredible. I really liked how little they actually used Godzilla, for me it vastly adds to the impact when we do see him, much like how I felt about Minus One, and after The New Empire it’s a relief to feel that immensity of the atomic breath when it’s not used every 5 minutes. It’s flawed narratively but as a rarity it’s refreshing to have an actual storyline with characters you actually care about, bolstered by fantastic performances. I understand where it’s flawed and it doesn’t even remotely hold a candle to the Japanese interpretations where they understand what Godzilla stands for thematically, but this is a problem generally with America’s take on it and the multiverse of abominations. Does a great job of capturing the terrifying aspect of Godzilla through its visual tools. Really fun and really dark, exactly what I needed to scratch my Godzilla itch.