Those are the opening lines to the song ‘GODZILLA’ by Blue Oyster Cult from way back..but for some reason, those lyrics kept repeating in my head before & during the movie.. Maybe because it’s so campy funny, or that all Godzilla movies are just that..campy fun. I mean who hasn’t at one point in time or another in their lives like on a rainy Saturday afternoon home, watched a campy, mostly Asian genre-based Godzilla movie as literally one of the best parts was re-enacting the bad English dubbing of them!!  Therein might lie the problem of this movie as I think they just take it a bit to seriously.  I mean they almost could have named it ‘Godzilla Saves the World.’  Mind you it’s not a bad movie..not in the slightest..in actuality it’s entertaining enough and basically that is truly all I ask for in a movie ~ getting my bang for my buck so to speak.  

Bryan Cranston is believable and good enough as “Joe Brody” and ‘blink and you miss her’ Juliette Binoche as his wife “Sandra Brody” is what brings round why the plot of this story is even happening. Aaron Taylor-Johnson as “Ford Brody” son of Joe & Sandra is a welcome relative newcomer for me though I can see he’s been in quite a few things, mostly in the U.K. again, new to me, I liked him in this. Also, his wife, “Elle Brody” played by Elizabeth Olsen makes for another welcome new face and decent enough performances though all were pretty one-dimensional.  But let’s be real, no awards are going to be given in a Gozilla movie!! So simplicity is really best.  Ken Watanabe as “Dr. Ishiro Serizawa” is well..yeah..the scientist that has that perpetual “DOOM” look on his face and Sally Hawkins as “Vivenne Graham” to be honest I’m not really sure why she was in the movie as she didn’t speak for what the 1st hour. plus as Dr. Serizawa’s assistant and with a constant strained face look also, well let’s just say it was a bad choice of roles for an actress who was just up for a deservedly Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for last years brilliant turn in Blue Jasmine. So a completely wasted performance for me. 

As for the creatures in the movie, I didn’t like the new ones, the MUTO’s as they call them. They reminded me of big fly/spider creatures and I’m never endeared to those kind of monsters. Godzilla however, was a wonderful creative in all his true Godzilla glory and while I didn’t think the fight scenes between the 2 monsters were anything special nor did they seem to show as much as say they did in the old school movies, it got the point across that yes, Godzilla was going to save us from the MUTO’s and is portrayed as the ‘good guy’ in this movie and have a ‘connection’ with the some of the people..*sigh*  Maybe that’s what didn’t roll right with me as isn’t Godzilla supposed to be our sworn enemy as basically all monsters are?  

Lastly, they really tried to bring in the human element story here of the Brody family..While I get you need a backstory, it’s a Monster movie for goodness sakes.. Leave it at that. 

Grade: C-