Rent Godzilla (2014)

Enjoyable and fun monster movie - Godzilla review by PV

I enjoyed watching this movie. It's way better than the blockbuster Godzilla from a few years ago, but not as hilariously funny as the 1950s Japanese version.

The radiation issue was cleverly folded into the plot and backstory.

Anyone complaining that Godzilla wasn't on screen enough just does not realise the way a story needs to build tension; in Jurassic Park the dinosaurs were on screen for only 6 and a half minutes! OK, so this is not up there with that film, but it's a good effort and I had no issue with the MUTOS - mega moths who eat radiation. Godzilla needs an enemy! Mankind needs jeopardy (will the mutos breed?) All decent plotting actually.

Loads of CGI, of course, with hundreds of digital artists credited, but that's true of most movies these days.

The acting is fine - with 'nowhere boy' Aaron Johnson doing an American accent (as so many Brits have to do these days, coz Brits in these sort of films are always either the baddies or the boffins or the totty...)

The film was perhaps a tad overlong - and some subtitles need a serious edit by someone who is literate in English.

But for a good fun monster movie, this does the job. 4 stars.

SciFi Action Film - Great Fun - Godzilla review by GI

A science fiction action film that rolls along at a great pace and has a neat updated story. Director Gareth Edwards has effectively utilised an old, perhaps tired, movie creature feature and given it an injection of modern effects and a thrilling story making for one very entertaining movie. The cast are great and include Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the nominal lead, with Elizabeth Olsen (sadly underused), Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche although the real star are the monsters, which are brilliantly created. The story centres around the sudden destruction of a Japanese nuclear plant caused by something unknown but which produced strange seismic activity. After his wife dies in the accident engineer, Joe (Cranston) spends years trying to uncover the secrets behind the disaster much to the annoyance of his son, soldier Ford (Taylor-Johnson) but Joe is proved right when years later similar seismic activity unleashes strange, gigantic monsters that have lain hidden in the earth for millions of years. Plans to destroy them are commenced but scientist Ishiro (Watanabe) is convinced one of them has risen to reset a balance of nature and will work for mankind and destroy the others. There's some fantastic set pieces and the visuals are thrilling and really good. This is a neat action film, unpretentious and well written and I especially loved the opening credits where real footage of the atomic bomb tests of the 1950s is interwoven into the narrative of the film. Great fun, a pity the later sequel was so awful because this hits the spot.

Not what I expected - Godzilla review by CP Customer

I have never seen any version of Godzilla before, so really had no idea what to expect, and i have to say I was a little bit let down. However overall it is a good movie and well worth watching. Amazing special effects.

Zilla looking awesome - Godzilla review by CP Customer

Great film if your are after a good action film with some cool monsters in it.

After the 1990s version were Godzilla had been on some sort of diet plan I was very relieved to see a far more true to the original Godzilla on the screen, and man he's a handsome beast. You do have to wait a fair time to see him and then you don't see most of his first major fight but I suppose they wanted to keep that for the end.

A bit slow to get going and only Godzilla from the original monsters fighting against some new flying thing, would have been great to see him against one of his old adversaries but you can't have everything.

Good solid entertainment, not a classic Godzilla film but man he looks great!!!

enjoyable and easy watch - Godzilla review by jaysha

I enjoyed the film and had a new twist to it. Rooting for godzilla and one part no spoiler! had me going yes! Passable movie and actors.

Watchable if you like this sort of film... - Godzilla review by CP Customer

... but don't expect too much. I can see what they were trying to do with it and it does create some back story that can be expanded in other films. Not much that's really new though and the action isn't anything particularly memorable. Some good cast members, which helps, but does feel like the big names were underused.

dissapointing - Godzilla review by cw

not impressed at all was excepting a great film but what a let down no way near as good as the one made before sorry cant remember when but this was a poor effort