Sunday, 18 May 2014

A Date with Godzilla

The last movie that we saw together was 'Conjuring' that successfully scared us to bits. This time around, we opted for a monster flick - Godzilla. 

The movie opens at a mine site where they have discovered a huge cavern, which is actually the belly of a godzilla and the possibility of the escape of one of its eggs. Next scene, we have Joe, a scientist, worried about tremors that are coming in the nuclear plant. Along with his wife, he races to the plant and predictably his wife is stuck inside the plant and he has to shut it down. (Who asked her to go down there in the first place, especially when there are tremors?)

20 years later, Joe's son Ford is coming home to his wife and son. In the middle of the night, Ford gets a call about his father being caught in Japan near the quarantined area where they had lived once. From here on, the movie becomes a possible script for a tamil/hindi serial, where the Godzilla gets a larger than life role as the 'slapping mother-in-law'. 


My son, your mother died here 20 years ago. I am going to take revenge...



Ford thinks that his father is a mad scientist but he still tags along when Joe unleashes the great 'amma sentiment'. They make their way to their old home and find that it has become an extension of forest. But hey, the floppy disks are there on the desk and Joe pockets them as evidence. Soon, they realize that the air is clean and remove their masks. Next they get captured by the patrolling soldiers and are taken to the nuclear plant. 

At the plant, Ken Wantanabe (scientist who is studying the creature), is looking clueless as Godzilla comes alive, after consuming all the radioactive elements. (It might be handy to have one in India too, now that trigger happy morons are riding the nukes) They try to kill him with electricity but they fail. (And they had 20 years to study the creature!) Joe dies of injuries and tells his son to go home. Now here is where I thought that Ford would say, "Papaji! I will avenge your death. Main usse godzilla ki khoon pee jayonga!"

But no, Ford agrees with his father and makes his way home. Ken Wantanabe in the meanwhile has cleverly deduced that the Godzilla is either on its way to eat, mate and kill (in that order).

While the Godzilla was on its way, to answer a possible mating call, I took about five minutes to check on Raks and to post a status on Facebook. And what do I see when I look up? Not one, two but three Godzillas! Ok. There are three godzillas fighting around or mating. I really couldn't make out the difference. 

The hero Ford wanted to honour his father's last words - 'Go Home'. But these pesky godzillas have their own agenda and are trying to sabotage his mission. Finally, roused to anger, Ford gets irritated and he whips out a... (here it is) a pistol. What nuclear warheads, machine guns, tankers and bombs couldn't achieve, Ford's small pistol does. 

Every time, he has a close encounter with the Godzilla I expected Juliette Binoche to make an appearance in the clouds or superimposed on the Godzilla's face. 'Son! Please take revenge.' But no. What a waste of a talented actress? She was hardly on the screen for two minutes. But no worries, the TV script of this film will have an emotional outburst from the mother, which will run for two mega episodes.

Ken Wantanabe is yet another talented actor wasted in the movie. He looks clueless and scared most times and has no idea about the creature that he studied for 20 years. And what's wrong with the Godzilla's mouth? It opens it with an effort as if a superglue has been applied. And in the end, the Godzilla becomes a dragon and unleashes dragon fire! Very impressive!

So did I enjoy the movie? Oh yes. I literally ran back to the screen during the interval, after getting some snacks because the guy next to me was farting all through the first half. And I wanted my dear darling sister to enjoy the 'sugantham' for the next half.






















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