You all were probably hoping I would watch X-Men: Days of Future Past, and The Amazing Spider-man 2 back-to-back. Sorry to disappoint, but I just had to see GODZILLA!! (I want to spell it phonetically but some people might twitch.). Despite being a pairing of Disaster/Monster flick and Comic Superhero genres both films in fact shared one similar thing: They both told the story in their respected and loved original styles. So let's get started because I'm itching to tell, but do not fret, I will not spoil anything for you.
The Amazing Spider-man 2
As much as I'd love to put on my thick-rimmed hipster glasses and hatefully compare this re-franchising to the Toby McGuire series, I cannot, in good conscience, do it. Honestly, when I watched Toby, Franco, Dunst and Dafoe in the first series I thought it was a lot of fun. I agree, the final installment was not my favorite but it wrapped up the storyline as much as they could have at the time. That being said, The Amazing Spider-man 2, just like The Amazing Spider-man, has continued the matured-yet-nostalgic essence of comic-book Spider-man. The style of the film is very deep seated in that classic childhood awe we once felt when we saw the illustrated feats and antics of Spider-man.
Casting, like the last one, was expanded and consistently fun and great! Andrew Garfield plays a consistent and tortured Spider-man who desperately tries to tackle his love life and crime-fighting persona for balance. Although this sequel dynamic often hurts superhero films, there was enough content to thread in both persona narratives without diverting from the intrigue and excitement of the pending drama storms. Speaking of the pending storms, the casting choices for Jamie Fox and Dane DeHann as the key antagonists made for an interesting mix of 'frenemy'-type drama. Jamie Fox dons an unlikely visage (and hair) to give a sympathetic and electrifying coming-to-power tale. I am used to seeing him in roles where he plays it cool, funky, or jazzy and I was getting tired of it; seeing him in this role makes me think he was getting tired of it too, and he kicked it out of the park with perfect original-yet-archetypal flare. Dane DeHann, is just wonderfully mysterious and grimy in his portrayal of Harry Osborne. Speaking of villains, I am not going to tell you who the side villain that book-ends the film, but it is a wonderfully entertaining surprise if you are a fan of quirky actors. As for more good-guy casting, Emma Stone is stunning and brilliant with impeccable comedic and dramatic timing. I want to go on about her but I simply can't. As they'd say in Dr. Who....Spoilers :3 .
Special Effects for this film really filled the senses and the way they did the dropping and swinging shots to complement the 3D. I felt a wonderfully lifting sense of vertigo at times that made the experience of swinging with Spider-man very breathtaking. Once Electro comes into the picture the effects take a dark, cyber-esque turn with amazing effects of electrical currents and blue sparks and auras. The effects really made it feel like a comic come to life, and the camera work and framing of the big effects shots really felt epic and ominous for some of the key showdowns.
I can't say anything about the story! But I must say it is well rounded, thrilling, and fun. It will make you laugh, cry, squeal with excitement and make you grasp your armrests.
GODZILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sorry, I can never resist.
Well, I must warn you, in order to really tell you how I feel about this you need to have seen the original Godzilla and the bad one made in the 90's that was a strange ripoff of Jurassic Park (the only good part was the beginning on the cargo ship with the dying man), well, maybe not, here goes.
The original Godzilla, like most older films, had a slower build, pace, and narrative. It surrounded the fears and ominous dread that Japan had once suffered, and one of the biggest sources of energy the world uses. Nuclear Technology. This spawned a morality play monster flick about nature developing itself to fight back in the form of a prehistoric dragon-like demi-god, which is in great Japanese fashion. Anyway.
Godzilla at its core is a monster film that needs care to appease its fans and new viewers. No crazy shaky fight camera angles, no early reveals, and a lot of sciency build and intriguing, Michael Crichton-esque investigation bits. To let this story unfold to a wider, hollywood-prone audience this version added more American characters, but still within a Japanese context and locale; they personalized the stories of the event victims more, but did not overdo and alienate the reason we are all watching this (to see Godzilla kick ass and shoot colourful fire). In that respect, I feel 2014 Godzilla did a fantastic job of using the original feel of the franchise to re-animate this classic monster-flick.
Casting. It is a monster movie, performances fall mainly to the wayside as far as audience attention is concerned but all the keys did their job well to move the story along and make you feel for them. Brian Cranston introduces the fear and determination to uncover the unknown while the grace and intense gravitas of Ken Watanabe (Japanese Clint/Neeson, and he is awesome in everything) makes you smile and giggle with excitement as he gives the epic explanation of who this iconic monster is, and it's purpose. Listening to him say Godzilla is by far one of the most satisfying and perfectly delivered things in this movie. I mean, we all love to shout it or whisper it intensely. Try it, you can't resist saying it without some epic urgency.
Special Effects and Music. I was impressed with how well and present the music was during the film. I am a fan of the classic emotional uses for music in films so to see a resurgence of character themes and inspirational fighting notes running through this film really make me happy and keep you very enthralled in the fun that is going to the movies. The special effects are used very well, and both Godzilla and his adversary are creatively re-imagined, look and move in their classic form of large throwing motions. Godzilla really allowed you to watch the fight from a distance so that you could enjoy the majesty of these titan-like creatures fighting in a city. There are still those fast badass 'oh-no-you-di'int' moments in the fights that give you an excited shock here and there, and they are not overused like most movies nowadays.
All in All, both films really expressed the filmmakers' attention to pleasing their fans of all generations, keeping it old school, yet updating them with effects and loveable casting. Well done. Both are very worth seeing in cinema. This summer definitely has plenty of films I need to catch up on. So off I go!! See you at the movies!!!!
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