Over the years there has been many interpretations of the giant that is Godzilla, 36 films in fact. Were most of these won't be known of by many there are a select few films that certainly will be. This instalment, released in 2014, was the beginnings of a further story, and to set up the "Monsterverse". Since its release we have had two further films, Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, both of which recieved roughly the same reception.
Being the set up for future movies, Godzilla only gives us an idea of what this franchise is set to become and the direction it is going to take. Where you do get the classic big monster fight scenes this was bogged down by the human characters story lines, which felt like the main focus of the film.
Written by Elliot Lines
The first hour feels like a drag. Now its understandable that they're trying to set up the tension before Godzilla turns up, but by now we know what he is, there is no need for a long set up of whats happened to him. Even the set up of the kaiju's feels kind of lazy, they're almost just there, and at times it's questionable how things weren't noticed due to the atomic size of these creatures. It's not until basically an hour on the dot that you hear that iconic scream, and this is where the movie ramps up a notch.
Here is the moment you get to witness Godzilla come into play, big monster battles on the big screen is exactly what you want from this type of movie. There is no holding back the punches, and the battles are epic but then it goes back into chase Godzilla mode until the big finale.
There is a need for some sort of story to these films, but to this extent not so much. There is a large chunk where it is setting up the character arcs but these characters don't really do much for the rest of the film. The middle part is again where it is trying to set up an emotional connection to the people involved but there isn't and ounce of feeling towards them, so just give us big monster fights and small character arcs, and everyone will be happy.
Were it excels in big monster battles, however limited, there is far too much focus on the characters at play here, ultimately bringing the film down with it. You'll still have fun watching, for the most part, but there are some massively notable plot holes which you cannot escape from.