Craveonline's Review of "Godzilla"

Above, the Godzilla slide in Yokosuka, Japan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While in the process of looking for something else, the first review (that I've seen) of Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla popped up onto the screen.

So, forgetting what I was looking for, I went ahead and read the review. Rather than go into the review, I will just post the first two paragraphs and let you go read the full review yourselves via the link below (aren't I a nice guy?).

The review was posted at Craveonline.com. Here's the first two paragraphs (warning, there may be spoilers in the full review):

In many ways Godzilla is a strange beast. Beyond the fact that he’s a bipedal reptile who breathes fire and stands as tall as a building, I mean. The original kaiju began its cinematic career as a metaphor for the very real, very sobering nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, but it evolved very rapidly into a heroic, monster-fighting superstar with subplots involving time travel and kooky moth cults. It would be tempting to return Godzilla completely to its dead-serious roots with this modern remake, effectively Batman Begins-inating a franchise that had long since become synonymous with camp, but that wouldn’t have been very much fun, now would it? 

Fortunately, director Gareth Edwards seems to understand that a sense of balance is in order, and has therefore directed a new Godzilla that succeeds in both having its cake and stomping on it too. The first half of Godzilla is human, suspenseful and dramatic, and the second half segues – albeit a little awkwardly – into a series of breathtaking monster brawls that are simultaneously little ridiculous and also tons of melodramatic fun. 

Well, there you have it! It looks like Legendary and Warner Bros. have a winner on their hands (or claws) if other reviewers share the same sentiments and the fans (and general public) flock to the theaters.

Gee, I wonder how Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert would have thought of this movie if they were alive today?

To read the full review, go here.