As a kid growing up in Southern California, Godzilla, King Of The Monsters wasn’t about the deeper meaning and not-so-subtle references to World War II’s turning point or the horrors of war.

I didn’t care anything about that. (More accurately, I didn’t know any better.) None of my friends did.

We were just thrilled with the giant monster aspect. And Godzilla was the pinnacle of those thrills, the epitome of giant monster flicks.

So imagine my further thrill years later when I discovered there was so much more to Godzilla than simply fond childhood memories of the rampant destruction of Tokyo by sheer kaiju brute force and devastating atomic breath; Godzilla, King Of The Monsters wasn’t the original film at all but a hastily put together, Americanized version utilizing just over an hour’s worth of the Japanese Gojira, the superior, deeper and thought-provoking forerunner to the classic Godzilla more commonly known to the masses.

I was riveted to the screen when reporter Steve Martin (Raymond Burr) detailed Tokyo’s ruination from the rampaging Godzilla each time it graced the family television set, times that were too few and frustratingly far between as a kid. I was equally riveted at finally getting a copy of Gojira to see what was cut out of and changed in the film, how it differed from what I affectionately recalled from those youthful years. Was it a completely different film as I’d heard?

Knowing Gojira — which preceded Godzilla, King Of The Monsters by a couple years — was filmed in its original Japanese wasn’t daunting in the least to me. (I know a lot of people have problems with viewing a foreign film. Many folks are thrown by the incomprehensibility of a different tongue just as much as they are by subtitles flashing at the bottom of their screens, things that can and do contribute to the lack of enjoyment of non-English speaking films.) But I’m not one of them. And in fact Gojira, in its nascent form, is truly different than its bastard son … and not just in its language. It’s a more jarring and empathetic film, it’s a longer running film (clocking in at almost 100 minutes versus the 80 or so minutes of the Americanized version) not to mention it’s a captivating and intriguing piece of film making.

The idea Gojira was (and still is) firmly enmeshed with glaring comparisons and references to the World War II bombings of Japan less than a decade prior to its original 1954 release. A majority of those haunting images and scenarios were effectively slashed from the English version with only bare bones snippets left intact. This is one of the most obvious differences found when you compare the films side by side. They aren’t the most telling, however. There are a few scenes that had to have chilled the blood of some movie-goers of the time Gojira was released with the war still fresh in memory:

In one scene a physician runs a Geiger counter over a child in the aftermath of one of Godzilla’s rampages; the counter ticks wildly indicating horrifically the child’s exposure to radiation. In another, a mother comforts her daughter as the sound of Godzilla’s wrath plays out all around her. (“We’ll see daddy in heaven” the mother says in an effort to placate the girl.) There’s also a scene with a commuter train filled with Japanese verbalizing their fears about the creature. (“I hope I didn’t survive Nagasaki for nothing” one woman hrmphs.) Not so blood chilling — but equally as poignant — is a council meeting debating whether the monster’s affiliation with H-bomb testing should be revealed, sparking possible public hysteria. There are plenty more examples such as these removed from the Raymond Burr interpretation. Observers of the original realize each instance of excisement hugely alters one Godzilla rendition from the other.

One really interesting notice in Gojira was the presence of gratuitous (for the time) nudity. There are scenes of topless women when a fishing boat survivor washes ashore early on in the film which really surprised me. This is something that couldn’t possibly be present in Godzilla, King Of The Monsters … could it? But, on review, there it was. The exact same scenes, never cut from the original. I reasoned my fascination with the film was the monster aspect and had nothing to do with underlying morals or otherwise. Of course, this was all part of the intrigue of getting my first glimpse of Gojira and the fun of comparing one film to the other.

The flush of excitement of the version I saw as a kid will forever remain. Come on! Giant, destructive monsters! The stuff of popcorn Saturday afternoons and thrills and chills! And that’s why the recent reboot held (and, for me, delivered) such promise. Just as arousing though is Gojira and all its ominous undertones.

This Halloween? I suggest you go “old school” and kindle a different sort of scare instead of the glut of current slasher flicks or shallow horror schlock. Expand your mind. Get retro, go kaiju … and go Gojira instead.

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When Godzilla was released theatrically I, along with many others, was stoked to see the big guy back on screen. His last US outing didn’t turn out so well, so Warner Brothers did a great job marketing the new reboot by barely showing the iconic monster. The feeling amongst the fans was that you have to have a pretty strong movie to promote it without even showing the title character.

Turns out there wasn’t a whole lot of Godzilla to be seen on screen. (Someone recently made a rather cheeky YouTube video to satisfy all the Godzilla fans who felt the film lacked Godzilla by piecing together all of the scenes in the movie that feature Godzilla. It runs less than eight minutes.) The film spends an inordinate amount of time on the other monsters, the M.U.T.O.s (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Objects) and a collection of characters spread throughout the story with little emotional connection for the audience.

The story’s biggest misstep was (SPOILER ALERT) killing off its biggest star 40 minutes in. The early ads featured said star prominently, so I felt I had a good idea of what the movie was going to be going in to it, but past that point it turned into a meandering tale that needed (a) the star and (b) Godzilla. But now that the movie is out on home video, I decided to give it a second look to see if my feelings about it had changed knowing what the story was going to be.

The (slightly) good news is that I did enjoy it a little more for what it was, but the film still suffers mightily from Bryan Cranston’s abrupt exit from the film. His was the one character that we could sympathize with because he had a real emotional reaction to everything that was going on. No one else really seems to be that invested in the events taking place in the film. The film does feel a bit overly long, but even at 8 minutes, there are quite a few glimpses of Godzilla throughout to tease us until we really get to see him full on. I still don’t care for the M.U.T.O.s though (thankfully, a rogue’s gallery of classic kaiju will be on hand for the sequel).

Be that as it may, the new Blu-ray from Warner Home Video is beautiful to behold. The image is sharp and clear, giving you a chance to marvel at the CGI creation that is Godzilla. I noticed one shot where his neck bounces a bit giving the CG creature the look of a man in a rubber suit. The first third of the film is served especially well as it tends to be brighter and more colorful, but even as the film darkens the blacks are deep without a hint of artifacting. The Blu-ray’s DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix will certainly rattle the house during the scenes of giant monster destruction. For those with a 3D display, the Blu-ray seems to have an even better presentation than what was presented theatrically (depending on the quality of your local cinema’s 3D). It is a post-converted 3D film, and while there is little that reaches beyond the frame of your TV screen, the depth that is achieved is pretty amazing.

The film is available in several versions. The Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack (generously provided to CliqueClack by Warner Home Video for review) contains the 3D version on one disc with the standard version and the Special Features on a separate disc (a DVD and Digital Copy are also included). The Special Features, unfortunately, only scratch the surface of the making of the film (as with most films now, there is no audio commentary). The Special Features are broken down into two categories – MONARCH: Declassified and The Legendary Godzilla (and I think Legendary refers more to the production company than the legend).

The first section contains

• “Operation: Lucky Dragon” (2:44) – A “vintage” film about the origins of MONARCH.
• “MONARCH: The M.U.T.O. File” (4:29) – A sort of “orientation” film explaining MONARCH and the M.U.T.O. to new team members.
• “The Godzilla Revelation” (7:25) – An “exposé” film from a conspiracy theory group called MonsterTruth revealing unauthorized information about Godzilla and the M.U.T.O.s to the public.

The second section contains

• ‘Godzilla: Force of Nature’ (19:18) – Gareth Edwards, Bryan Cranston and others discuss the legacy of Godzilla and how to bring a realistic sensibility to a modern film (contains spoilery footage).
• ‘A Whole New Level of Destruction’ (8:24) – Making the film’s destruction look as real as possible.
• ‘Into the Void: The H.A.L.O. Jump’ (5:00) – Explains how the jump scene was filmed.
• ‘Ancient Enemy: The M.U.T.O.s’ (6:49) – Gareth Edwards and the producers explain the development of the M.U.T.O.s.

A more in-depth look at the making of the film would have been welcome, but what is presented should please those who enjoy behind-the-scenes looks at movies. Overall, the home video presentation of the film is excellent and highly recommended for both fans and detractors of the movie. It actually does play better the second time around for those who didn’t like it, and for those who did this video release should be a welcome addition to a home video library.

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When you’re of a certain age and you hear a movie is being made of either one of you favorite classic TV shows or one of your favorite classic movies, you think one of two things – “This is going to suck” or “This is going to be awesome!” When you finally begin to see teasers and trailers that just hint at the movie’s awesomeness, you set yourself some impossibly high expectations for what the full movie will be.

And that is the situation many Godzilla fans may find themselves in when the newly updated, revived and rebooted Godzilla stomps into theaters on May 16. The teasers, the trailers and the TV ads have done their job very well, heavily featuring Bryan Cranston and fleeting glimpses of the big guy and something else big. But the trailers are also a bit misleading, making it seem like Cranston is on some kind of quest to uncover a large government conspiracy that leads to the reveal of Godzilla (and I do love the fact that Ken Watanabe’s character refers to him as Gojira). That is Cranston’s role in the film, but it turns out to not be as big a part of the story as expected.

What the story turns out to be is a son’s (Ford Brody, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) journey to honor his father (Cranston), whom he always thought was just a guy who went a little nuts after his wife died (Juliette Binoche bites it very early in the proceedings), and then to get back to his own wife and son before Godzilla flattens San Francisco. Luckily, he’s an Army bomb technician who is always in the right place at the right time.

The main story does involve a government cover-up, but not really of Godzilla. Turns out the Japanese have had some creature under surveillance at a former nuclear facility (which it destroyed in 1999), and now that thing which they have dubbed MUTO has come out of its dormancy and is on a mission. The US military takes over, of course, and they want to blow the MUTO and Godzilla to Kingdom Come, but Watanabe’s character, Dr. Serizawa, is convinced Godzilla is not the enemy but the defender of the earth against these other monsters. Will the military leaders take heed, or will they nuke San Francisco Bay before Godzilla can show them what a great guy he is?

I had really, really, really, impossibly high expectations for Godzilla, so perhaps nothing would have given me that rush that I expected while watching the movie. I had the same high expectations for last year’s Pacific Rim, and I left Godzilla feeling just about the same amount of meh. It’s not that the movie is bad by any means, it just left me wanting more – more plot, more Cranston, more Godzilla. The movie is more about the MUTO than anything else! The plot is all set up very early on and then it just plays out with one action/disaster/fighting monsters scene after another … until it comes to a dead stop to watch characters basically do nothing before the action starts again.

Watanabe does a lot of standing around, squinting and grimacing at the sights in the distance. Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, as Serizawa’s right hand, gives most of the expository dialog and also stands around gawking. Elizabeth Olsen, as Ford’s wife Elle, is separated from her husband and their son for the bulk of the movie, and Cranston isn’t in the film as much as we’ve been led to believe. Which is a shame because I thought he gave the best performance of anyone, actually bringing a tear to my eye almost every time he got emotional about the loss of his wife or while trying to convince everyone that he’s not mad. Godzilla also shows up about midway into the movie, and then almost every time he starts to fight the MUTO, the scene cuts away to people talking, staring or looking forlorn. But mostly looking at things. There really seemed to be very little actual dialog.

The biggest mistake the filmmakers have made, besides not featuring the star of the title more, was trying to separate this film from all the other Godzilla movies that have come before (unfortunately, one subplot with the MUTO is a little too close to the events of the horrid 1998 version, and also reminds one of a plot point in Aliens). If you look real closely in a scene at the Brody home, there is a little Easter egg for the longtime Godzilla/kaiju fans, but that little nod to the past should have been a more important part of the new movie. Instead of trying to introduce new monsters into the Godzilla canon, they should have started off with new versions of the classics like Rodan (which the flying MUTO sometimes resembles) and then save the new monsters for the inevitable sequel. The other problem with a movie like this is that you know the “hero” isn’t going to really be in danger of dying, so all we’re left with is the spectacle of the fights and the destruction of the cities.

Of course, the special effects are the best that can be expected. Godzilla is certainly not a man in a rubber suit, and the destruction of cities is also spectacular. But in the end it just didn’t have the heart that it should have, especially for people like me who have been watching Godzilla movies since I was a kid. I certainly am happy to see Godzilla back up on the big screen and done right, but in the end the movie failed by not making me care if there is a sequel. It’s not a bad movie, but this re-introduction to a beloved character was just not as exciting or interesting as it should have been.

This offer is now closed. Winners will be notified by email. Stay connected to CliqueClack on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the eagerly anticipated Godzilla starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston.

The world’s most revered monster is reborn as Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures unleash the epic action adventure Godzilla. From visionary new director Gareth Edwards (Monsters) comes a powerful story of human courage and reconciliation in the face of titanic forces of nature, when the awe-inspiring Godzilla rises to restore balance as humanity stands defenseless.

The screenings will take place on Monday, May 12, 7:00 PM at the following locations:

• Regal Majestic, 900 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD
• Cinemark Egyptian, 7000 Arundel Mills Cir, Hanover, MD

A very limited number of passes are available for each screening. Please read the following rules very carefully to enter this contest.

• Comment on this post ONLY with SILVER SPRING or HANOVER. Do not list the theater name, time, date or any other information or your entry may be overlooked.
• Your FULL NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS is required for this contest. Check your spelling before submitting. Any misspelled/returned emails will result in disqualification.
• ONE COMMENT per person/per email address. Any duplicates will be discarded. Multiple entries will be disqualified. CliqueClack reserves the right to discard or disqualify any entries that appear to be duplicates.
• Winners will be selected by a random drawing on Saturday, May 10 and notified by email by 6:00 PM.

Please note that passes do not guarantee seats at the screening. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed and is not responsible for seating at the theater. Please plan to arrive early!

The entry period for this contest will end at Noon, Saturday, May 10th. Have a look at the trailer below and then let us know where you want to see the film. Godzilla opens in theaters on May 16.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1pX97_0rxU

All passes for this event have been claimed. Stay connected with CliqueClack on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Entertainment and Legendary to offer readers in the Boston area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new action thriller Godzilla starring stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins, with David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.

In Summer 2014, the world’s most revered monster is reborn as Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures unleash the epic action adventure Godzilla. From visionary new director Gareth Edwards (Monsters) comes a powerful story of human courage and reconciliation in the face of titanic forces of nature, when the awe-inspiring Godzilla rises to restore balance as humanity stands defenseless.

The screening will take place on Monday, May 12, 7:00 PM at AMC Boston Common.

A limited number of passes are available on a first come, first served basis. Simply comment on this post telling us why you want to see the movie and we will send you a special GoFoBo code by email. Please make sure you have entered your email address correctly! As passes are limited, we will accept one comment per person/per email address/per household (this is not a random drawing so if you’re a couple, only one of you need comment!). CliqueClack reserves the right to discard any duplicates or comments that appear to be duplicates. Multiple comments from a single person will result in complete disqualification. Please keep these offers fair for everyone.

Please note that passes do not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the number of passes distributed and is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater.

This offer will be valid until all passes have been awarded or on the day of the screening, whichever comes first. Have a look at the trailer below and tell us why you want to see the movie. Godzilla opens nationwide on May 16.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=64c6VLNJQiE

When I was a kid, Saturday nights were about the horror movies, the monster movies.

Big tub o’ popcorn, chocolate milk, pound of Jujubes or your candy of choice and look out — it was CreepFest time.

All through the week, we’d wonder what was in store for the following Saturday. You see … in the dinosaur era of television (again, in my youth) you went grocery shopping with your mom. It wasn’t a chore to do so, either. Why? Because you got the opportunity to snag the latest issue of TV Guide and see what monster flick was expected on the boob tube. Any subversive movie would do, but Godzilla flicks were the preferred. Not that we had a choice, you understand. (Note: Little freaks and weirdos that we were, we used to collect magazines, comics, etc. that came out and we’d clip all monster images we spied. We’d share them amongst each other with the best, most unique or different photos garnering bragging rights for the month.)

My friends and I knew all the names of the kaiju in Godzilla’s crew: King Ghidorah, Minilla (not “Baby Godzilla” … Minilla … !!!), Mothra, Baragon, Hedorah (The Smog Monster), Anguirus, Rodan, Manda, Kumonga and the rest. We were giant monster crazy … something that still persists today. (Yeah … I dog-dug Pacific Rim that came out last summer.)

So imagine my delight when I heard the resurrection of Godzilla once again … but this time with a proper Godzilla, not the travesty that was the Ferris Bueller version (starring Matthew Broderick) from the late 90s. *ugh*

With the Comic-Con preview last year and the trailers released, Legendary Pictures did nothing but whet my appetite. But, my, those juices got jacked up when I got the opportunity to cruise through “The Godzilla Experience” at The Con. (It was a walk-through, interactive exhibition which became “terrifying” while you were in a high-rise in some downtown locale. Shuttled through offices with lots of Godzilla memorabilia, suddenly alarms klaxoned and you were immediately rushed by “security” to a supposedly secure area. But not so secure when The King Of The Monsters tromped past a window right in front of you … then turned tail and looked right in, ready to wreak havoc! I’ve provided a few photos below.)

The Godzilla Experience was filled with props throughout the adventure like this one …

Monitors were everywhere showing “America under attack” from … something …

We were continually in the path of danger once the alarms sounded …

Then this week (Tuesday to be exact), a surprise from Legendary: The new Godzilla trailer had arrived … !!! I was like a kid in a candy store all over again! I was ecstatic! I immediately watched it a dozen times.

So imagine my surprise when I caught more than a few surprises in the promo, a pretty damned spiffy one noted in the image below:

What is that circled in red the soldiers are shooting at?!? It’s definitely not a plane. Some sort of flying kaiju. Rodan? Mothra? Ghirodrah? Something else entirely?

Weigh in, people. Who is it? What is it? Are you in as anticipatory a state about this film as I am? Because I’m ready to jump out of my skin about this thing.

Come on, May 16th … !!!

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