Godzilla 3D – Blu-ray Movie Review

Godzilla 3D (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

After a rather unsuccessful reboot in 1998 by “Independence Day” director Roland Emmerich, Godzilla returns to the big screen in what I would call a more grounded fashion. This is a fresh take on the infamous monster that actually dwells more on the human side of the story than the marquee monster himself. After a natural disaster destroys a nuclear power plant in Japan, a widowed father stays on to find out what truly caused the plant’s destruction and the death of his wife. 15 years later circumstances reunite him with his son and they find out it wasn’t a natural disaster at all. Catastrophic mayhem ensues as two ancient creatures emerge and wreak havoc across the Pacific and the west coast. But just when it seems like these unstoppable “M.U.T.O.’s” are going to destroy everything in their path, nature’s balancing force awakens to deal with the threat.

Specifications

  • Warner Bros.
  • 2014, Rated PG-13, 2 hours and 2 minutes
  • 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Bryan Cranston
  • Directed By: Gareth Edwards

Rating

  • Entertainment:
  • Video:
  • Audio:
  • Extras:
  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: No
  • Language: Mild

Commentary

To be quite honest I had pretty low expectations when I heard they were going for a reboot of Godzilla again. I know the originals have their followers but I’ve always found them a bit too goofy. The 1998 reboot was fun for the spectacle and special effects, but the story caved too much to silly humor. This new take keeps things a bit more grounded and leans more on the human side of the tale. Unfortunately this doesn’t always work well as most of the key characters are pretty stale with little to work with from the poorly written script. Despite the title the key monster of the movie isn’t in it very much, but when the monsters are around it makes for a thrilling ride. Overall I enjoyed the film but its principal flaw was the human element which it focused on too much. Hopefully its announced sequel will do a bit more with the humans or turn its focus on the monsters everyone came to see.

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Technical

While I can nitpick the storyline there isn’t anything to complain about on the technical side. Godzilla was shot with digital cameras and has a fantastic Blu-ray image that is sharp, clean and engaging. The movie can be a bit dark at times but shadow details are preserved and I didn’t see any evidence of banding or compression artifacts in the darker areas. The image does have what I would call a digital signature to it with a total lack of film grain and a slightly hazed quality but it rarely distracts. My review copy also included the 3D version, which didn’t offer up the same experience as the 2D presentation. The darker material doesn’t showcase 3D very well and I didn’t feel that the increase depth offered from the 3D format really added anything that made using the glasses and lowering the brightness worth it.

The 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is probably one of the best I’ve ever heard on the Blu-ray format with a rich and enveloping surround soundstage that is nearly second to none. This movie was mixed in Dolby Atmos for the theatrical release and you can tell they did a lot with the surround soundstage. This translates to a lot of discrete effects popping up around and above you, even if you don’t have an Atmos system at home. Bass performance is demo worthy with some inventive creature sounds that not only shake your seats but present some interesting sound design that provokes chills at times. Overall this is demo quality stuff that has my vote for best soundtrack of 2014 so far.

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Extras

This 3-Disc set includes both the 3D, 2D and DVD presentations of the film. The extras are all on the main feature disc but do little to entice. There are some historical features that flesh out some of the backstory hinted at in the opening credit sequence along with some extra footage that plays like a newsreel for the events of the film. Production features break down a few sequences of the film and the story that director Gareth Edwards brought to the screen. I was hoping for some deleted scenes or even the rumored “director’s cut” but maybe those will come in a later Ultimate Edition. An Ultraviolet digital copy of the film is also included.

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