Review (Spoilers)
I admit, I was unsure that I would enjoy this movie when I went to see it. This was my first Godzilla film, aside from the widely disliked 1998 American Remake, and what I knew of the very first Godzilla seemed a little too dark for my taste (there was a scene where a little kid was severely irradiated, for crying out loud!)
But then again, I am a big fan of films involving special effects and/or animation. I ended up loving the film, even if my family didn't. I thought the monsters were incredible, and the cinematography really helped. Two scenes in particular really gave me chills, but if you don't want any spoilers I'd recommend that you do not read any further.
In the airport scene, one of the antagonistic monsters, called MUTOs, causes a chain reaction of exploding planes. The camera shoots a wide shot of the crowd inside the building witnessing the chaos through a window that takes up the entire wall. Everyone is screaming, the camera pans to the follow the planes as they explode one after another… and then Gozilla's leg steps into view and everyone falls silent. What I loved about this scene was the way the scene was shot. I honestly did not expect to see Godzilla make his first full appearance in such a manner, and the iconic roar that followed after was terrifying to say the least.
However, the most thrilling part of the movie had to be the HALO jump scene. I read somewhere that the scene was intended to resemble angels descending into hell, and I think the film makers were bang on the mark. The scene was shot mostly from the main character's perspective, and when the monsters came into view, duking it out while men plummeted from the sky all around them, you can imagine the terror the guy must be feeling to see such a thing with his own eyes.
All in all, GREAT movie, and I have half a mind to go see it again.
