Godzilla

I have been really pumped for the latest Godzilla film after all it's great trailers and posters. Even though looking back at the 1998 version now, it's awful, but I remember seeing it when I was younger and being terrified and in awe at the same time. And it looked as though the latest film had grown up with me and took a more realistic and serious look and what would actually happen if a massive lizard, whale, dinosaur thing appeared. This film is a lot different to the films before it and thankfully a whole bunch better then Roland Emmerich's version! Read on for my spoiler free verdict on the latest Godzilla.

I won't go too in depth to the plot because although it's a Godzilla movie, it's different. It's hard to explain but the less you know the more you will probably enjoy it. However don't go in thinking this going to be your average disaster movie filled with destruction after destruction after destruction, because it's not that. It's a film about humans more then anything, it's about seeing the rampage from a point of view that grounds it in a form of realism.

These human characters are played by Aaron Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen and Ken Watanabe. Cranston brings the raw powerful emotion with a force from the very beginning, he leaves you tugging at your heartstrings within 10 minutes. Which is all well and good but I wish the other characters had been just as awesome, because they fall short of this. Aaron Taylor Johnson is ok, we root for him but at times his character feels more like a plot device to get you from A to B than anything else. I wish I could care about his wife Elisabeth Olsen more, because she is also great but severely underused to make much of an impact. The film gets it right at times with the characters but always just seems to miss out on perfection after the first act.

Don't get me wrong though, there is heart to the story and it's helped along by beautiful camerawork and cinematography. The film is one big tease so when the camera decides to take a step back and admire the destruction scenery it does so with elegance that makes the image on screen look like a work of art. It's great to see that Gareth Edwards didn't just sell out to the big studios after his indie hit Monsters. You can definitely tell he had a big impact on the film and how it plays out.

One of my favourite things about this film is that it defies expectations. It's a film that doesn't give you what you think you need, it goes against all the general conventions of a Hollywood blockbuster and instead of just letting you watch the action play out, it cuts away and saves the best for later. It may be fustrating at first but what you get at the end, when you're on the edge of your seat in anticipation, is spectacular. The build up really pays off and there is no way you won't leave the cinema with a great big grin on your face.

The monster himself also looks incredible, never has there been a more glorious Godzilla on the big screen. The CGI is top notch and you will find yourself believing that the king of monsters is real. He looks great and when you finally get the full body shot complete with the iconic roar I assure you it will send shivers down your spine!

Godzilla will defy your expectations but that is not completely a bad thing. It puts characters first over action so it is shame that not all of them are worthy of your time or care. But everything else is pulled off brilliantly, it's great to see something a little different and unexpected at the cinema, especially from a big summer blockbuster. I had a great time and thourougly enjoyed the film, therefore I am rating it a 4/5. The king of monsters is back!

What did you think of Godzilla? Love it or hate it, let me know in the comments below.

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World War Z

I can't say I was too excited to see World War Z, even though I had read the book sharing the same name and

a part of the feature was filmed where I study in Falmouth. I am also a massive sucker for zombie films and Brad Pitt, so why did this not appeal to me? Maybe it was because of the troubled production, lack of resemblance to the novel or just because the trailers sucked, I did not care for this film. However I offered to take my brother to go and see it and my reaction to it even surprised myself!

I am just going to start this review by saying World War Z is awesome! Now, after it's marketing campaign I did not enter the cinema expecting a film that resembled anything from the book so I was not disappointed when all it had in common was the title and few interesting details about other countries during the zombie epidemic. The film follows Brad Pitt, an ex United Nations employee named Gerry Lane who is called back into work to help find a cure to a dangerous zombie virus that has swept its way across the world taking out most of the population.

This film is not like most zombie films. Most zombie films are small and contained due to a budget and production constraints. This one is massive and doesn't really fall into the 'zombie' genre, it's more of a disaster flick that could easily have been directed by Roland Emmerich, however this film is directed by Marc Forster. Again unlike most zombie films this one doesn't have as much gore and guts, instead it has much more spectacle and huge set pieces that make for a more watered down zombie film, this way it got a PG-13 rating America, though it was still rated 15 over here in the UK. It was

good to see a zombie film that was much bigger in scale than anything you have ever seen before! The lack of gore may leave some fans of the genre disappointed but I had no quarrel with it.

World War Z gives you one hell of a ride. The outbreak starts within the first 5 minutes and the film doesn't slow down from there on in. You are constantly on the edge of your seat and the whole experience is very thrilling and enjoyable. That's what surprised me about the film, I had so much fun watching it! The hordes of CGI zombies may not be the best thing you've ever seen but it sure does look cool! And one thing this film does that many other zombie films and TV shows fail to do (I'm pointing at you The Walking Dead) is make the zombies scary. None of these zombies were just cannon fodder, they were terrifying! If you got near one you are pretty much dead because they were just savage animals full of rage and would stop at nothing to get bite of you.

Brad Pitt holds this film together, he is brilliant as Gerry Lane and the best thing about the film. However it is the other characters that you don't really care about because none them have enough screen time to really shine or make you feel for them, this is something that lets the film down because a show like The Walking Dead you care for most of the characters and get upset or annoyed if they die.

But this film wasn't about emotional depth, it was about spectacle, it was about showing as many zombies as you could on screen, taking down planes and helicopters and even whole countries! The rewritten ending by Damon Lindelof may feel small in scale compared to the rest of the film but it still kicks ass! World War Z is the surprise hit of the summer and although it may lack in emotional depth it makes up for it with huge spectacular fun and that's what summer blockbusters are all about really, so therefore I am giving it a rating of 4/5.

Thanks for reading!