Watched 29 March 2017
Down to the dramatic putting-down of phones and title card fetish, this is exactly what I was hoping for: a live-action manifestation of Hideaki Anno’s cinematic obsessions with giant monsters, heavy machinery, and the flaws of humanity.
It’s just missing that extra bit of directorial precision he manages to pull off with animation, especially in terms of acting and camerawork.
Rewatched 23 March 2017
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that the monsters don’t show up enough in this movie.
The Ligeti-scored skydiving scene and the atomic breath reveal are just as awesome as I remembered them. This stands up as one of the most gripping giant monster movies ever.
Watched 17 March 2017
This is nothing to write home about, but it’s a solid monster movie. Which is all I was hoping for, really.
The tone is the polar opposite of Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla — it feels fun instead of tense. That in itself is perfectly okay, but I wish it could have kept some of that Jurassic Park-like subtlety that worked so well for Godzilla.
Watched 3 March 2017
Like a lot of mystery stories, some of the excitement starts to fade as the curtain is pulled back. And then it almost becomes a matter of taste: you may or may not like where it goes. I wasn’t amazed by the destination, but I quite enjoyed the journey on this one.
For an admittedly small film it dares to feel big, and for all its tension it manages to find some serenity. And it does those things without appearing contrived. It feels balanced, distinct, and personal.
Watched 1 March 2017
This film is the cinematic equivalent of clickbait: begging you to look at it while having nothing to say.
Few films have given me a harder time suspending disbelief. No part of it has any depth. Not the plot, not the dialogue, not the sci-fi, not the romance. And it has the nerve to acknowledge its hollow meaninglessness when that crappy Imagine Dragons song comes on in the end.
I really enjoyed Morten Tyldum’s other films Imitation Game and Headhunters, but this is some lowest-common-denominator garbage. It does look pretty, tho.