The one thing Godzilla 2014 mastered.

G theorist

I think there is one element of this movie that is on par with the original 1954 movie.

The human element.

Even though their storyline seems simple enough, the Brody family was able to give us the feeling of not only the average military serviceman during a Kaiju movie, but also the average family.

Fords wife, Ellie is a character i often see overlooked. But her performance was nearly perfect. Her facial expressions when she looks at the monsters, her desperation trying to protect her son, the cries she gives when she's caught in the middle of a collapsing building is the physical and emotional embodiment of every civilian caught in the middle of a Kaiju fight. She and Fords' father are the main reasons why I applaud this movie for its human acting and why I think that Godzilla 2014 has one of(if not the best) human storylines in a Godzilla movie. Just for its seeming simplicity.

I hope we get more of these awesome human moments in future movies. 

Djdndnejwnwn

The characters were realistic but not very interesting. You were able to care for them but killing off Bryan Cranston and making Brody the main character was the wrong choice in my opinion. Brody also has serious plot armor

G. H. (Gman)

Completely agree, HinikunaGoji.

The movie opened with Joe's tragedy and it was his determination/heartbreak from loss that led him and Ford to the containment facility. Killing off Joe killed off the character the audience had the strongest connection with.

Now I don't dislike Brody, especially in comparison to characters in the sequel, but he's left with very little to grow from. He's also isolated from other supporting characters which leaves him with very little to communicate with. I enjoy the journey-man story he has going on that parallels Godzilla's trek--The idea of two worn, soldiers trying to complete their mission intersects when he makes eye contact with Godzilla. I loved that.

But overall his journey is not one of exploration, but literal destination. With his lack of dialogue or interesting internal arc, his character just comes down to a man trying to get home.

G theorist

Which is why i mainly focused on his wife. XD I agree, though, that Bryan Cranstons performance is what got the movie through the first 30 min. I was just acknowledging a character that, as I said, often is overlooked/underrated, ie Fords' wife.

Monsterzero9

I mean sure, its nice to see a realistic response to kaiju attacks, but the realistic aprouch was just SO     BORING.    give us some shabaz in the human plotline like final wars did.

Gabriel Salomon

My opinion is definitely in line with the general consensus that Joe Brody is the strongest character of G14 (perhaps of the entire Monsterverse), and my biggest disappointment with that film easily was the writers' decision to kill him off. In doing so, they also killed the heart of the film, which is why the second act is a bit harder to get through.

Djdndnejwnwn

The most realistic kaiju defense I’ve seen in a Godzilla movie is in Shin Godzilla.

G theorist

Sure that movie had ond the most realistic military responses. But when It comes to capturing the P.O.V. of the average person....

Xenotaris

Oh yes Shin Godzilla, stuff full of Japanese bureaucracy and heavy focus on characters that would normally be  background characters.

Djdndnejwnwn

I mean the stratagem against Shin Godzilla. It had well thought out defenses and phases

G. H. (Gman)

Y'know... thinking back on it--As much as I love Elizabeth Olson as an actress and appreciate the nuance she gave Elle, the character really had nothing to do, but be a worry wart the entire film.

sonictiger

Honestly, I do have to say Madison Russell in KOTM kinda faded into the background in the third act.

and about G'14, I would watch it if I could actually see it (you know what I mean).

Djdndnejwnwn

@Sonic

I rewatched the film many times with the darkness. It is an issue and probably the biggest one. But for me it doesn’t really impact the viewing experience. I tend to make these problems seem bigger than they actually are, so not watching a movie based on someone else’s judgement isn’t very smart. I’m saying don’t say you can’t see, if you haven’t seen the movie

Djdndnejwnwn

@Gman

Thats true.

sonictiger

At least Marvel has given Olsen her big break...