Godzilla (2014)
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An American soldier must navigate the deadly consequences of an ancient rivalry between a prehistoric predator and parasitic organisms.
The story
In the wake of a mysterious nuclear meltdown in Japan, a U.S. Navy officer named Ford Brody returns home only to find his father, a former engineer, detained in a quarantine zone. Seeking to uncover the truth behind the disaster, the two men travel to the site and discover a massive, hidden threat. As they uncover the existence of a prehistoric alpha predator known as Godzilla and its parasitic rivals, the military prepares to intervene. Ford must navigate a world where ancient biological threats have resurfaced, and the survival of humanity depends on understanding the balance between these colossal forces.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following a 1954 nuclear incident that awakened the prehistoric predator Godzilla, the organization Project Monarch was formed to monitor him. In 2014, Ford Brody, a Navy officer, joins his father Joe to investigate a nuclear plant in Japan that suffered a meltdown in 1999. They discover a 'MUTO' (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) and realize it is part of a pair of parasites seeking out nuclear material. The male MUTO attacks a submarine, while the female MUTO emerges in Nevada. The military, led by Admiral Stenz, decides to use nuclear warheads to force the monsters into the open ocean. During a massive confrontation in San Francisco, Ford and a strike team must disarm a nuclear warhead while Godzilla battles the MUTOs. Godzilla eventually defeats the parasites and retreats into the sea, while the media dubs him the 'King of the Monsters.'
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Japanese
- Directors
- Gareth Edwards
- Writers
- Max Borenstein · screenplay; David Callaham · story
- Cast and characters
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson · U.S. Navy EOD LT Ford Brody; Ken Watanabe · Dr. Ishirō Serizawa; Elizabeth Olsen · Elle Brody; Juliette Binoche · Sandra Brody; Sally Hawkins · Dr. Vivienne Graham; David Strathairn · Admiral William Stenz; Bryan Cranston · Joe Brody; T.J. Storm · Godzilla
- Genres
- monster
- Themes
- Man vs. Nature; Nuclear Legacy
- Setting
- Various locations including Japan, the United States (San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Nevada), and the ocean.
- Source material / true-story basis
- Toho's Godzilla franchise
- Franchise connections
- Monsterverse
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the direction, visual effects, music, cinematography, respect to the source material, and Cranston's performance, but criticized the script, characters, and Godzilla's insufficient screen time.
- Production trivia
- The film was a box office success, grossing $529.1 million worldwide.; The character of Dr. Ishirō Serizawa is named after the director Ishirō Honda and the scientist who killed Godzilla in the 1954 film.; The role of Ford was offered to Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 2012, but he declined.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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