It’s been sixteen years since Roland Emmerich’s dreadful adaption of the famed monster franchise graced the screens and eyes of America. Since then, every adaption of the timeless monster has been either haphazard or cheesy, or even described as a “shy kangaroo” by famed critic Roger Ebert. Now at the helm of the franchise reboot, new director Gareth Edwards (this is his second movie) and his star studded cast, which includes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass, Savages), Ken Watanabe (Letters From Iwo Jima, Inception), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Oldboy), and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Malcolm In The Middle), drastically raise the bar with the future of Godzilla.

The last time I saw this amount of hype for a movie was The Dark Knight Rises. Regardless of TDKR’s faults, my expectations were never met. However, Godzilla’s “hype machine” may have done the film some good, considering the notable enlargement of the beast itself, shown towering over the skyline of San Francisco by a good 200 feet. What many people are unaware of is that there is not one, not two, but THREE monsters in the film. A major curve ball, partly due to the fact that all we see in the trailer is the massive outline of the beast’s body. Now does this iteration of the Japanese creature’s adventures deliver? The answer… Yes.

The film begins in 1999, where an “earthquake” causes a nuclear reactor breach at the Janjira nuclear plant in Japan killing a nuclear engineer. Fifteen years later, her husband, the reclusive and erratic Joe Brody (Cranston), and his soldier son Ford (Taylor Johnson) investigate the initial causes of the accident, unwillingly getting sucked into a massive government cover up that could potentially destroy humanity. It’s interesting to see a summer monster blockbuster to devote so much time to the human characters, rather than portray them as shallow, ignorant buffoons. At the forefront is a compelling and interesting storyline that involves family, revenge, and the search for the truth, and makes a film much more than a monster/destruction summer blockbuster.

The visual effects here are far from the days of men in rubber suits, smashing cardboard models of cities. Many have noticed the considerable increase in height, and his gigantic height plays a very potent part in the movie, not to mention the vibrant and visceral presence the creature brings to the screen. Once the creature appeared on screen for the first time in the movie, I felt excited, yet equally as terrified. And for all the right reasons too. The new roar has a deafening yet affirming level of terror, ready to scare or excite fans.

On this adaption of the movie, rather than have the humans battle Godzilla, Edwards has mankind pitting Godzilla against the other two monsters in the film, facilitating their battlegrounds and confrontations. It’s interesting to see Godzilla become heralded as a “savior” and “king” rather than a “freak of nature” or “beast”; Godzilla’s success can be partly attributed to the borrowed elements from classic monster movies: the imposing menace of The War of the Worlds, the fear and awe of Jurassic Park, and the terror and suspense of Cloverfield. What we have here is a meticulously crafted film, that restores Godzilla’s status, changing it from “behemoth” to “king”.

To Edwards, Godzilla is more than just a monster, or the subject of his biggest paycheck. Rather, Edwards sees Godzilla as a mythical wonder. And when Godzilla saves the day, climbing to the top as the “alpha predator” of the food chain, a philosophical sense or wonder and astonishment comes to play. For a movie about Godzilla, Godzilla rarely appears. Coming in at the one hour mark, the film never falters, in plot or interest, an impressive feat for a film that depends heavily on its title character.

It’s as if Edwards is seeing the beast for the first time, just as we are; all we can do is just stand back in awe and let nature do the rest. With his gentle, yet bold and confident direction, Edwards take the film towards a world much more than it seems. The film doesn’t go back to the campy B-horror movie of its early versions that made the monster so iconic, but it pushes the limits of the franchise. For a summer blockbuster, Godzilla has it all: terror, suspense, a somewhat compelling plot, great characters, superb visual effects, and enough roars and creature battles to make the inner 9-year old in you squeal. The rest of the anticipated summer blockbusters need to work hard, because the king of the summer has arrived, and his reign doesn’t appear to end anytime soon.

THE VERDICT: Highly Recommended. This is one of my favorite movies of the year and is for sure going to be a highlight of the 2014 summer movie season.

Score: ★★★★ (Excellent!)

My Rating System For Movies:

Rating System
★★★★★ Masterpiece
★★★★½ Amazing
★★★★ Excellent
★★★½ Great
★★★ Good
★★½ Okay
★★ Dissapointing
★½ Meh
★ Bad
½ Never See This In Your Life
No Stars: Not worthy of a rating