(SPOILER WARNING!!! This article does contain spoilers, if you haven’t seen the movie, just see the first paragraph to be informed without spoilers!!!)

Godzilla was a good well thought movie that definitely pays homage to the old Godzilla franchise. Even though the monster looked fat and all, the movie was thrilling at the beginning with decent action at the end, and a great performance by Bryan Cranston. This movie will be enjoyed by fans of Godzilla and/or Kaiju movie fans Rating. 4 out of 5 Stars.

I remember when i was a little kid I used to watch the Godzilla movies in the 80’s and 90’s where he fought Ghidora, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla. They were entertaining to watch. I even had a huge action figure of Godzilla. So as a kid I was a fan, more than a fan of King Kong, (and they fought in one movie). I even watched and old cartoon about Godzilla with his son Godzooki. Unfortunately, I lost interest in the franchise after that awful movie in 1998. They really were trying to make it more Jurassic Park, than the Godzilla we were used to and love and was too commercialized (Remember the Taco Bell commercials with the Chihuahua). I believe that movie really almost made the Godzilla franchise die out and just become a legacy. Now that i heard a new one is coming, I wasn’t sold on it being a good movie, just another attempt for Americans to make it bad and take the money. It wasn’t until the second trailer, where you hear Bryan Cranston go on a rant, made me think this could be different. I thought the future of this franchise depends on it, and thankfully it did deliver in it’s own way. I will start with what I liked, to the so-so, to what I didn’t like.

What I liked, I liked the fact that it paid homage to the classic Godzilla, and the fact that Godzilla is fighting against monsters and not purposefully destructing the city. An anti-hero sort of story, but I liked how it was written. It gave a lot of good history of the character of Godzilla, and they made a scientific approach at the beginning of the movie about Godzilla and the other monsters. It shows that the writers have done good research to make this movie good, and believable. Director Gareth Edwards paints a good picture of everything going down in this story, especially the final fight between Godzilla and the MUTOs. The MUTOs to me paid homage to J. J. Abrams monster movie Cloverfield when it comes the the design of the monster MUTO, especially the bigger female one. The final action scene to me was well choreographed when it came to the fighting, and especially when Godzilla uses his special laser out of mouth attack. It is a modern spectacle to watch, and my favorite part was the skydiving scene where you see how close to the Godzilla fight they were parachuting from. What really got to me was how thrilling it is when Godzilla finally showed up, it was like a creepy entrance just showing his bony spikes in the water which reminded me of the movie Jaws, and how his presence really made waves to make the boats go crazy on the water. His roar was classic as well. I liked the other plot of the story on the humans point of view of Godzilla weather he is a hero or a menace, and a soldier trying to protect not only his country, but his family as well. Two actors really stuck out for me, the first was Ken Watanabe as scientist Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. He was cool, calm, and collected, and realized that Godzilla was on the human side, and humans can’t control him. He was willing to accept that, and proved to be he was right.  The other actor that really impressed me was Bryan Cranston as Dr. Joe Brody. He acted tremendously for his role where at times he seems maniacal, but all he wanted to prove is that he had a point. A powerful moment was when the nuclear power plant was going down, and his wife, played by Juliette Binoche, was stuck under the nuclear mess where he couldn’t save her from her death. Yet they share one last moment at the window before the main door closes. Cranston’s character’s reaction his his wife’s death was genuine, and I’m impressed in how Cranton’s acting has come a long way since the TV show Malcolm in the Middle. I liked the fact in the end that Godzilla does survive, and gives one last roar before he goes back to sea. Very heroic in my opinion.

The so-so, the design of Godzilla was ok with me. I liked the spikes on his back and tail, but I thought he looked too fat. Maybe it shows how brolic he is, but it looked weird that his head looks small compared to his body. Whatever the case, the CGI designed his movements well, especially in the fighting scenes. Even though I liked the old school Godzilla look better, I take this Godzilla look over the awful 1998 Godzilla. Also I found it annoying how they tease the fights between Godzilla and MUTO at the beginning and middle of the movie. I guess to keep the movie watchers excitement up, but too much teasing for my liking.

What I didn’t like, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, I liked him in the Kick-Ass movies, but his acting here was very very sub-par in my opinion. Yeah becomes somewhat of a hero showing his guts and glory saving the day, and had good chemistry when it he was with his wife played by Elizabeth Olsen. (They play husband and wife in Godzilla, and will play brother and sister in The Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, I think that’s weird, but it is acting.) However, i didn’t believe in his acting, i didn’t think he was assertive enough, sounded weak, and was convincing in this movie. His action spoke more as a good guy, but I wasn’t feeling it. It does concern me, because he will be playing Quicksilver in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which I hope he does a better acting job. Also, (I know I’m getting nit picky) but I don’t remember a train that high in Honolulu, Hawaii. I lived there for a year, and didn’t see that. Also I bet the youtube video of Everything Wrong With, will find in this Godzilla movie that how can his tail show up first before his whole body. A little off to me.

Overall, this movie saved a dying franchise. It was good enough to make people excited for another Godzilla or kaiju movie. Hopefully I could see Mothra, Ghidera, or even a Mechagodzilla. Maybe even make a completely new monster for Godzilla to battle out. Whatever the case, this has sparked excitement for future movies to come!!! Final Rating 4 out of 5 Stars.