Entertaining reboot

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2017)

This was a decent enough creature feature and about what I expected. At least the special effects didn't completely overshadow the whole movie here and there was a pretty good story attached. On the downside all the characters are kinda flat and underdeveloped especially from Aaron Taylor-Johnson who is the main hero dude.
Bryan Cranston might be the exception, but he (consciously?) overacts his role as Joe the grieving father/scientist/Godzilla conspiracy theorist. There is a decent back story set up for him though. Elizabeth Olsen is in the wife/mother role and this could have been done by anyone. Ken Watanabe also very flat, a grumpy sort of non character. They all take it seriously though, and this is an entertaining movie.
The visuals are beautifully done and I enjoyed the story with Godzilla emerging from hibernation to battle winged creatures called Motos, threatening humanity. I also liked the new spin put on Godzilla where he is the good monster, helping to save civilization and bus loads of children from the evil, nuclear loving, ever mating Motos. Wasn't too sure about the spin put on history regarding Hiroshima etc -changing history- but decided to just let that go.
Lots of mayhem and destruction, as cities are leveled (which is always fun to watch), some excellent battle scenes with colossal destruction from the creatures, lots of globe trotting through Japan (Vancouver), Hawaii, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Mostly filmed in and around Vancouver through; Steveston, Victoria, Nanaimo, New West