A great return for the King of the Monsters

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2014)

As a huge fan of the Toho Godzilla films, I'm glad to say I really enjoyed this.
First and foremost, Godzilla himself is awesome. He's partially seen immediately after the opening credits, and a scene soon after takes place inside the skeleton of a member of his species. This builds up his first full appearance well, getting us excited to see him. It takes a while to happen, but his arrival is spectacular. The MUTOs are fairly well done, despite not being particularly original (most obvious is their hatching from a cocoon, a classic Mothra trait), but they do pose a threat to humanity effectively and make good enemies for Godzilla, and those are the most important things.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson's acting is just OK, but it's made up for by giving his character a lot to do. For Elizabeth Olsen, it's the opposite, her character doesn't have much to do, but Olsen's acting is very good. Bryan Cranston gives the best performance in the film, the highlight of his acting being when his character shouts in demand to know what's really going on.
I was a little frustrated by the many cutaways just when some monster action was about to begin, but the epic final battle makes up for it. Now that I've seen this movie once and know my issues after being so excited to see it, I think this is the type of film that could very likely get even better with rewatches.
And how can you not love the way Godzilla kills the female MUTO?