They put part of the "God" back in "zilla."

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2014)

I have been a devoted Godzilla fan for years and have always been intrigued and entertained by the overall quality and fun (albeit sometimes campy) the original Japanese Godzilla film and its over-two-dozen sequels bring. They have a special charm to them and are definitely treasured classics. This second American version of the monster classic, I believe, somewhat does the monster justice but is better than the 1998 American version with Matthew Broderick.
The trailer gives people the impression that this is a very dark film where Godzilla begins a spree of terror in the U.S. and throughout the world. However, it is really about Godzilla and two other malevolent creatures called MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) being awaken and unleashed by the events of the nuclear bombing at Bikini Atoll in the 1940s. This leads to a battle between the monsters, with American cities caught in the middle.
The film starts off with some intrigue, showing scientists Joe and Sandra Brody (Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche) getting caught in an accident at the Janjira Nuclear Plant near Tokyo, where an explosion and radiation leak lead to causalities, already giving the audience the impression that monsters are involved, since radiation is a trademark element in bringing Godzilla to life. However, the movie drags on a bit after that when we are taken 15 years later after the incident, to a lot of uninteresting human drama involving the character leads. The movie picks up again almost toward the middle of the movie when we see some action involving the MUTOs, military and citizen evacuations - all leading to a pretty spectacular monster battle.
Writers Max Borenstein and Dave Callaham wrote a pretty interesting story. Director Gareth Edwards did a decent job directing the film, inserting enough drama, carnage, tension and thrills to make the film more believable and serious than the 1998 version. And, composer Alexandre Desplat wrote a very catchy and haunting music score, giving it a monster flavor and I thought the few first strands of his themes will remind you of Godzilla's classic theme from his original Japanese movie.
I wasn't blown away by the acting, which I found to be pretty awful - Cranston was mediocre and a little overzealous; British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ford Brody was bland, boring and emotionless with a bad American accent; Elizabeth Olsen as Elle Brody was OK; and Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ichiro Serizawa looked too confused. However, Serizawa did bring the connection between radiation and the monsters, and seemed to be one of a very few in the movie who has sympathy for them (echoing elements from the original Japanese series). Therefore, I felt Serizawa contributed the most to the plot.
Lastly, the visual and special effects were pretty awesome. I'm not a big fan of CGI, however, the effects team did capture the somberness and carnage of fallen cities, and the mayhem and terror of the monsters' presence.
Although Godzilla himself is given limited screen time, the monster is the real star of the movie as the drama and talks concentrate on him and his presence is felt throughout the movie. It's a pretty good way to celebrate Godzilla's 60th anniversary and, as the audience in the theater was left applauding after the credits started to role, this is actually a pretty satisfying film that somewhat puts the "God" back in "zilla." I just wished that there was more monster action and wished the acting was better; I wouldn't mind if the producers had selected an entire new crop of actors over the ones employed.
Grade C+