The KING is Back! Godzilla, King of the Monsters

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2014)

I just went into theaters to see "Godzilla" with high anticipation that it will bring justice to the titular monster. Sure enough, it did more than just that because at the end of the movie I was proud that the movie had exemplified him as the ultimate force of nature as he originally was.
First of all, the visual effects blew me away. Jim Rygiel did a well-done job in creating a credible and believable world where Godzilla and the M.U.T.O. really existed. The texture and the visuals of the monsters are really the highlight of the film when you can see how detailed Godzilla's scales and fins are. The environments were suitably covered in fog, dangling vegetation, and dust with the low lighting in some scenes to enhance the dark, gritty tone of the movie. Having a veteran visual effects supervisor like Jim Rygiel, who previously worked in the critically acclaimed Lord of The Ring Trilogy, really helped to pull of the realism and grittiness of the Kaiju interacting with the human world magnificently.
Second, the choice of the cast was really well-thought out and their performance on screen was solid. Big credit goes to Bryan Cranston, who plays as Joe Brody, a disillusioned physicist who bore emotional scars of the incident that destroyed his wife and tore his family apart. The way Bryan delved into the emotional performance of his character did more than enough to convince me that what he went through is a HUGE, serious deal.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson was a good choice to play Ford Brody. Even though he might seem emotionally bland at times, but those are minor flaws that are far and few in between. He still managed to genuinely show emotions that borderline on fear, anxiety, frustration, care and concern when he had to help his suffering father in Japan or when he had his wife and son's safety to worry about in the midst of the chaos in San Francisco.
The movie's other strong points would be in the pacing of the film. More akin to Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" where it shows only glances of Godzilla until halfway through the movie. Then when it comes to the battles, they are not instantly one thing after another that makes the audience tire quickly, but they are cut at certain points for a long time to allow the viewers to catch their breath in between until it reaches to the climax where all that anticipation is released in a satisfying and jaw-dropping moment. Some of the people who like to be gratified with instantaneous shots of action and mayhem may not agree with this, but I thought that it was a smart move on the director's part to do so
Overall, I rank this movie at 9/10 for its brilliant visuals of the monsters,strong story and plot, the solid acting performance of the human cast that signify above average character development, and the excellent choice of the film pacing that echoes Steven Spielberg's style.