outstanding

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2014)

I liked this one better than the 1998 version with Matthew Broderick, simply because it reverts to making Godzilla the "good guy" monster again and shows him battling the "bad guy" monsters in the vein of the classic Godzilla films. You might prefer the originals because the cheesy special effects were what made them fun (or because of nostalgia), but this was a good entry in the series. It starts off with a scientist having to shut the door to cut off a nuclear cloud at the expense of his family while investigating some strange "goings-on" in the Philipines. 15 years later, his son is in the Navy with a family of his own, and is called to Japan because his father has been arrested, and monsters are being investigated. Of course one of them is Godzilla. Nuclear explosions are to blame, they reach San Fransisco, and epic battles ensue as our hero's family is in danger.
I think the monsters' battle scenes are a main highlight, and the vast majority of this film was well done. It could have used some character development, though. I still liked it a lot. You will love it! *** out of ****