Exceeded My Low Expectations

Rating: 6/10 (24 May 2014)

I qualify this review as someone who enjoys movies and critiques them on a case-by-case basis. I have a working knowledge of the original films by Toho mostly through other reviewers like James Rolfe. I never grew up with the originals, so my understanding for the phenomena of kaiju was limited.
Coming into this movie though I was anxious to see what would come of the work and devotion to the past, and I was for the most part pleased with what I saw. The portrayals of the main family in their efforts to stay in contact were well done. That storyline often carried some emotional weight that I don't often see in a summer blockbuster.
I liked the creature design on Godzilla and the M.U.T.O.s. I thought they showed true menace and were quite threatening. I only wish that I could have seen more discussion and portrayal of the titular character. Godzilla showing up halfway through a two-and-a-half-hour movie creates a bit of anxiety. And for a film that's supposed to be kicking off a new series, it really does very little to attempt to talk about the where and why of the giant lizard.
When I did get to see Godzilla though, I wasn't disappointed. All the elements that made him an intense fighting force were there made even better by grounded motion capture performance and trademark radioactive breath put to good use.
I left the theater feeling good, and that's better than I could have hoped for.