15 years after the death of his mother in a mysterious accident at a nuclear power plant in Japan, bomb technician Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is told by his father (Bryan Cranston) that he expects a similar disaster to occur again.

60 years after the original Godzilla comes this 3D take that boasts just as impressive visual effects and mayhem as the maligned 1998 Hollywood version – only this time we’re served a better story and cast (where Cranston stands out).

Pacing is uneven, but Gareth Edwards stages the action well, and the introduction of several monsters is a shot in the arm. Very lively score by Alexandre Desplat.

2014-U.S. 123 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Gareth Edwards. Music: Alexandre Desplat. Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Ford Brody), Ken Watanabe (Ishiro Serizawa), Elizabeth Olsen (Elle Brody), Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Juliette Binoche. 

Trivia: The film launched the Monsterverse franchise, including three sequels, starting with Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019); the spin-off film Kong: Skull Island (2017); and a TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023- ). Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Henry Cavill were considered for the part of Ford.