Godzilla

[7] Underwater hydrogen bomb testing awakens a prehistoric monster from the depths of the ocean in this Japanese classic that launched a mighty franchise still active today. Godzilla is a lot like King Kong or the Universal Monster Movies in spirit and execution, balancing special effects mayhem with a strong message about the perils of scientific advancement. Other Godzilla movies would improve on the former …

[9] I never knew a Godzilla movie could be this good. Writer/Director/VFX Supervisor Takashi Yamazaki reinvigorates the venerable franchise with a combination of terrific visual effects, exciting action sequences, and a surprisingly emotional storyline. The film is anchored by its lead actor, Ryunosuke Kamiki, playing a World War II kamikaze (suicide) pilot who, over the course of the film, finds a reason to live. Or …

[2] A giant radioactive lizard terrorizes New York City. There are probably at least 100 different ways this could have been more interesting and exciting, but producers Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) instead opt to make their Godzilla movie two hours and twenty minutes of  implausible, joyless tedium. The characters (if you could call them that) have no spunk, no personality, nothing to …

[7] I’m always on the lookout for a good monster movie, and Godzilla is one of the most legendary monsters in movie history, right? But he’s still not a sure thing. We all remember the Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich crap-fest from 1998, right? Well, thank goodness Monsters director Gareth Edwards takes the big lizard more seriously than they did. And thank goodness Edwards knows …